Folklore, Fairy Tales, Fables,
Parables, Myths, Legends,
Nursery Rhymes
Folklore

Folklore is the body of verbal expressive culture, including tales, legends, oral
history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs current among a particular population,
comprising the ORAL TRADITION of that culture, subculture, or group.

HISTORY:

Folklore has existed for thousands of years

It is often compared to ‘myth’

Folklore can be compared to myth because oftentimes it is not in sync with the dominant
beliefs at the time of its creation.

For example, Roman religion could be considered myth to Christian people.

Sometimes folklore can be religious in nature. Because it often does not fit into religious
views, those who are religious simply refer to it as ‘folklore’

Many folklore tales (transformed into subcategory Fairy Tales) carry with them themes
and motifs that speak to us on a psychological level.

For example, “Hansel and Gretel”.

At first glance: Forest seems to be a haven, morals- do not speak to strangers, thematic –dangers
of famine in larger families.

Other motifs: ‘terrible mother’, ‘death’, ‘identifying with Father’
Folklore extends into today’s society. We see urban legends, conspiracy theories in
television shows, movies, novels, and short stories.
Fairy Tales

Fairy tales are a subclass of Folklore. However, fairy tales usually involve princes
and princesses, goblins, fairies, trolls, witches, and other magical characters.

HISTORY:

Although fairy tales are now associated with children’s stories, fairy tales were originally
created for adults and children alike.

Tales were told orally; between generations.

Tales often had sad endings and contained violent situations.

Most fairy tales were about princes and princesses, combat, society, adventure, and
romance.

As time progressed, they:

Lost their violence

Became children’s stories

Had moral lessons and happy endings

Some transformed into nursery rhymes

Fairy tales, unlike folklore and fables, are usually more superficial and contain no real
references to people or places

Contemporary fairy tales are about the human condition, fantastic elements, or comedic
situations.

Examples of fairy tales:

Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood
Fairy Tales
change of structure through history

Motif:


These appear in 15th and 16th century Italian romances

The number 3

The magic ring
These appear in 19th, 20th and 21st century tales:

common motifs; magic, animals, evil sibling/family relative
fairy tale structures
fairy tale happy endings
Fairy Tales (cont’d)

Allusions: an allusion is an instance of indirect reference.


For example:

A fairy tale or fable may be alluded to in contemporary literature or film.

Seeing as how folk tales, fables, and fairy tales often contain themes and motifs that
speak to us on a psychological level:

These stories become synonymous with the motifs and themes they present.

Therefore, when a piece of literature or a film wants to portray a certain theme or motif or moral,
the tale is often used instead.
Numerous authors, including Charles Dickens, W.H. Auden, Anne Sexton, were
notable readers of fairy tales. Dickens thought of them as a holy scripture of
morals which should be embraced by children; courtesy, consideration for the aged
and poor, kind treatment of animals, or the love of nature. Sexton recreated them
with sadistic humor in her emotionally charged poetry.
Fairy Tales – The Brothers Grimm
The most notable of fairy tale borrowers and creators

The Grimm brothers were born in Hanau, Hesse-Cassel, Germany

Jakob, the elder, was born in 1785, his brother Wilhelm in 1786.

Both studied law at the University of Marburg

Jakob became interested in historical research and later became a librarian.

Both brothers were interested in national poetry and folk literature.

They used the country people as their source of these tales.

One of their most valuable sources was a 55-year-old grandmother who resided Kassel.

As she told her stories, the brothers copied them down word for word.

Jakob wanted to publish the stories just as they were told, but Wilhelm wanted to make them more
colorful. He added phrases in some and took out the more boring phrases.

In 1812, their first volume of stories, Kinder-Und Hausmarchen (Children’s and Domestic
Tales), went to press. Three years later, their second volume was published.

In 1884, the stories were translated into English and called Household Tales.

