Are Ghost Stories Folklore?

Folklore is such a fascinating area of study, because it encompasses nearly everything that defines a culture. It is the heartbeat of a people, of a community. Each group has an identity, and traditions that help to define that identity. The oral communication which make up the stories a group of people tell each other can include folktales, legends and myths. 

But are ghost stories part of the traditions of folklore? Do they fit into the folklore equation?

Yes, yes, they do!

Ghost stories are a subset of traditional folktales, as they are often told in the oral tradition. And like traditional folktales, they often evolve over time. 

I do not have a degree in folklore, therefore, I find myself questioning, throughout this process of considering which guests would best fit in our parameters, what is considered folklore, by the experts, and what isn’t. 

During my considerations on whether ghost stories would be included in the podcast, I thought back to the ghost stories I remembered being told growing up. I live in what is often listed in travel magazines as one of the most haunted cities in America, in part due to the famous “Battle of the Alamo” that took place here in San Antonio, back when Texas was fighting for independence from Mexico. 

Ghost stories are nearly as plentiful as the number of Mexican restaurants that help to make up the city’s food landscape. (And if you have ever visited the Riverwalk, you know that there are A LOT of Mexican restaurants.) Legendary ghost stories make up the fabric of the folklore of San Antonio. They are an integral element to the culture of the city.

The story that remains planted firmly in my childhood memory is of the haunted railroad tracks. I think it actually might be a common ghost story, found in other cities as well, but the legend goes that a bus full of children were killed by a train when their bus was stuck on the tracks. It is a tradition of those seeking ghostly encounters, to go down to the tracks with baby powder dust on the back, to watch for the handprints of the children trying to help push your car over the tracks in an effort to save you.

These ghost stories serve many purposes; to entertain, to scare, but also, can be a message of morality. Many ghost stories unearth societal issues, and uncomfortable truths. These ghost stories can reflect cultural injustices from the past. They provide a means of connecting the past with the present. The stories help to bind us with those who have gone before, guiding us to hopefully a better future.

So what do you think? Are ghost stories folklore? Do we find their threads in the weavings of a cultural tapestry?