Oral+Traditions

//__**Notes on Oral Traditions**__// __**Myths:**__ Myths are stories that explain objects or events in the natural world as resulting from the action of some supernatural force or entity, most often a god. Every early culture around the globe has produced its own myths.

__**Legends:**__ Legends are stories coming down from the past, often based on real events or characters from older times. Unlike myths, legends are popularly regarded as historical; however, they may contain elements that are fantastic or unverifiable. An example of a legend is the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree. Another legend is the story of King Arthur.

__**Folk Tales:**__ Folk tales are brief stories passed by word of mouth from generation to generation. It is important to note that folk tales can also be considered myth or a legend because works of the oral tradition all share characteristics, the most important of which is that they have all been passed by word-of-mouth from generation to generation. Thus many folk tales can also be called legends, myths, tall tales, and so forth.

__**Tall Tales:**__ Tall tales are also folk tales. Tall tales are often light-heart or humorous, and contained highly exaggerated, unrealistic, elements. The story of Paul Bunyan is a tall tale.

__**Fairy Tales:**__ Fairy tales are stories that deal with mischievous spirits and other supernatural occurrences, often in medieval settings. These include stories collected by Charles Perrault in France and the Brothers Grimm in Germany or told by Hans Christian Andersen of Denmark. Specific elements of a fairy tale are 1.) the reader's identification with the central protagonist (main character), 2.) t he confronting and resolving of a problem, frequently by the undertaking of a quest, 3.) the inclusion of fantastic elements, 2.) and a happy ending.

__**Parables:**__ Parables are very brief stories that tell a moral lesson. The most famous are the parables credited to Jesus in the Bible.

__**Fables:**__ Fables are brief stories, often with animal characters, told to express a moral. Famous fables are AEsops fables.

__**Folk songs:**__ Folk songs are traditional or composed songs typically made up of stanzas, a refrain, and a simple melody. A form of folk literature, folk songs are expressions of commonly shared ideas or feelings and may be narrative or lyric in style. Traditional folk songs are anonymous songs that have been transmitted orally.

__**Spirituals:**__ Spirituals are religious songs from the African-American folk tradition.

__**Epics:**__ Epics are long stories often told in verse, including heroes and Gods. Epics have been passed on orally and may have anonymous authors. Grand in length and scope, an epic provides a portrait of an entire culture, of legends, beliefs, values, laws, arts, and ways of life of a people. __**Proverbs:**__ Proverbs are traditional sayings, such as “You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.”

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