Folklore does not have to be treated as fact in order to survive.
Saying, “People in this area once believed that foxes could deceive travelers in the mountains,” is not the same as claiming that foxes actually possess supernatural powers. A story can be clearly identified as an old belief and still be worth passing on.
The value of folklore is not determined only by whether it is scientifically accurate. Traditional stories can show what people feared, what they tried to avoid, and how they passed practical warnings from one generation to the next.
Consider the old saying that cutting your nails at night will prevent you from being present when a parent dies. There is no need to teach children that this will really happen. But telling them, “People used to say this,” can still reveal something about older ways of thinking and living.
The origins of many stories are uncertain. It can be interesting to imagine that a warning about spirits in the mountains may once have helped keep children away from dangerous places after dark. That explanation should not be presented as proven history. It is simply one possible interpretation.
Wondering why a story began can itself be part of the pleasure of folklore.
This does not mean that every surviving tradition must be officially preserved forever. Stories that no longer interest anyone may eventually stop being told. Those that have survived until today have usually been carried forward because someone found them memorable, entertaining, meaningful, or worth sharing.
A lack of scientific evidence does not mean that people today need to decide which stories should disappear. At the same time, calling something cultural does not create an obligation to believe it.
People who find a story worth remembering can pass it on. Others may let it go.
Folklore can continue without being defended as scientific truth. It survives because people still find something in it that they want to remember, discuss, or tell to someone else.