Filk Music

Filk is the folk music of science fiction and fantasy fans, computer programmers, mathematicians, scientists, Futurists, Medievalists and several other loosely associated groups. It is notoriously difficult to define, though most filk fans (called filkers or dandelions) seem to know it when they hear it.

While there are a handful of professionally produced filk songs and filk albums, most filk is sung informally at gatherings called 'filksings', which are generally held during conventions and other get-togethers, often late at night. Since the late 1980s, several annual conventions dedicated solely to filk have been held.

While most of the well-known filks are humorous parodies or take-offs, filk covers a wide range of styles and topics; one particular sub-genre called "ose" (from the punning description 'ose, ose, and morose'), consisting mostly laments and dirges of various sorts, has developed a following (and a notoriety) of it's own.

For several examples on this Wiki, see the PoemsParodyAndFilkRoadMap.

Why "filk"? A folk singing session at a science fiction convention was misspelled in the programme. Similar to why some people call conventioneers "faans".