This is my new folklore thread. I’ve been interested in this kind of thing ever since I took a class on it at Berkeley, which was among the most intellectually satisfying and most interesting class of my undergraduate career. You can learn a tremendous amount about the way people think from the type of folklore that gets passed down. It is also a very good way of preserving the oral tradition of human history, which conveys information and culture in a more interesting and memorable way than simply reciting a big list. The most fascinating aspect is how people continue to create anecdotes and folklore in spite of the modern era’s greater focus on science and technology.
I’ll organize it by origin/subject and then the title of it. The post will relate to what it is. Any contributions are definitely encouraged. Remember that it’s not just cultural knowledge or funny stories – mnemonic devices are some of the most important and overlooked parts of folklore. It also doesn’t have to be widespread or even unoriginal – people create new stories every day. The only important thing is that it conveys a message or tells a story.