Kentucky Folklore

by Gerald Alvey and R. Gerald Alvey

" Thicker'n fiddlers in hell. Independent as a hog on ice. If a bride makes her own clothes, it's bad luck. It'll snow in May if it thunders in February. How's a hen on a fence like a penny? What's the reddest side of an apple? Learn what folklore and folk culture are and enjoy a generous helping of sayings, rhymes, songs, tall tales, superstitions and riddles from Kentucky.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813109027
• ISBN13: 9780813109022
• Release Date: September 1989
• Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.4" x 8.5"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

This is what makes us who we are.

By: Jenny Day Kentucky Folklore really brings to life the folklore and beliefs of the residents, past and present, of Kentucky. I was really fascinated by the new variations of folklore that I had heard while growing up. Some stories made me quiver with delight while others made me snicker to myself, remembering the tales my great-grandmother told. Kentucky Folklore is full of proverbs, expressions, and riddles, puzzles, folk rhymes, beliefs and superstitions that I thought no one else knew of exept my grandmother and me. This book not only includes information about what happened in Kentucky's past; it also includes a lot of customs of the present day. For half a century they had preserved the traditional ways of their lives everything from the games, ballads, dances, and tales that were their chief entertainment. Our folklore is what makes us who we are today and because people venture to retell it, it keeps us alive generation after generation. I will share the stories with my children's children in the years to come and they will never be outdated. If you are new to folklore, or an old pro, this book is a must have. The author has researched these folklores out personally. Kentucky Folklore is an well-organized text that makes it fun and informative read, perfect for anyone with a love of Kentucky folklore. Although the book is short in content it is thick in context. Myself, I am one who stated to read and could not put it down. It was so real to me. I actually read the book in record time. Anyone who reads this will get a sense of Kentucky heritage and appreciation.