I know this is not what you are looking for, but in the Autumn 1976 issue of Come For To Sing magazine out of Chicago I addressed this topic/idea in my regular column called Links On The Chain. Among the thoughts encased therein were these few.

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When a person devotes his or her time to delving into that mountain of music and tales known as traditional folklore, they had better be prepared to deal with ghosts...

Ray Bradbury's novel, FARENHEIT 451, depicts a world where books are systematically burned by the government. A few determined people take it upon themselves to memorize books. That is how they preserved the world's literature...

The folk music world is a place where legendary informants seem to drop away at an alarming rate. So, yes, in a manner of speaking, I live with ghosts. And if you ask politely, I'll even sing you their
songs.

Art Thieme