The article presents the role of folklore archives in society. It proposes to begin by specifying the premises that preceded the appearance and institutionalization of these settlements in European and national culture. The interest in the knowledge and valorization, first editorially, of the oral tradition manifests itself late, precisely in the XVI century. The first, who turn their attention to the recording and conscious collection of folklore, are the philosophers and literati from the West and Northern European countries. The openings offered by the discovery of the value of popular creation (historical, scientific, artistic) amplifies the interest of researchers on the European continent, and not only, for the collection, research and promotion of folklore, strengthening the conviction that it can serve as a source of knowledge of the past, but also as inspiration that can find its valorization in cult creation. Being aware of the importance of the historical and identity dimension of culture based on oral tradition and of its fragility in the perspective of time, the folklore heritage collection becomes a practical necessity of the XX century, which determined the creation of folklore archives.