folken

Folken is a term used in several North Germanic languages as the definite plural form of the noun folk, referring to the people or peoples as a group. It shares its linguistic origin with the English word folk, both deriving fromProto-Germanic roots for the concept of “the people.” In contemporary usage, folken appears mainly in formal, literary, or historical contexts to designate populations, such as nations or ethnic groups, rather than individuals.

In practical terms, folken can be found in phrases that talk about collective populations, for example in historical or ethnographic writing that discusses the peoples of a region. The exact grammatical realization of the definite plural varies by language and dialect, and folken is one of several forms used to express “the peoples” in different contexts. The term often carries a broad, inclusive sense rather than a specific, single group.

Beyond ordinary speech and writing, folken also appears as a proper name in various cultural contexts. In some Nordic countries, Folken or folken-like spellings are used as names for venues, organizations, or artistic projects, reflecting the word’s association with community and the idea of “the people.” As a result, folken can occur both as a common noun in discourse about populations and as a stylized proper noun in contemporary culture.