“Studied alive, myth, as we shall see, is not symbolic, but a direct expression of its subject-matter; it is not an explanation in satisfaction of a science interest, but a narrative resurrection of a primeval reality, told in satisfaction of deep religious wants, moral cravings, social submissions, assertions, even practical requirements […] for the guidance of man."
Bronisław Malinowski
Who am I?
Don't worry, I'm just like you. Alone and scouring the Web searching for something, without really knowing what or why. I've spent several years "in the field", as it were, and have stumbled across a lot of things that have peaked my anthropological interest, so I've decided to consolidate most of my findings here, in the hope that someone other than myself will be able to make use of them. In the meantime, I've been able to draw some pretty substantial connections between what we consider to be "traditional folklore" (like good old Saint Nick) and what I'm dubbing "cyberlore".
Sometimes it feels like these online communities are their own little societies, developing and changing at a hundred times the normal pace. This, combined with the ruthless efficiency of the Web to deconstruct and debunk anything with a timestamp, has morphed their cyberlore into something that defies truth. It doesn't matter whether a tale is objectively true or not; it nevertheless imparts a feeling that stays with you long after you close the browser window, a feeling that informs your online presence and, unfortunately, can affect your offline self just as strongly.
