Folklore is a living thing.

In many ways the stories we tell and the lessons we pass on are like a tree.

There are branches that reach out into generations and cultures, sometimes in obvious ways and

other times reaching surprising new places.

One good example of this would be the folklore surrounding small fairy people that we've

discussed here before.

Puckwajis, trolls, goblins, pukka, and dozens of similar variations are scattered around

the world with amazing consistency and reach.

How or why is something we'll probably never know, but it shows us how folklore can spread,

how it can migrate, and how it can build upon the past.

At the same time though, folklore also has roots, and they run deeper than we might

expect.

Some stories that we still whisper about in the dark today have crossed the lips of

people for centuries, and in some cases millennia.

When I hear a story for the first time or discover a new collection of tales that have been

widely distributed, I often stop and ask myself the same questions.

Where did it come from?

What lies at the bottom of the narrative?

What are its roots?

Outside of Halloween, there is no other time of the year, at least for European cultures,

where folklore rushes to the forefront of everyone's lives with such significance, such

power, and such ease as the Christmas season.

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