Tales around the world...

What is a Folk Tale?

A folk tale is a story or legend handed down from generation to generation usually by oral retelling. Folk tales often explain something that happens in nature or convey a certain truth about life. A folktale is a story or legend forming part of an oral tradition. Folktales possess many or all of the characteristics listed below.

·                     The beginning of the story starts with "Once upon a time . . . " or a similar phrase.

·                     Magic events, characters, and objects are part of the story

·                     One character is someone of royalty (king, queen, prince, princess, etc.)

·                     One character is wicked.

·                     One character is good.

·                     Goodness is rewarded in the story.

·                     Certain numbers like three and seven are in the story (three eggs, seven sisters, etc.)

·                     The story ends with ". . . they lived happily ever after." 

African Tales:

In the African folk tales, the stories reflect the culture where animals abound; consequently, the monkey, elephant, giraffe, lion, zebra, crocodile, and rhinoceros appear frequently along with a wide variety of birds such as the ostrich, the secretary bird, and the eagle. The animals and birds take on human characteristics of greed, jealousy, honesty, loneliness, etc. Through their behavior, many valuable lessons are learned. Also, the surroundings in which the tales take place reveal the vastness of the land and educate the reader about the climate, such as the dry season when it hasn't rained for several years, or the rainy season when the hills are slick with mud. The acacia trees swaying in a gentle breeze, muddy streams that are home to fish, hippos and crocodiles, moss covered rocks, and giant ant hills that serve as a "back scratcher" for huge elephants, give the reader a sense of the variety of life in this parched or lush land in this part of the world.

·                     Latinamerican Tales:

Latinamerican tales:

·                     Are generally part of the oral tradition of a group.

·                     Are more frequently told than read

·                     Are passed down from one generation to another

·                     Take on the characteristics of the time and place in which they are told

·                     Sometimes take on the personality of the storyteller

·                     Speak to universal and timeless themes.

·                     Try to make sense of our existence, help humans cope with the world in which they live, or explain the origin of something.

·                     Are often about the common person

·                     May contain supernatural elements

·                     Function to validate certain aspects of culture

Some Latinamerican tales are: "The coyote and the rabbit" and "The jaguar and the little skunk" 

·                     Asian tales:

This tales are told in their local dialects (Japanese folktales for example) which may be difficult to understand because of intonation and pronunciations differences, conjugations and vocabulary.
The animals or creatures are known by their abilities, foxes are mentioned frequently for instance. Another characteristic that these tales contain is marriages between humans and non-humans.
The Asian tales allow children to experience the culture and heritage or tradition.

Some examples of Asian tales are: "The jade emperor and the four dragons" and "Chasing the monk's shadow "

·                     Australian tales:

Australia traditional storytelling, handed down from generation to generation, has always been part of the landscape. Since the beginning of time (the Dreaming) storytelling played a vital role in Australian Aboriginal culture, one of the world’s oldest cultures. Aboriginal children were told stories from a very early age; stories that helped them understand the air, the land, the universe, their people, their culture and their history. Elders told stories of their journeys and their accomplishments. As the children grew into adults they took on the responsibility of passing on the stories. These stories are as much a cultural necessity as they are entertainment and are still passed on orally though many are now recorded in print, audio and video. 

Some examples of Australian tales are: ."The Galah, and Oolah the lizard", "Bahloo the moon and the daens".