2. Mythology, Folktales, & Fairy Tales

3. What is a Folk Tale? A folk tale is a story with no known author. Folk tales are passed down from one generation to another by word of mouth. It is pure fiction and has no particular location in time or space.

4. Examples of Folk Tales The Nightingale The Seventh Sister How the Snake Got Poison Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

5. What is a Legend? Legends: a story from the past about a subject that was, or is still believed to be, historical. These concern people, places, and events. It is always associated with a particular place and time in history. They can be greatly exaggerated.

6. Examples of Legends Paul Bunyan Pecos Bill John Henry Annie Oakley

7. What is a fairy tale? A fairy tale is a type of imaginative writing that carries the reader into an invented world where the laws of nature, as we know them, do not operate. Usually has some type of magic (like spinning straw into gold)

8. What is a myth? A myth is a story that usually explains something about the world and involves gods and other superhuman beings.

9. Mythology -- A set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event (Greeks, Romans, Norse)

10. Purpose of Myths 1. To give order and a frame of meaning to people’s personal observations 2. To explain the nature of the universe (creation/rising & setting of the sun) 3. To instruct the community members on attitudes and behavior necessary to function successfully in a culture (Heroes)

11. How Myths Develop: Rational interpretation: All that is incredible or fantastic in myth is explained by what is naturally possible. Symbolic interpretation: All myths are stories revealing fundamental “truths” that are the same for all people.

12. What is a fable? A fable is a very brief story in prose or in verse that teaches a moral or a practical lesson about how to succeed in life. The characters are usually animals.

13. Examples of Fables The Crow and the Jar The Wolf and the House Dog The Fox and the Crow The Country Mouse and the City Mouse

14. Quiz Time! Which genre teaches a moral at the end? What are two examples of myths? What is a story with no known author? What are three examples of folk tales? What kind of story is The Country Mouse and the City Mouse?