Folklore is invariably false

摘要

I once sat in an audience of folklorists listening to a friend's scholarly paper about the abundance of treasure legends in the, American West. This distinguished researcher cited narratives of hidden troves from Aztec treasuries plundered by conquistadors, contemporary gold strikes discovered and lost by prospectors, chests of loot hidden by thieves, shipments of bullion lost in storms, personal riches buried by spiteful owners.