This document defines and provides examples of different types of folklore, including myths, tall tales, legends, urban legends, fables, and fairy tales. Myths are sacred stories that explain natural phenomena and the relationship between humans and gods/supernatural beings. Tall tales are exaggerated stories that are presented as true, but teach lessons about how people cope with life. Legends concern historical people, places, and events. Urban legends are modern cautionary tales that spread through word-of-mouth. Fables use animal characters to teach moral lessons. Fairy tales are fictional stories that begin with "Once upon a time" and end with "Happily ever after", involving magic and teaching cultural values. The document provides

1. Introduction to
Folklore
22-23S1 3SE-05

2. Myth
 A myth is a sacred story from the past.
 It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its
culture's moral values in human terms. It ALWAYS explains something in
nature
 Myths concern the powers that control the human world (gods and
supernatural beings) and the relationship between those powers and
human beings.
 Although myths are religious in their origin and function, they may also be
the earliest form of history, science, or philosophy.
 Examples: Greek mythology – Zeus, Aphrodite, etc.

3. Tall Tale
 A folktale, also called a tall tale, is a story that, in its plot, is pure fiction
and that has no particular location in either time or space.
 It is exaggerated, far-fetched story that is obviously untrue but is told as
though it should be believed.
 However, despite its elements of fantasy, a folktale is actually a symbolic
way of presenting the different means by which human beings cope with
the world in which they live.
 Folktales concern people -- either royalty or common folk –- who speak
and act like people with can relate to.

4. Tall Tale
 Main character has a problem or challenge to solve.
 The “hero” has super-human strength (of mind OR body) – larger than life
features
 The plot can be funny/silly with lots of action
 Folktales are used to teach moral lessons to children.
 Examples: Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan

5. Legend
 A legend is a story from the past about a subject that was, or is believed to
have been, historical.
 Legends concern people, places, and events. Usually, the subject is a saint,
a king, a hero, a famous person, or a war.
 A legend is always associated with a particular place and a particular time in
history.
 Similar to folktales, parents used legends to teach lessons to their children,
specifically lessons in nature or in cultural customs
 Example: King Arthur and Camelot

6. Urban Legends
 Urban legends are a subgroup in this tradition. They are modern, only dealing
with the time span in which the legend occurs (there is no past or future).
 This narrative uses negative consequences to teach lessons or inflict anxiety
and fear in listeners where there is no definite ending; meaning the story is
left in limbo as in “the haunted house still remains haunted, the vanishing
hitchhiker continues to appear and disappear” or we never find out what
happens to the victim.
 The reader tends to equate the unknown with danger which only will make one
more likely to heed any warning or moral buried within the legend.
 One consistent theme in urban legends is that as the adolescent moves out
from home into the larger world, the world's dangers may close in on him or
her. Therefore, they also serve to deliver a warning: Watch out! This could
happen to you!

7. Urban Legends
 An apocryphal, secondhand story told as true and just plausible enough to be believed, about some
horrific, embarrassing, ironic, or exasperating series of events that supposedly happened to a real
person. It's likely to be attributed to a trustworthy secondhand source (e.g., "a friend of a friend,"
"my boss's wife," "my sister's accountant," etc.).
 Urban legends emerge spontaneously, spread "virally" from person to person, and are rarely
traceable to a single point of origin. Urban legends tend to change over time with repetition and
embellishment. There can be as many variants as there are tellers of the tale.
 Urban legends usually toe a fine line between outlandishness and plausibility. Does the story seem a
little suspect, yet believable? Was it told to you AS IF it's true? Often the teller of an urban legend
will even begin with the statement, 'This is a true story...‘
 Typically considered a cautionary tale
 Example: think of the story of the kid Mikey from the Life cereal box; he supposedly died from eating
pop rocks and drinking coke at the same time or the

8. Fable
 A fable is a very brief story in prose or verse that teaches a moral, or a
practical lesson about how to get along in life.
 The main characteristic of a fable is that the characters are animals that
behave and speak like humans.
 A fable may explain something in nature as well.
 A character usually represents a single human characteristic, such as a fox
being symbolic of a trickster

9. Fairy Tales
 Fairy tales are completely fictitious stories that always begin with “Once upon a
time” and end with “Happily Ever After”.
 Set in the past—usually significantly long ago. May be presented as historical fact
from the past.
 Include fantasy, supernatural or make-believe aspects.
 Typically incorporate clearly defined good characters and evil characters.
 Involves magic elements, which may be magical people, animals, or objects. Magic
may be positive or negative.
 May include objects, people, or events in threes.
 Focus the plot on a problem or conflict that needs to be solved.


10. Fairy Tales
 • Often have happy endings, based on the resolution of the conflict or
problem.
 • Usually teach a lesson or demonstrate values important to the culture.
 Most involve mystical elements such as fairies, witches or magical spells.
 Interestingly, fairy tales are universal is most cultures. For example, there are
over a 100 different cultural versions of Cinderella.
 A new breed of fairy tales have emerged with the politically conscious
whereas the “othered”, aka the villain, gets a voice. For example, the story of
the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf’s point of view is the dominant one and
is more sympathetic.

11. Assignment
 Choose either a fable, legend, urban legend, myth, tall tale or fairy tale
 Meet the criteria of your specified folklore
 Must be 4- 5 pages