Jakob later became more interested in studying German grammar, so Wilhelm took over
making the later editions mostly his work.
Fables

Fables: In its strictest sense a fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a
moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end as a maxim.

HISTORY:

May be conversational in tone, but it is truly a fiction—deliberately invented.

Often uses an animal as a metaphorical character that acts and talks like humans.


For example, a fox may be a trickster but may also be considered the devil.
Fables are stories that contain a hidden message

This message can be seen as the moral (the proper ethical ways to live our lives)

Who is the most famous fable writer there ever was?

Aesop

Wrote over 350 fables

Most were written around 620 B.C.

Fables are similar to folklore and fairy tales except that fables are written specifically to convey a
point, or moral

Example, a tortoise shows us that “the slow, sure, and steady CAN win a race”
Parables

The word parable comes from the Greek παραβολή (parabolē), meaning a
comparison, illustration, analogy. It was the name given by Greek rhetoricians to
an illustration in the form of a brief fictional narrative.

A parable is a short tale that illustrates a universal truth; it is a simple narrative.
It sketches a setting, describes an action, and shows the results.

A parable often involves a character who faces a moral dilemma or one who makes
a bad decision and then suffers the unintended consequences. Although the
meaning of a parable is often not explicitly stated, it is not intended to be hidden
or secret but, on the contrary, quite straightforward and obvious.

Objects and people are used in a story to get across a message; there are many
Biblical parables which give religions different messages.

For example, the parable of the Prodigal Son (new testament: Luke chapter 15, verses 11-32) in which one of
the brothers squanders his inheritance; the older brother, who is more responsible and attentive to his father
becomes upset when the younger brother comes home with nothing asking for his father’s forgiveness, and in
turn, throws a party for the younger son for coming home .

Parables also appear in Islam. In Sufi tradition, parables are used for imparting
lessons and values. Recent authors such as Idries Shah and Anthony de Mello have
helped popularize these stories beyond Sufi circles.

Modern parables also exist. A mid-19th-century example, the Parable of the
Broken Window, exposes a fallacy in economic thinking.
Myth

Myth: a story that helps to explain some unexplainable event

For example, how the universe was created, why volcanoes erupt, how evil
started, how fire came about.

As people became more rational and intelligent, they were able to explain some of
the myths scientifically.

Examples: please read a few of the world wide myths on the link below!!

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/myths.htm
Legend

Legend: A story that got its start from some actual event in the past, but
because people kept exaggerating what really happened, the story becomes a
legend; for example, “Davy Crockett killed a bear when he was only three” in
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett”

Though customarily told as "true" stories, legends often contain supernatural,
bizarre, or highly improbable elements.

Other examples: Robin Hood, King Arthur
Nursery Rhymes

A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for young children in mostly
western cultures and countries, but usage only dates from the late 18th/early 19th
century and in North America the term Mother Goose Rhymes, introduced in the
mid-1700s, is still often used.

Defintion: A short poem or song for children, mostly anonymous or handed down
by folklore.

“Nursery” was added due to its song-like narration (bedtime lullabies) sung to
young children in their ‘nurseries’ (baby’s bedroom)

Nursery Rhymes were often used to teach kids lessons. Or rather, scare them into
doing what they are told. These were used to describe life back then.
Decapitations were common and plagues ran rampant. The child mortality rate of
just a couple hundred years ago was 40%. Life was riddled with morbid events.

The origins of some of the popular nursery rhymes are as follows, as well as the
full rhymes.
Nursery Rhymes – (cont’d)

The origins of some of the popular nursery rhymes are as follows, as well as
the full rhymes.
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.
Up got Jack, and home did trot
As fast as he could caper
He went to bed and bound his head
With vinegar and brown paper.

The REAL history behind it: The nursery rhyme 'Jack and Jill' was started in France. Jack and Jill are
said to be King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, a couple beheaded during the Reign of Terror
in 1793. The rhyme was first published two years later, in 1795.