Memorate
A first-person narrative of an extraordinary personal experience.
In folklore studies, a memorate is a first-person account of a personal experience, typically presented as a true story about an extraordinary event—often, but not always, involving a supernatural being or paranormal occurrence. The narrator tells the story in their own voice and frames it as something that happened to them (or, in some definitions, to a close acquaintance). This sets memorates apart from more fully traditionalized legends and other types of narrative.
The idea is commonly traced to Swedish folklorist Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, who introduced the term as part of a broader effort to classify narratives based on how they are transmitted and their connection to personal experience. Later scholars refined and debated the term’s scope. Work associated with Lauri Honko, for instance, treated memorates as a key source for studying folk belief and vernacular interpretations of unusual experiences, while noting that definitions have shifted across scholarly traditions. The term became especially important in Scandinavian folklore studies and has since been used increasingly in the English-speaking world.
In research, memorates help scholars examine how individuals narrate and interpret experiences within existing cultural frameworks, and how such accounts can circulate, accumulate variations, and sometimes develop into more widely shared traditional narratives.
- field
- Folklore studies
- concept_introduced_by
- Carl Wilhelm von Sydow
- key_associated_scholar
- Lauri Honko
- primary_region_of_use
- Scandinavian folklore studies
- also_used_in
- Anglo-sphere
Lore & Background
The concept of the memorate is commonly traced to the Swedish folklorist Carl Wilhelm von Sydow, who introduced the term as part of a broader effort to classify narrative forms by how they are transmitted and by their relationship to personal experience. Later scholars refined the term and debated its scope, with work associated with Lauri Honko and subsequent discussion treating memorates as a key source for studying folk belief and vernacular interpretations of unusual experiences.
Reader's Guide
The memorate has proven particularly important in Scandinavian folklore studies but has also been used increasingly in the Anglo-sphere. In research practice, memorates are used to examine how individuals narrate and interpret experiences within existing cultural frameworks, and how such accounts can circulate, accumulate variants, and sometimes develop into more widely shared traditional narratives. The definition has shifted across scholarly traditions, preserving an ongoing debate about the term's precise scope.
Did You Know?
- The term 'memorate' was introduced by Swedish folklorist Carl Wilhelm von Sydow.
- Memorates are typically presented as truthful accounts of extraordinary events.
- The concept has been refined and debated by later scholars, including Lauri Honko.
- Memorates can circulate and sometimes develop into more widely shared traditional narratives.
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