Abstract I examine the algorithmic storm of digital media wherein the transmission of folklore is disrupted by technology designed for engagement. I consider what happens when the vehicle for folkloric transmission is no longer human-centered but technology- and profit-centered. Finally, I argue there is a great need to expand folklore education to both ensure the growth of the field and to help people navigate the algorithmic storms in which they find themselves.

Abstract The costs of loneliness are immense, threatening physical and social health and facilitating the rise of totalitarianism. Since loneliness is fundamentally a cultural condition, cultural workers ought to lead the way by working to help people appreciate their inherent interdependence and to distinguish junk tradition from nourishing tradition. In short, folklorists need to address the present epidemic of loneliness.

Abstract Situating, illustrating, and explicating the life and legends of a drowned European immigrant log driver whose fellow workers were often Indigenous, this essay argues the ongoing relevance of a historical legend complex grounded in transnational laborlore, especially as it intersects with constructions of whiteness, as well as with enduring issues affecting displaced peoples toiling perilously in persistently ruthless inequitable economies.

Jörg Mull's monograph focuses on the potential use of myths as sources to investigate Mycenaean long-distance travels. As the author himself declares at the beginning of the book, he tackles the issue with the eyes of an economist with 30 years of experience in international business. If, on the one hand, this comes with some gaps in specialistic knowledge, this being the domain of archaeologists and philologists, his in-depth knowledge of trade mechanisms adds a novel perspective to a very complex topic. While the volume is primarily aimed at a wider public, it raises provocative questions for specialists as well.The first part of the book (chaps. 1–7) presents a comprehensive overview of the historic and economic background of Bronze and Iron Age trade networks in the Euro-Mediterranean region. This introductory section provides a good reference point for the nonspecialist reader interested in Mycenaean connectivity. One key aspect concerns the active participation of Mycenaean traders in the exchange of goods across the Mediterranean, namely, whether they acted only via intermediaries without traveling themselves, or engaged in first-person contacts, or both. Mull presents the current state of the archaeological and epigraphic evidence to support the position that there was at least some degree of direct Mycenaean participation in the trade network.At the core of the work (chaps. 8–12), the author delves deeper into the analysis of how the archaeological evidence of Mycenaean maritime contacts is reflected in later Greek mythological narratives. Mull starts with the assumption that a great number of Greek seafaring myths are set in a mythicized version of the Mycenean period and contain narrative nuclei that may date to the Late Bronze Age (LBA), a position broadly accepted among scholars. One intriguing aspect concerns the integration of myth and archaeology to investigate the ethno-geographical knowledge of the Mycenaeans: as could be expected, mythological geography appears rather accurate and reliable for the eastern Mediterranean, and becomes more and more imprecise in more distant regions. Convincingly, Mull supports the hypothesis that the accuracy of mythical geography (or lack thereof) reflects the relative frequency of direct contacts of LBA travelers. Curiously, the travelers depicted in the myths are rarely depicted as traders, which contrasts with the archaeological testimony of an intense exchange of bulk commodities (metal in primis). We should keep in mind that these stories were produced and consumed by warrior elites, who found in myth their origin stories. These elites had little interest in describing trading experiences as such, and they focused on the heroic deeds. Nevertheless, mentions of gift exchange between kings (which was a form of state-endorsed trade in the LBA) and the payment of tributes by one kingdom to another (a form of asymmetric trade) may echo LBA trading experiences and negotiations.More problematic is Mull's attempt to trace myths back to historical journeys and individuals. While the seed of maritime experiences may well inform mythological narratives, the myths themselves are not necessarily rooted in any particular individual experience. For instance, different versions of the Argonauts’ stories may come from two separate myths rooted in actual voyages (as maintained by Mull), but may just as likely have resulted from the merging of collective knowledge about the Black Sea or of the Adriatic into as many narratives as needed by the community at any given time. Additionally, as the author himself points out, the degree of reciprocal influences, additions, and retelling of these mythological nuclei from the LBA before converging into the stories familiar to current readers is so high and so entangled that attempting to single out historical episodes or persons inevitably amounts to a great degree of speculation.The bibliography offers sufficient support for general readers. The list is, understandably, not exhaustive. Nevertheless, it would have benefitted from the inclusion of some relevant titles addressing the interpretation of myth and religion in relation to Greek maritime ventures, such as Irad Malkin's Religion and Colonization in Ancient Greece (Brill, 1987), or Marie-Claire Beaulieu's The Sea in the Greek Imagination (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016). The footnote apparatus is rich and informative, which is well-suited for readers who are interested in learning more about some of the controversies mentioned in the main text.To conclude, while some of the author's positions are somewhat daring from a specialist's perspective, Jörg Mull's monograph is an enjoyable and accessible read that presents a stimulating approach to Greek traveling mythologies as sources on Mycenaean maritime culture.

Abstract We are used to living in worlds that value justice and reason. We are discovering that Atropos cuts our thread at her whim. My goal is to remind that what sets us apart from the present cruelties is our commitment to serve the communities we cherish by helping them preserve their traditions amidst and despite the false rhetoric and mindless fury of the moment.

Abstract This comics-form paper details the process and problematics of writing and drawing an ethnographic comic about a group of transgender and other gender-diverse girls and their negotiation of self as they grow into and navigate childhood and experience puberty. This piece of comics-based research (CBR) is based on eight years of ethnographic study in the field. While the book is entirely hand-drawn and hand-lettered, comics are equal parts asset and problem: So much of how cisgender parents relate to gender-diverse daughters hinges on a question of “passing” and binarism and of a “girlhood” tied to archaic structures. A realistic assessment of these issues and the ethnographic imperative to disguise research participants raised the question of how artist-ethnographers can tell a graphic story about gender fluidity that is both critical and accommodating. We must ask how we truthfully represent other people's bodies and how we frame “girlhood” in the context of a representational act. Comics-based contortions are deliberately but sparingly used, and while they only partially “solve” the problem and promise of how we draw gender-diverse girlhoods, they are nonetheless an affordance of the medium that is not to be discounted. Discussion of the ethical considerations of the comic artist-as-researcher concludes the paper.

Abstract For the past 14 years, I have been engaged in various projects and programs serving immigrants and refugees in Colorado. This essay describes how I employ my training in folklore and use cultural conversations and ethnographic interview methods to understand the life stories of immigrants and refugees. As my clients and I collaborate to create a plan for upskilling, we engage in discussions to learn about their everyday struggles of living in multiple worlds. These cultural conversations deepen our rapport, which helps my clients achieve their professional goals and also helps me develop and refine strategies for effective cultural education and advocacy practices.