Witchcore, Fairy Tales, and Whitewashing... The Sanitisation of Folklore

Who Owns Folklore? The Gentrification of Myth and Legend

Folklore has long been the inheritance of the people, passed down through generations as a living, evolving body of stories, traditions, and beliefs. Rooted in the oral histories of working-class communities, indigenous cultures, and marginalised groups, folklore has historically belonged to those who created and sustained it. However, in recent years, myths and legends have been repackaged, commodified, and gentrified, stripped of their original meaning and repurposed for mass consumption. But who really owns folklore? And what is lost when the stories of the past are filtered through the lens of capitalism, cultural appropriation, social elitism, and exclusionary narratives?

The Roots of Folklore: Stories of the People

Folklore is, by nature, communal. It is the collective knowledge of a society, shaped by its fears, struggles, and hopes. From the cautionary tales of medieval peasants to the oral traditions of indigenous groups, folklore has historically served as a means of resistance, moral teaching, and cultural identity. Many legends were hyper-local, deeply embedded in the landscape, and tied to specific communities.

However, as folklore has become more widely studied and commercialised, it has increasingly been reinterpreted by those outside the communities that originally created it. Tales that once held deep social, political, or religious meaning are now often reduced to aesthetic trends or marketing tools, their complex origins flattened into something more palatable for modern audiences.

Folklore as Commodity: The Rise of Myth as a Brand

In the age of social media, folklore has been transformed into an aesthetic. Traditional witchcraft, paganism, and historical myths have been rebranded as lifestyle choices, detached from their original cultural and historical significance. Online, platforms like TikTok and Instagram are flooded with highly curated interpretations of folklore, often reducing centuries-old traditions to surface-level aesthetics. The rise of "cottagecore" and "witchcore" subcultures romanticises historical rural life and traditional spiritual practices but often ignores the class struggles, religious persecution, and oppression tied to these histories.

This commercialisation extends beyond social media into film, literature, and tourism. Entire industries have been built around folklore, from the Disney-fication of fairy tales to the repackaging of local legends into sanitised tourist attractions. The stories that once belonged to rural villages and oral storytellers are now owned by corporations, who strip them of their raw, often unsettling origins and replace them with marketable narratives that appeal to mainstream audiences. Consider the transformation of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales: originally dark, cautionary fables, they have been softened over time into children’s stories that bear little resemblance to their gruesome origins.

The Problem with Gentrifying Myth

The gentrification of folklore is not just about aesthetics; it is about power. When myths and legends are repackaged by those with cultural and economic influence, they often erase the people who first told them. This is particularly apparent in indigenous folklore, where sacred stories are commodified for tourism, merchandise, and media representation, often without regard for the communities that hold them as sacred.

Similarly, working-class folklore - ghost stories, superstitions, and regional myths - has been repackaged for profit, often ignoring the historical struggles of the communities that produced them. The eerie stories of Victorian Britain, for example, have been turned into entertainment while the realities of poverty, disease, and political oppression that shaped them are erased. Urban legends and myths from Black and brown communities are frequently stripped of their cultural significance and turned into viral internet content, often without credit to their origins or the people who kept those traditions alive.

The Erasure of LGBTQ+ Narratives in Folklore

Another major issue in the repackaging of folklore is the deliberate exclusion of LGBTQ+ themes. Many traditional myths, legends, and historical tales contain gender-fluid, queer, or same-sex relationships, but these aspects are often erased or ignored in modern retellings.

For example, Greek mythology is full of queer narratives, from the love story of Achilles and Patroclus to the gender-fluid nature of deities like Dionysus. Similarly, Norse mythology contains numerous instances of gods engaging in gender-bending and same-sex relationships, yet mainstream adaptations, such as films and books, often portray these figures in strictly heteronormative ways.

Folklore from indigenous cultures around the world frequently includes two-spirit identities and non-binary figures, but these narratives are often dismissed or reinterpreted through a Western lens that prioritises rigid gender binaries. The erasure of queer folklore contributes to the ongoing marginalisation of LGBTQ+ communities and denies them access to the cultural heritage that has always been part of human storytelling.

The Intersection of Folklore and Identity

Folklore is deeply tied to identity - ethnic, cultural, gendered, and class-based. Many myths and legends are rooted in the lived experiences of marginalised communities, yet these voices are often excluded from mainstream interpretations. The rise of mainstream interest in folklore has largely been driven by white, Western perspectives, leading to the erasure or distortion of narratives from Black, Indigenous, and other historically oppressed groups.

For example, the rise of interest in witchcraft and pagan traditions has led to the widespread adoption of practices rooted in non-European spiritual traditions without proper acknowledgment. Hoodoo, a folk magic practice developed by enslaved African Americans, is often lumped together with European paganism despite its unique history of survival and resistance. Meanwhile, feminist reclamations of witchcraft often focus on European witch trials, ignoring the brutal suppression of spiritual practices in colonised regions.

The Reclamation of Folklore

Despite its widespread commodification, folklore remains resilient. Communities and scholars alike are working to reclaim their own narratives, pushing back against the corporatisation of myth and legend. Folklore revival projects, oral history initiatives, and grassroots storytelling movements are fighting to keep folklore in the hands of the people.

The internet, while a vehicle for commercialisation, has also become a tool for decolonising folklore. Indigenous creators, historians, and folklorists are using digital platforms to challenge sanitised versions of myths and bring attention to their origins. There is a growing recognition that folklore should be understood in its historical and cultural context, rather than as a detached aesthetic. In particular, efforts to reclaim local legends, ensure historical accuracy, and support creators from marginalised backgrounds are key to preserving the integrity of folklore.

Who Owns Folklore?

Ultimately, folklore belongs to the communities that have carried it forward. While it naturally evolves over time, its origins should not be erased in the name of commercialisation. Respect for folklore means acknowledging its roots, ensuring that those who have historically been the keepers of these stories have a say in how they are represented.

The gentrification of folklore is not just about stories - it is about cultural memory, historical justice, and the politics of ownership. When myths and legends are repackaged for the masses, we must ask: who profits, and who is erased? In an era where folklore is more accessible than ever, it is crucial that we amplify the voices of those who have preserved these stories, rather than allowing them to be diluted by those with the loudest platforms.