Alex takes the reins for this double tale of folklore and the folkloric, two terms that are fully implicated in the history of fantasy storytelling and cultural expression, as he navigates through and defines each for this latest Footnote episode. Listen as he explains to Chris the relationship that folklore has to ‘official,’ codified or canonised discourse and documentation; the role of shared anecdotal evidence in binding a culture together in a folkloric fashion; the collective stories, rituals, traditions, and customs of folklore passed between communities without a fixed author; top-down vs. bottom-up modes of expression, and how folklore has traditionally been a space for the marginal; and the identity of the ‘folkloric’ as a stylised and fictionalised form of folk culture.

**Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**