fakelore
Invented folk tales
Fakelore is manufactured tradition presented as authentic folklore—stories, customs, or legends invented or heavily embellished by writers, marketers, or institutions but passed off as genuine folk heritage.
Paul Bunyan tales, largely created by lumber company advertisers, are a classic example.
The term carries implicit criticism: Scholars dismissed the resort's "ancient ritual" as fakelore designed to attract tourists.
Deliberate deception for effect
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- simulacrumImitative stand-in for reality
- pseudohistoryUnfounded claims about past
Imitative artistic tribute
Overpriced visitor destination
User-made online horror tales
- mockumentarySatirical fake nonfiction film
- copypastaViral duplicated text block
hoax
Deliberate deception for effect
- forgeryCreating fraudulent imitations
- fabricationDeliberately untrue statement
- simulacrumImitative stand-in for reality
pastiche
Imitative artistic tribute
tourist-trap
Overpriced visitor destination
creepypasta
User-made online horror tales
- mockumentarySatirical fake nonfiction film
- copypastaViral duplicated text block
antiquarianism
Enthusiasm for old artifacts
fakelorefolklore
Inherited cultural narratives
oral tradition · folk tradition · traditional lore · ancestral lore · cultural heritage
fake, faked, fakes, faking, faker, fakers, lore, folklore, folkloric