Folktales were stories told by common people to entertain and sometimes teach cultural lessons. They featured everyday people and animals as characters and had happy endings. Fairytales are a type of folktale that include magical elements and tend to follow certain patterns, originally entertaining wealthy people. Folktales centered on peasants and outcasts while fairytales started as art for upper classes.

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Folktales

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Folktales
Stories told by common people
Purpose was to entertain
Sometimes taught cultural values and
behaviors
Served to inspire the ordinary person
Forms of folktales—legends, fairytales,
fables, yarns

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*Folk Tales often begin with “Once upon a
time”, “Long, long ago”, etc.
• Three characters, 3 tasks, and 3 events
appear in Folk Tales.
• Folk Tales have good and bad characters.
• Everyday people and/or animals are the
characters in Folk Tales.
• The good characters in Folk Tales have a
problem to solve.

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• Phrases are repeated in Folk Tales. For
example: “Mirror, mirror, on the wall…”.
• Folk Tales have happy endings.
Tikki Tikki Tembo
– by Arlene Mosel

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And Fairy Tales?
What are fairytales?
Fairytales are a kind of folktale.
They have a magical or supernatural
element.
They tend to follow a certain pattern.
They were stories to entertain “rich
people.”

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Folktales vs Literary Fairy Tales
Folk tales:
Tend to be stories about “lower
classes of people” - women, peasants,
slaves, and outcast groups such as the
gypsies.
Fairy tales:
Began as an art/story form from the
upper classes of people.

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Folktales vs Literary Fairy Tales
Folk tales:
Tend to be stories about “lower
classes of people” - women, peasants,
slaves, and outcast groups such as the
gypsies.
Fairy tales:
Began as an art/story form from the
upper classes of people.