I mentioned legends a few days ago and I’ve always liked legends and folklore — most all of them are interesting and many are educational and contain good advice. Anyhow, I got to thinking…. from the beginning of human history there has been some form of oral communication. Tales have been passed down through many generations. These “tales” usually fall into the category of myths, legends or folktales — and they’re important. They tell us where we have come from.
But what’s the difference in a myth, legend, or folktale? Well, you might have guessed — time for some extensive research on my part.
Myths are stories intimately bound up with the traditions of a people. They deal with gods, heroes, religious beliefs, and cultural traits.They talk about how the world was created, how people and animals came into existence and how important customs were established and preserved. They also explain all sorts of natural phenomena, like rainbows and sunrises.
Myths usually attempt to explain — to show why things are as they are. They often use mythological characters as symbols, like Apollo represents the sun, or Diana represents the moon or Thor represents thunder.
A legend, on the other hand, usually entertains with a narrative supposedly based on fact. Legendary characters usually represent themselves as they perform great feats. Legends have a strong basis in fact and are told as being true. The myth is told as a story that requires its listeners to believe in the gods who are its characters.
So what about folktales? Folktale is a very broad term that includes all kinds of traditional narratives. A major characteristic of the folktale is its long and continuing life — it’s traditional and handed down from one generation to another. The story is almost always preserved intact, most often in oral form.
Everyone likes a good story. Detective books are popular because they tell good stories. Television programs with good story lines have a lot of viewers. Good story tellers are popular at get-togethers. So it really doesn’t matter what you label them — myth, legend or folktale — they’re all good stories.
— 30 —