Folklore, Myth and Romance

Princes lost in forests, princesses who turn into trees, maidens who talk to swans that talk back, golden apples in golden orchards that offer a world of delight with just one bite, a simple kiss to awaken the dead.There is something inherently romantic about folklore and myth, they stimulate a part of our psyche that searches and yearns for the mystical, the magic, the uncanny. Folk tales in particular occupy a specific, nostalgic place in national imaginations. They harken to a time that may never have been, connecting communities with a love of shared culture, place, and land to create an overly romantic concept of national, regional or personal identity. In this talk, just in time for Valentine's Day, we delve into romantic tropes of folklore and myth to derive a rich symbolic and cultural meaning from tales beloved and unknown. We will explore common story patterns and symbols to see what the tales we were told as children can tell us about the world we have come to inhabit.