fans of folklore

Since anyone has posted here. Thought I'd see if anyone had any interesting winter oriented tales to share or anything of the like.

In a recent article on flood myths, Alan Dundes wrote: "Theories of myth interpretation may be roughly divided into two major groupings: literal and symbolic. Literalists tend to seek factual or historical bases for a given mythological narrative while advocates of one the many symbolic approaches prefer to regard the narrative as a code requiring some mode of decipher-ment. It is important to realize that the literal and symbolic exegeses [interpretations] of myths are not necessarily mutually exclusive" (167). As you read through what follows, you might want to classify each "way" of looking at myth as literal or symbolic. You will also want to remember what Dundes says about interpretations not being mutually exclusive: myths can be looked at in many ways, which often can be employed at the same time without contradiction. For example, in the story of Ra, Isis, and the snakebite, the possible political interpretation (Isis being advanced by her priests to position of top god) doesn't rule out a consideration of Ra as sun-god, or possibly seeing some ritual significance to his sickness and subsequent cure. As G. S. Kirk puts it, "a myth may have different emphases or levels of meaning." Since it often serves more than one purpose, "a tale about human actions [can] contain more than a single aspect and implication" (39).

To Read More Go Here:http://faculty.gvsu.edu/websterm/ways.htm

x-posted to rainbowbridge

Title: Helen Before the Fall
Author: orpheanwinged
Characters: Helen/Paris
Word count: 534
Inspiration: The Crüxshadows - Helen (Nothing Left But Me)

---

The sun reflected radiance off the golden locks of Helen. She gazed off the balcony wistfully. The once boisterous streets had grown suddenly silent in the last few days, since her arrival. She sighed, and gazed down at the finery which adorned her already perfect form; the necklace from Paris, the gown of the finest silks, which shined as if adorned by ( one thousand tears... )

Though this is not technically folklore, the preservation of knowledge and the discovery thereof is always fascinating. And, the book that has been discovered was potentially used as a codex of sorts and in my opinion qualifies for this community based on that alone. Enjoy.

01/06/2008 - 4:07:09 PM

Experts at the National Museum are planning to bring to life one of the country’s most significant and mysterious historical finds, the ancient book of psalms found in a Tipperary bog two years ago.

Known as the 'Faddan Mor Psalter', the 1,200-year-old decorated manuscript was a working text in everyday use by monks for praying, teaching or for copying religious passages.

It is being painstakingly analysed and preserved in attempt to learn more about its origins even though only around 15% of the vellum pages survived the bog burial.

For more information on this go here: http://www.eecho.ie/news/story/?trs=mhgbeymhgbid

I thought we'd get this community off and running with a nice rousing story of the original story of The Little Sea Maid which Disney has so corrupted. I remember when I was young a movie that was made that held true to the theme, and was much scarier to me. The animation was very primitive in comparision but still I prefer it due to the veracity of the plot. I hope folks will enjoy this.

(  THE LITTLE MERMAID(in it's original form)By, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON The Little Mermaid, written in 1836, my favorite of all the stories that Anderson wrote. )

To the fansoffolklore asylum. This is a refuge for those who love, find fascination with, have a passing interest in folkore or who honestly like to tell a good story(though if you are just writing your own work on here you need to state so from the start as it will otherwise confuse folks. generally most original works are hoped to in some way mirror or stem from folklore of the past but I believe we are still generating folklore today so have at it.).

If you have a thing for true folklore, then you can really dig in your teeth here. Hopefully we will draw the anthro-students that I drew on lj, the people who really had a big thing for folklore, who talked about their specialty and who wanted to search out bits and pieces of trivia. Those who could remember stories from their youth told to them by their grandparents and wanted to pass them on out of love. The word weavers and the young at heart. Those who were adept at making something new out of something old. Hopefully every dreamer will at sometime or another find their way to our doorstep and stop for a while.

If this sounds like you, then come in, grab a cup of tea, coffee, milk or whatever you fancy and start socializing.

Artwork is welcome here as long as the really big pix beyond 300x300 are put behind cuts. If you've reinterpreted your favorite story or whatever we want to know about it. Folklore didn't die a few hundred years ago, we are creating Urban Legends today just to name one form of folklore that is still going strong. So give it a whirl. State your sources if you can, we like that. And let's enjoy a good story.

No insulting of other members is permitted. There is a zero tolerance here. This is a safe place for people of all religions and all ethnicities. This means no proselytizing is to be done by anyone but, if someone has a neat story of a religious bent they can post it without fear of people giving them a bunch of flack. Songs, chants and the like are welcome again as long as someone is not 'spamming' the asylum with a HUGE amount of them all at one time in an attempt to convert folks to their way of being. Anyone who rides said individual for being different, coming from a different point of view or whatever gets ousted. Of course any individual spamming the community gets ousted as well. Fair is fair. Diversity is encouraged. A lot of folkore does have religious overtones to it. We don't do this because______fill in the blank; is at heart a superstition that became folklore long ago because usually they make up a story to scare the children into submission. Kids remember it into adulthood and spread it to their children. They may even like the story and have a fond emotional attachment to it. Then come Myths which have an enjoyable quality to them but are at heart religous. You get my drift. So buck up boys and girls.

I hope this will explain the tenor of this community.
Yours,
valkyrieofodin