Many tropes of European folklore can be identified as stemming from the Proto-Indo-European peoples of the Neolithic and Bronze Age, although they may originate from even earlier traditions. Examples of this include the 'Chaoskampf' myth-archetype as well as possibly the belief in knocking on wood for good luck. The culture of
Classical Antiquity, including
mythology,
Hellenistic religion and
magical or cultic practice was very influential on the
formative stage of Christianity, and can be found as a substrate in the traditions of all territories formerly colonized by Greeks and the
Roman Empire, and by extension in those territories reached by
Christianization during the
Middle Ages. This includes all of
Europe, and much of the
Middle East and
North Africa. These traditions inherited from folk beliefs in the Roman era were syncretized with local traditions, notably
Germanic,
Celtic and
Slavic. Many folk traditions also originated by contact with the
Islamic world, especially in the
Balkans and in the
Iberian Peninsula, which were ruled by
Islamic empires before being re-conquered (in the case of the
Balkans, partially) by Christian forces. The result of such cultural contact is visible e.g. in the tradition of the
Morris Dance in England, an adaptation of the "moorish" dances of the late medieval period. The result were the related, but regionally distinct, folk traditions as they existed in European society on the eve of the
Early Modern period. In modern times, and especially since the 19th century, there has been much cross-pollination between these traditions, often by the detour of
American folklore. ==Regional traditions==