Myths, Legends and Folktales

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Myths, Legends and Folktales

• Mrs. Beach Deane Bozeman English

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myths, legends and folktales

• Storytelling is common to every culture. Most
  people enjoy listening to stories. Storytellers
  have catered to the need for a 'good story' since
  the beginning of civilization.
• Most people have their own favorite story from
  childhood and, often, these tales are both
  fascinating and frightening. These stories
  include legends, myths and folktales.

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What are legends?

• A legend is a semi-true story, which has been
  passed on from person-to-person and has important
  meaning or symbolism for the culture in which it
  originates. A legend usually includes an element
  of truth, or is based on historic facts, but with
  'mythical qualities'. Legends usually involve
  heroic characters or fantastic places and often
  encompass the spiritual beliefs of the culture in
  which they originate.

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What are myths?

• A myth is a story based on tradition or legend,
  which has a deep symbolic meaning. A myth
  'conveys a truth' to those who tell it and hear
  it, rather than necessarily recording a true
  event. Although some myths can be accounts of
  actual events, they have become transformed by
  symbolic meaning or shifted in time or place.
  Myths are often used to explain universal and
  local beginnings and involve supernatural beings.
  The great power of the meaning of these stories,
  to the culture in which they developed, is a
  major reason why they survive as long as they do
  - sometimes for thousands of years.

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What are folktales?

• A folktale is a popular story that was passed on
  in spoken form, from one generation to the next.
  Usually the author is unknown and there are often
  many versions of the tale. Folktales comprise
  fables, fairy tales, old legends and even 'urban
  legends'. Again, some tales may have been based
  on a partial truth that has been lost or hidden
  over time. It is difficult to categorize
  folktales precisely because they fit into many
  categories. Folk tales are often referred to as
  Tall Tales.

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What is the difference between legends, myths and
folktales?

• Myths, legends and folktales are hard to classify
  and often overlap. Imagine a line (or continuum)
  as illustrated below, with an historical account
  based on facts at one end and myths or cultural
  folktales at the other as you progress towards
  the mythical/folktale end of the line, what an
  event symbolizes to people, or what they feel
  about it, becomes of greater historical
  significance than the facts, which become less
  important. By the time you reach the far end of
  the spectrum, the story has taken on a life of
  its own and the facts of the original event, if
  there ever was one, have become almost
  irrelevant. It is the message that is important.

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Why were the stories told?

• As well as making fascinating reading, these
  stories also tell us a great deal about how
  people in the past saw, and understood, the world
  around them.There are many reasons why stories
  are told and passed down the generations. Here
  are just a few of them
• To strengthen a community and provide a common
  understanding. Stories often reflect the beliefs
  of the people who tell them. The popularity of
  any story depends on whether those listening
  approve of the values underlying it. By telling
  and listening to stories, people confirmed their
  ideas about the world around them. Things that
  people found scary, infuriating, or desirable all
  found their way into the stories and they were
  passed on, because people wanted to be assured
  that other people around them were thinking along
  the same lines.

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Continued

• As a way of providing moral guidance and showing
  people how they should conduct themselves,
  including the consequences of not doing so. Myths
  and legends, like any good stories, often include
  a moral. Within the myth, the hurt or
  embarrassment experienced by people is often due
  to their own stupidity, greed, dishonesty or
  negligence.
• To explain how the world works, for example why
  the seasons change, and to explain strange
  happenings or phenomena such as eclipses - the
  reasons for which were unknown in early times.
• For entertainment purposes. Stories were told to
  amuse and enthrall an audience in the days before
  TV and other forms of mass entertainment.

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Continued

• To pass on history and knowledge, such as the
  outcome of battles and tales of courage, in ages
  when many people could not read or write. Many
  myths have an element of truth that has been
  built upon and embellished over the years.
• For fame, money or recognition - as in all areas
  of life, not all stories were told for good
  reasons. For example, stories of bravery in
  battle could enhance the status of an individual
  or a group or, in later centuries, a good ghost
  story could be sold for money. The truth was not
  always the most important consideration.
• Regardless of why they were told, many of the
  stories still remain popular today and, although
  we no longer swap stories around the fireside,
  the tradition of storytelling still continues in
  the form of urban legends. Many older stories
  also live on in current day carnivals or
  festivals, which have their roots in a very
  different past.

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Features of Myths and Legends

• A re-telling
• The orientation is typically timeless e.g. Long,
  long ago
• Before animals walked the earth
• A single animal is representative of all animals
  of that kind
• Natural forces like wind and fire are represented
  by gods or god-like form
• The resolution of myths and legends explain why
  things are the way we are
• A classic opening and\or closing (e.g. Once upon
  a time., And they all lived happily after)

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A representative of good and evil in characters

• Stereotypes e.g. Animals e.g. wolves are bad
  rescuers are male
• The representative of certain values, wealth
  happiness, beauty happiness
• The involvement of supernatural forces, e.g.
  fairy godmothers, creatures that can talk
• Tales are based around themes like trickery and
  foolishness

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summarising the outcome of the myth or legend

• But still to this day
• So every time you see
• These comments sum up how things came to be .

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What makes a hero?

• A hero is someone who is distinguished for his or
  her courage or ability. They are admired for
  brave deeds and noble qualities. They may have
  performed heroic acts. They may also be someone
  who is a model or an ideal.

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Activity

• Make a list of all the heroes you can think of
  both real and fictional.
• Think about a person in your life you might
  consider a hero. Write a short explanation or
  story about why you consider him/her to be a
  hero.

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Folktales / Tall Tales

• A tall tale is a story that provides enjoyment to
  a wide variety of audiences. Tall tales stretch
  the imagination through colorful figurative
  language and exaggerations.
• Tall tales are also known as lying tales they
  are humorous exaggerations.
• Tall tales may come from other countries but we
  are most familiar with American ones.

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Attributes of tall tales

• Tall tales are often about the frontier days in
  the United States. They are an exaggeration of
  the hardships of frontier life.
• Tall tales may be about animals, weather,
• everyday events, and ordinary people but the
  more famous tales are about heroes.
• Tall tales often feature over-sized people
• and exaggerated deeds.