Jewish folklore

Folktales are characterized by the presence of unusual personages, by the sudden transformation of men into beasts and vice versa, or by other unnatural incidents.

[2] There are a few definitely Jewish legends of the Middle Ages which partake of the character of folktales, such as those of the Jewish pope Andreas and of the golem, or that relating to the wall of the Rashi chapel, which moved backward in order to save the life of a poor woman who was in danger of being crushed by a passing carriage in the narrow way.

Several of these legends were collected by Abraham Moses Tendlau [de] (Sagen und Legenden der Jüdischen Vorzeit).

[4] In the late 19th century many folktales were gathered among Jews or published from Hebrew manuscripts by Israël Lévi [fr] in the Revue des Etudes Juives, in the Revue des Traditions Populaires, and in Melusine; by Moses Gaster in Folk-Lore and in the reports of Montefiore College; and by Max Grunwald in Mitteilungen der Gesellschaft für Jüdische Volkskunde;[5] by L. Wiener in the same periodical; and by F. S. Krauss in Urquell, both series.

Notable painters who used themes from Jewish folklore include Marc Chagall, Yitzhak Frenkel, Meer Akselrod and others.