The Folklore Society
The Folklore Society (FLS) is a learned society, based in London, devoted to the study of all aspects of folklore and tradition, including: ballads, folktales, fairy tales, myths, legends, traditional song and dance, folk plays, games, seasonal events, calendar customs, childlore and children's folklore, folk arts and crafts, popular belief, folk religion, material culture, vernacular language, sayings, proverbs and nursery rhymes, folk medicine, plantlore and weather lore.
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Performance in Legend and Tradition: the Twelfth Legendary Weekend of The Folklore Society
Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September 2017
In comes I, says Robbin to Bobbin. There were three Straw Bears and the little one said, rough music! Will…
More events coming up:
We are very sad to report the death of Dr Venetia Newall, past president of The Folklore Society and recipient of our Coote Lake Medal for folklore research. Her obituary will be be published in Folklore very soon.
A special award of an engraved goblet was presented on 31 March 2017 to Robert McDowall as a token of gratitude for his twenty years of devoted service to the Folklore Society, as President, vice-President and, especially, for his financial…
Prof. John Widdowson's article “New Beginnings in Folklore: Towards a National Folklore Survey”, published in our journal Folklore (vol.127/3, 2016), is currently free to download here
We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2016 biennial Non-Print Media Award is Rod Stradling of Musical Traditions for his 2 CD set of Sam Larner: Cruising Round Yarmouth (MTCD369-0)
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Researchers have long been fascinated by the recurrence of tunes in different genres, performance contexts, historical periods, and geographical locations. But how are we to understand this phenomenon of melodic relationships?
This conference aims to bring together those working on ‘traditional’ and ‘popular’ tunes, and welcomes a broad range of perspectives and approaches. Call for Papers and further details on website. Deadline for submission of proposals 31 May 2017.
This interdisciplinary conference addresses the prominence of the mermaid and related creatures from folklore, myth, legend, and the imagination in 19th, 20th, and 21st-Century culture.
The Concealed Revealed, a strand of the Inner Lives: Emotion, Identity and the Supernatural, 1300-1900 Project, is hoping to produce an extensive catalogue of concealed objects and domestic apotropaic devices, from shoes and cats to timber marks, across Britain. Dr Ceri Houlbrook, of the University of Hertfordshire, is not only seeking information about these objects but is also aiming to interview their finders; to consider how the biographies of these objects continue once the concealed has been revealed. If you have any information you'd like to share, please email Ceri on c.houlbrook@herts.ac.uk, or visit the project website on https://theconcealedrevealed.wordpress.com/
Message from Robert McDowall, Vice-President: “At its meeting on 1 July 2015, the Folklore Society (“FLS”) Committee created a sub-group to examine opportunities for the generation of additional forms of revenue for the Society (other than revenue generated in partnership with Taylor & Francis). The sub-group invites FLS members and supporters to submit their suggestions and proposals, using this template. The consultation period ends on 30 September 2015. The sub-group will evaluate the feasibility of the proposals received and submit the “top 3” to the FLS Committee in December 2015 with a view to implementing the proposal(s) in 2016.”
Register with the Yahoo! Talking Folklore group set up by Steve Roud.
A joint publication of the University of Tartu, the Estonian National Museum and the Estonian Literary Museum, now available free online.
Mark Norman is compiling a database of accounts of sightings of Black Dogs and will be very pleased if people can send contributions to Mark@viewfindervideo.co.uk
The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) is England’s designated library and archive dedicated to English folk song and dance. Located at Cecil Sharp House, the home of the English Folk Dance & Song Society, it contains an inspiring collection of books, sound, film, photographs, and special archival collections. A number of the VWML’s archival collections and other important 19th and 20th century folk collections have been digitised and are available to view via the library website. The Folklore Society's Ordish Collection is among the collections digitised in “The Full English”. The website also hosts song, dance, tune, and mummers’ play indexes, as well as the incredibly comprehensive Roud folk song and broadside indexes. Together, these create a powerful research tool providing access to England’s cultural heritage.