Module 2: Fairy Tales, Folklore, and Myth

Fairy Tales

Fairytales, unlike folklore, are written stories by specific authors. Think for instance of Hans Christian Anderson or the Brothers Grimm. Like myths, fairy tales can attempt to deal with human concerns, anxieties, and desires. Writers have also used them as cautionary tales to alert children to dangers of the world — think of Hansel and Gretel abandoned then confronted with the trickery of the witch. Fairy tales often use allegory to subtly convey serious messages or social critiques.  Authors and filmmakers have revisited classic fairy tales to see the stories from different points of view and interpret them with modern concerns and inclusion in mind. Disney is famous for its adaptations of fairy tales, such as the Little Mermaid, in which the main character is portrayed as other than the canonical white female.

Folklore

Folklore, which is mainly an oral tradition, shares real life experiences and events in theatrical and sometimes exaggerated ways. Folklore serves to build traditions within a community or culture, bridging people together through language and entertainment. Folklore has been and is still used as a form of communication for many cultures and regions of the world today and is a means for people to explain their understanding of the world. Since folklore typically involves exaggeration and dramatics, this form of communication has led to stories written for children that have “fantastic” qualities.

Myth

Myth is a type of storytelling that attempts to explain the origins of the world and the natural and mystical anomalies in life and in the world through the use of gods, demigods, anthropomorphism, super-humans and unearthly characters and events. Mary Magoulick, a professor at Georgia College State University, describes myth in her online publication titled, “What is Myth?” as “symbolic tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), (that) may be connected to belief systems or rituals, and (that) may serve to direct social action and values (1). Magoulick also shares William Bascom’s definition for myth from his article “The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives,” as being “tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra-human, inhuman, or heroic characters (Magoulick 1).