Mythology. Mythology as a term implies (a) the mythic system of any race; (b) the investigation of myth.
Folklore. Folklore means the study of survivals of early custom, belief, narrative, and art.
Folk-tale. A primitive tale (a) of mythical origin; (b) of purely narrative or æsthetic value.
Legend. A story, generally of real places, often (though not necessarily) of real persons, handed down by 'tradition.'
MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE CONTRASTED
Mythology is the study of a primitive or early form of religion while it was a living faith.
Folklore is the study of primitive religion and customs still practised.[2]
Some authorities regard folklore and mythology as almost interchangeable words; others look upon myth as the groundwork of folklore; but for purposes of study we shall be wise if we regard as fundamental myth any tale in which a god or demigod figures which explains the making of the world, or the origin of some primitive custom among the peoples of antiquity or the backward races to-day, while folklore may denote the study of fragments or survivals of old belief or custom found among uneducated or semi-educated people in civilized countries. Thus it is correct to speak of the folklore of England, Germany, or Italy, applying the word to the surviving superstitions and fragments of older faiths to be found in these modern countries among the uncultured classes; but to speak of the folklore of African, Australian, or American savages when we are dealing with the living religious beliefs of these people is highly incorrect. True, fragments of older belief are frequently discovered among primitive people, but the expression should not be used to designate their living religious beliefs.[3]
It will now be clear that in the present volume our concern is with the science of myth alone—that is, with religious beliefs and conjectures as to the nature of things of primitive, ancient, or barbarous peoples, and not with modern religious science, philosophy, or theology.
The questions touched upon in this introductory chapter will be more fully outlined later on, and are here presented in order to familiarize the reader with the general subject-matter of the science before entering upon more detailed discussion.