Myths, Legends, Tall Tales, Folk Tales & Fairy Tales! Traditional Stories Myths, Legends, Tall Tales, Folk Tales & Fairy Tales!

Traditional Stories Traditional stories are based on the traditions and beliefs of people Were originally passed down by word of mouth Usually teach a lesson or cultural value, which is the behaviors that a society expects from its people. Written to entertain, but also help us understand and appreciate other times and other cultures.

Traditional Stories Think of traditional stories as the main category in which all the offshoots fall under: TRADITIONAL STORIES Myths Legends Tall Tales Fables Folk Tales Fairy Tales

EXAMPLES OF TRADITIONAL TALES Myths Legends Tall Tales Fables Fairy Tales Folk Tales Midas Touch Daedalus The Minotaur Demeter and Perseph-one Clash of the Titans King Arthur Robin Hood William Tell Johnny Apple-seed Casey Jones Trojan Horse St. Patrick Paul Bunyan Pecos Bill Annie Oakley Davy Crockett John Henry Tortoise and the Hare Fox and the Crow Ant and the Grass-hopper Cinderella Sleeping Beauty Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs The Little Mermaid The Ugly Duckling Goldilocks and the Three Bears The Crane Maiden Aunty Misery Edit to match website/matrix. Add folktales

Traditional Tales Many people have asked what are the differences among myths, legends, fables, tall tales and folk tales? Myths, legends, tall tales and fables are old stories written for adults and children. Folk and fairy tales were written specially for children.

What are myths? “Myth” comes from the Greek word “mythos” which means “word of mouth”. Myths are made up stories that try to explain how our world works and how we should treat each other. The stories are usually set in times long ago, before history as we know it was written.

Myths People have always asked questions like “How did our world come to be?” or “Why do tornadoes happen?” Some myths answered these questions. In other myths, gods or “super-beings” used their powers to make events happen. Or the stories were the adventures of gods, goddesses, men and women.

Myths These myths described the big things that happened to people and the choices they made. They might be about: triumph (achieving something) tragedy (losing something) honor (doing the right thing) being brave even when you are frightened or being foolish and making mistakes. People might be heroes in these stories and gods and goddesses could use their powers to help them or make things more difficult for them.

Myths Around the world, myths were shared by groups of people and became part of their culture. Some myths are told in many cultures, but with variations in the events or characters. For example, most cultures, tribes or groups of people have their version of how our world came to be.

Myths For early people, myths were like science because they explained how natural events work. Some of the stories or characters may seem impossible, and science gives us different explanations for some of our questions. But people all over the world still like to read myths and we all like to think about what they might mean.

What are legends? Legends are also stories that have been made up, but they are different from myths. Legends are about people and their actions or deeds. Legends are based on real people who lived in more recent times and are mentioned in history. Legends are told for a purpose and are based on facts, but they are not completely true.

Legends Either the person never really did what the story says, or the historical events were changed. The purpose was to make the story more interesting or convincing, or to teach a lesson, like knowing right from wrong.

Legends Examples of people in English legends are King Arthur, Robin Hood and Queen Boadicea. A man who may have been King Arthur is known to have lived in the 5th or 6th century. But the stories about the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin the Magician may not be true. The point of the story was that the knights and their king defended their people and helped them.

Legends The character and deeds of Robin Hood may have been based on someone else. Robin of Loxley lived in Nottinghamshire around the time of the story, and he did help the poor. But did he live in Nottingham forest with a band of robbers? Probably not, but helping other people is important and the legend hasn’t been forgotten.

Legends Today Today people use the word ‘legend’ in a different way when they talk about people and their deeds. They may describe a basketball player, football player or runner as a “sporting legend”, or an actor as a “film legend”.

Legends Today Continued What they mean is the person is famous because of their skills or things they have done. This is similar to the earlier use of the word, and the legend stories. Urban legends are intriguing stories that aren’t true but could be possible

What are tall tales? Tall tales are humorous or silly stories written from someone’s imagination.  It is always told as if it were true, even though the listeners know that the story could never really happen.

Tall Tales They are about events and characters that are exaggerated. This exaggeration is used to add humor or make the events more interesting. They are filled with exaggerations, similes, metaphors, and lots of descriptive language. 

Tall Tales The main character accomplishes great feats using strength, skill, and wits. The story explains how some familiar things began. The hero has a colorful way of speaking. Famous people and places show up in the story. More often that not, the hero dies or disappears. 

Tall Tales Tall tales were popularized in the United States in the 18th century, although they’re not limited to the U.S. They were told by people as a means of entertainment, and relaxation after a long day's work.

Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox…and Ms. Barker Bemidji, Minnesota

What are fables? A fable is another type of story, also passed down from generation to generation and told to teach a lesson. A fable usually ends with a moral, or a short sentence with a lesson about life.

Fables Fables are about animals that can talk and act like people, or plants or forces of nature like thunder or wind. The plants may be able to move and also talk and the natural forces cause things to happen in the story because of their strength.

Fables The most famous fables were written by a man called Aesop. We know them as Aesop’s Fables, and he wrote more than 600 of them in the mid-6th Century.

What are fairy tales? Fairy tales are stories written specially for children, often about magical characters such as elves, fairies, goblins and giants. Sometimes the characters are animals. Most fairy tales were passed down orally before being written. Many of these stories were collected by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm and written down for future generations.

Folk Tales vs. Fairy Tales Folk and fairy tales are stories written specially for children, often about magical characters such as elves, fairies, goblins and giants. Sometimes the characters are animals. Note: Fairy Tales often involve “magic” whereas Folk Tales may not.

What are folk tales? Folk tales are set in the distant past and involve supernatural events. They often feature both human and animal characters.

Folk Tales In most folk tales: A character represents one or more qualities—for example: greed, honesty, kindness, or cleverness. Supernatural beings and events are part of the story. A lesson or message about life is presented.

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