Why did Herder value folk poetry and oral traditions?

Johann Gottfried von Herder valued folk poetry and oral traditions because he believed they were the most authentic expressions of a nation's collective identity, or Volksseele (ethnic soul). For Herder, these traditions were not merely artifacts of the past but the "mother tongue of mankind," containing the entire heart, soul, history, and principles of a culture.123

Herder argued that poetic ability was not a preserve of the educated elite; rather, it appeared in its greatest purity and power during the "uncivilized" or early periods of every nation. He believed that popular oral poetry (Volksdichtung) defined the unique character of a Volk and allowed it to be understood within its own historical and cultural context. By championing these traditions, Herder sought to foster a sense of German national identity and self-awareness at a time when a unified German nation-state did not exist. Ultimately, he viewed these oral expressions as a vital, natural reaction to human experience, offering a more profound insight into human nature than the purely rationalistic standards of the Enlightenment.2134