When I was a teenager, my mother told me, in exasperation,
that I possessed a “lack of good sense.” Indeed, the on-line American Heritage Dictionary (AHD) defines the word “folly.” I don’t
remember specifically what I had done to elicit that comment, nor at the time
did she actually use the word “folly” or “foolish.” (As it turns out, both “folly”
and “fool” descend from a Latin word meaning “windbag” or “bellows.”)
Imagine the irony of me ending up living part of my year on
a barrier island named Folly Beach. The name “Folly Beach” has caused no end of
confusion among friends and family. Even though we have sent out “change of
address” cards, people still hesitate—seemingly in confusion--before they say “Folly.”
In speech and in writing, frequently the word becomes “Foley.” I figure this
confusion is because who wants to live at a place named for “lack of good sense,”
although my mother would approve.
Come to find out, Folly Beach was NOT named after that
meaning of “folly.” According to Gretchen Stringer-Robinson in Folly Beach: a brief history, “The word
‘Folly’ is derived from Old English, meaning an area of dense foliage,” which
opens the opportunity for jokes about “coming out of the woods.” Even though
Folly Beach is nicknamed “Funky Folly” because of its laid back atmosphere and
aging hippie population, the real origin of the word “folly” as in Folly Beach deals
with foliage, not lack of common sense. Sorry Mama!
Recently, a friend and I were talking about the word “folly.”
She informed me that “folly”
has a meaning I had never heard of: a structure, such as a pavilion in a
garden, that is chiefly decorative rather than practical in purpose, according
to the on-line AHD. Curious, I
googled “folly” to find a whole world of ornate architecture with little to no
functional value. Here is a link to an article in Mental
Floss detailing various architectural follies. My favorite is number 5,
the Dunmore Pineapple in Scotland.
Also, in the world of folly, we have the follies, “an
elaborate theatrical revue consisting of music, dance, and skits.” At Folly
Beach, we can foolishly engage in song and dance on an island of foliage; that
is, in folly we can perform follies on Folly.
Thanks, Theresa!
