HIT: Folk Tales, Myths, Legends

[Maddie <madewood@USWEST.NET>]

Dear LM Netters,
     Thank you to all the people who replied to my question. I couldn't have
done it without you and my lesson will include teaching myself. The answers
are much clearer now. I have combined the various definitions sent and
listed some books that were suggested.
Madeline Wood, Librarian
Samuels Elementary, Denver, CO
madewood@dnvr.uswest.net

    All of these genres of stories are folk tales or folk lore.  A folk tale
is defined as "all forms of narrative, written or oral, which have come to
be handed down through the years".  Myths, legends, fairy tales, tall tales
and fables are all forms of folklore which means they originated as oral
tales.
    A myth is a story that would have been considered religious fact when
people still believed them. They deal with human relationships with the
gods, with the relationships of the gods among themselves, with the way
people accept or fulfill their destiny, and with the struggle of people
within and without themselves between good and evil forces.  They are
stories meant to explain the creation of the world and nature often giving a
basis for certain human failings or explanation of natural events not
understood scientifically. Myths are usually associated with the religion of
the culture and have something to do with beliefs, customs, superstitions or
explanations of natural events, like seasons.
    Legends usually have some basis in fact, like the legend of Johnny
Appleseed or King Arthur. They often tell of the adventures of a hero.
Legends grow out of incidents that had a basis in reality: an actual person
or incident that has grown with the storytelling to have a larger than life
quality. They include stories of real people or events which were told and
then added to so that it is hard to know what was true and what has been
added."
     Fairy tales involve an element of magic and usually show both ends of
the spectrum: rich/poor, good/evil, reward/punishment, with a fairly
standard set of characters. They have certain elements such as royalty,
magic, things happening 3 times, spells and curses that transform people and
animals, and enchanted places where all these happenings become possible
with a happy ending for the good guy.
    Fables are usually associated with the name of Aesop, a Greek slave.
Fables are brief, didactic tales in which animals, or occasionally the
elements, speak as human beings. They are often just for entertainment or to
teach a moral lesson.
    Tall tales are characterized by exaggeration and are mainly an American
addition to folklore. They include a larger than life hero and exaggerated
details.  In other cultures, people tell trickster tales or tales with a
foolish main character.

A good general book on folklore such as Richard Dorson's American Folklore
will you more detailed definitions.
Donna E. Norton -Through the Eyes of a Child.
Look at the World Book article on Folklore. Folklore is the all inclusive
area into which everything else fits.  Myths are creation stories;   Legends
are generally thought to be an exaggeration of qualities of someone who
actually lived such as King Arthur.  Fables are anthropomorphic animal
stories that teach a lesson. Tall Tales are America's folklore. All cultures
have their folklore and each culture's should be respected as their own.

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