Zaib Unnisa

Key Words
Perspective – A particular way of seeing or
understanding a story.
Identity – The qualities, beliefs, and culture that
define individuals and groups.
Culture – The shared beliefs, customs, and
traditions of a group of people.
Moral – The lesson or message conveyed through a
myth or legend.
Hero – A central character in myths and legends
known for courage or extraordinary deeds.
Transformation – A significant change in a character
or situation, common in myths and legends.
Tale: A tale is a narrative, typically involving
imaginative or fictitious events. It can range from
short stories to longer, more elaborate narratives.
Tales often carry underlying morals or lessons.
Definition: A short story, typically involving mythical,
fictional, or legendary elements, which may be told
orally or written down.
8. Folktale: A folktale is a type of traditional story
that is passed down orally through generations.
These stories are deeply rooted in the culture of a
particular group of people, often reflecting their
customs, beliefs, and ways of life.
Definition: A traditional story, typically of
anonymous origin, passed down through
generations by word of mouth.
3. Myth
A myth is a type of tale that explains natural
phenomena, the origins of the world, or the customs
and rituals of a society. Myths often feature gods,
heroes, and supernatural beings.
Definition: A story, typically involving gods or
supernatural beings, that explains how things came
to be or why certain natural phenomena occur.
4. Legend
A legend is a story that has been handed down
through generations, often with a historical basis.
Legends often center around heroic figures or
events that have been embellished over time.
Definition: A narrative that is based on historical
events or figures, but which is often exaggerated or
distorted over time.
5. Fable
A fable is a short, fictional tale, often with animals
as characters, which teaches a moral lesson. Fables
are generally used to impart wisdom to younger
audiences.
Definition: A brief story, typically with animals as
characters, that conveys a moral lesson.
A myth is a traditional story that typically focuses on
supernatural beings and explains the origins of the
world, natural phenomena, or cultural practices,
while a legend is a story based on a real person or
event from the past, often with exaggerated details,
that is passed down through generations and is
usually considered to have some historical basis,
even if not entirely factual; essentially, myths are
more focused on the divine and explaining the
world, while legends are more grounded in human
history, even if embellished.
Key points to remember:
Focus on supernatural:
Myths prominently feature gods, goddesses, and
other supernatural entities.
Explanatory purpose:
Myths aim to explain the origins of the world, natural
phenomena, or customs.
Historical basis:
Legends usually have a connection to real people or
events from the past, even if heavily embellished.
Examples:
Myth: The Greek myth of Zeus, the king of the gods,
creating the world.
Legend: The legend of King Arthur, a British ruler said
to have performed heroic deeds.
Fables, Folktales, Myths & Legends | Origins,
Features & Examples
Folktales are stories with people as main characters
that sometimes include feats of strength. Myths are
stories told to explain t...
Difference between myths and legends
Myths are stories that explain practices, beliefs and
natural phenomena. Their meaning is clearly
different. Legends may be evidence to support past
events that actually happened, but myths do not
have any supporting evidence for past events.
Legend stories are usually facts that are
exaggerated.
What is a Myth
A myth is a traditional story that is rooted in folk
beliefs or religions. They are usually concerned with
the early history of a people or explains a natural or
social phenomenon using supernatural events or
beings. Myths describe stories that take place in a
timeless past and involve supernatural or fantastical
characters such as deities and demigods. Greek and
Roman gods are a good example of myths. The time
in these stories is not specific and all the heroes
have supernatural powers.
Throughout the history, myths have been used to
explain the unexplainable. For example, the story of
Chaos in Greek mythology explains how the world
was created. The story of the Pandora’s Box explains
how pain and suffering came into being. In this story,
you can see that Pandora’s Box is also a symbol for
suffering and pain. Thus, myths can be also viewed
as symbolic stories.
Some famous myths include the story of Narcissus
and Echo, adventures of Hercules, the story of
Theseus and the Minotaur, the story of Loki etc.
What is a Legend?
A legend is a traditional narrative that is popularly
perceived to be historical fact, but not
authenticated. Legends usually have some
connection to real events or locations and there is
some factual basis in legends; this is why they are
popularly believed to be true.
Legends are also woven around historical figures
who are considered as heroes. But their heroic
deeds are often exaggerated and distorted in
legends. However, these characters and events may
be incorporated with many supernatural elements.
Considering all these facts, we can come to the
conclusion that though legends may have some
facts, they are not entirely factual or real.
Some examples for famous legends include Tales of
Robin Hood, King Arthur, William Tell, El Dorado, the
story of Rama and Sita etc.
What is a Folktale
A folktale is a part of folklore. Therefore, folklore can
be defined as the ‘people’s knowledge passed on by
oral (being the most prominent form), written, visual
means at any given time in the history’.
Merriam Webster explains folktale as ‘a
characteristically anonymous, timeless, and
placeless tale circulated orally among people’
Similarly, folktales are tales or stories narrated by
the ‘folks’ or common people. These are thus
passed on from one generation to the next. Folktales
consist of stories usually created to entertain the
audience and also sometimes to teach them a
certain lesson about their behaviours and social
ethics.
Therefore, different cultures have their own unique
and varied folktales. Thus, a folktale is a way can be
highlighted as the direct expression of a certain
culture’s values and behavioural rituals. Moreover,
unlike myths, which are associated with religious
rituals and beliefs, folktales are more secular in
quality.
Similarities Between Myth and Folktale
Both myths and folktales are passed on to
generation through oral means.
The origins of both these genres are uncertain and
their authors or narrators are anonymous.