Cultural Differences Between Folklore And Mythology

There is a common occurrence amongst people of the misperception that folklore and mythology have the same meaning. These two words are believed to be a synonym for fairytales. They are nothing more than stories told to represent the entertainment used for people of olden times; however, their meaning holds a higher value that society tends to overlook. It is also good to note that mythology, and folklore represent their own meanings respectively. The reason why some people may not have known this fact may be due to their lack of knowledge on this subject. It is a shame that the people who stay ignorant on the differences between these two subjects, will miss out on a piece of a culture that is conveyed through the complex aspects that …show more content…
Folklore shows the culture of a person through everyday means, it represents the traditions of that person told through the simplest form of communication. The book Folklore Rules explains how common folklore occurs in life, “The informal or unofficial level of cultural understanding is the “folk” level, the level on which cultural knowledge is shared, enacted, and propagated by regular, everyday people. Instead of laws we have customs; instead of guidebooks we have experience and observation” (McNeill 4). The quote helps emphasize how sharing is a great contributor to what folklore means, and how a person’s daily activity can represent such an aspect. Despite this notion, not everything can be slapped with label: folklore. Not everything constitutes as folklore, it is through the process of how the information is passed that is a key component of what makes folklore the way it is. The art of storytelling from person to person helps to evade the problem of everything becoming more than just a story. McNeill instructs her readers that the process determines whether the information being passed down is legitimate enough to be considered as