Myth, Legend and Folklore: Difference between revisions

{{worktrope}}

Because bodies of mythology have huge numbers of authors and are continually developed over centuries or millennia, any given story is likely to come in [[Depending Onon the AuthorWriter|multiple versions]], so internal contradictions are pretty much inevitable, so beware of [[Continuity Snarl|Continuity Snarls]]s. Most religions (especially the non-Abrahamic ones) do not have a defined [[Canon]] that accepts some stories and excludes others. Because cultures, religions, and theology change over time, myths and legends from different centuries may handle the same subjects, deities, and human characters in very different ways, leading to constant [[Adaptation]] and re-interpretation. For this reason, it is not a good idea assume that any story is [[Older Than Dirt]] just because it's mythical.

In English the words "myth" and "mythology" are often used to mean "widely believed falsehood" or "total fiction, ", which is why many people object to using such words for their own culture. [[I Thought It Meant|However]], the older meanings of these words lack the negative connotations. "Mythology" is also the study of myths and legends, and as a genre myths are not automatically defined as false or untrue. Though myths can be analyzed like fictional stories, the reality behind them is usually theological subject, especially when divine figures are involved.

'''[[Folklore]]''' and '''[[Fairy Tales]]'''

'''Folktales''' are often equated with [[Fairy Tale|fairy tales]]s, though folklorists prefer the former term as "fairy tale" is a somewhat vague term that has no hard definition. The classification of folktales is a matter on which much ink has been spilled; the following is a list of common categories, though these are not necessarily complete nor mutually exclusive:

* Wonder tales: Quintessential fairy tales, whowhich deal with mostly young heroes or heroines overcoming supernatural enemies, [[Curse|curses]]s or enchantments; often receiving equally [[Supernatural Aid]] in the process. Examples: "[[Rapunzel]]," "[[Sleeping Beauty]]," "[[Rumpelstiltskin]]," "[[Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (novel)|Snow White]]," and many more.

* Realistic Tales (a.k.a. "novellas"): Tales werewhere supernatural elements play only minor parts or none at all (though the plot may not necessarily be ''probable''). Examples: "King Thrushbeard," various stories of the "[[Judgment of Solomon]]" type.

* Stupid Ogre Tales: Clever, mostlyusually young hero outwits a stupid ogre, giant, devil, or some other non-human enemy of that kind. Examples: "[[The Brave Little Tailor]]," "[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]."

* [[Beast Fable|(Beast) fablesFables]]: Moral tales that very frequently use animals, with their associated stereotypes, to exemplify a lesson. Examples: [[Aesop's Fables]], "[[The Farmer and the Viper]]" type tales.

* [[Just-So Story|Just -So Stories]]: What it says. Can be moral in tone, funny, or both. Example: "How the Bear lost its Tail"

* Joke Stories and Anecdotes: Funny stories about people that are [[The Ditz|exceptionally dumb]], clever [[Trickster|tricksters]]s that make fools of their fellowmenfellow men, and other droll stories. Often satirize human flaws like avarice, hypocrisy and foolishness.

'''Folk Legends''' differ from folk tales in that they have an (at least vaguely) fixed setting in time and space. In their origins, they are passed down as something that really happened, or at least ''possibly'' happened; this is their difference from folk ''tales'', which are always considered to be non-factual. Of course, the modern age has made this distinction a little more blurry, as we don't believe any more in the historical reality of "[[The Pied Piper of Hamelin]]" (a folk legend) than we do in the story of "[[Hansel and Gretel]]" (a folk tale). Even today, however, the notion that there is "a true core" behind legends is still quite common. Many folk legends are [[Ghost Story|ghost stories]]; others extol the memorable deeds of [[Folk Hero|Folk Heroes]]es. To think that all folk legends are products of past ages is a mistake, though: The modern age continues to spawn its own folk legends, commonly called [[Urban Legend|Urban Legends]]s.

== List of works{{examples|Works pages for myths and legends: ==}}

=== Largely Religion and Myth ===

** ''[[Inanna's Descent to the Netherworld|Inannas Descent to The Netherworld]]''

=== Largely Legend ===

* The lost works of the [[The Trojan Cycle|Trojan Cycle]].

=== English ===

=== Finnish ===

=== French ===

=== German ===

=== Indian ===

=== Irish ===

* ''[[Táin Bó Cúailnge|Tain Bo Cuailnge]]''

=== Mesopotamia (Sumerian/Babylonian/Akkadian) ===

=== Norse ===

=== Persian ===

=== Russian & Ukrainian ===

=== Welsh ===

* The ''[[Mabinogion|The Mabinogion]]''

==== Religious Legend ====

[This category is for stuff like the Christian legends of saints, if we had any such works. I wonder if the ''[[The Life of Milarepa]]'' belongs into this category.]

==== Folktales and folktale characters [Literary Fairy Tales will go ''only'' on [[Fairy Tale]], traditional fairy tales will be on both indexes.] ====

=== Fairy Tales ===

* "[[Adalmina's Pearl|Adalminas Pearl]]"

* "[[Sun,The Moon,Steadfast andTin Talia|Sun Moon and TaliaSoldier]]"

=== Nursery Tales ===

=== Beast Fables ===

=== Tall Tales ===

==== Folk Legend [remove from [[Fairy Tale]]] ====

=== Individual legends ===

=== [[Folk Hero|Folk Heroes]]es ===

=== ... and other Characters of Folk Legend ===

=== Folk Legend Subcategories ===

==== Folk Ballads ====

* The [[Child Ballad|Child Ballads]]s (a.k.a. ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads'' by Francis J. Child, 1882-98)

==== Beings of folk belief ====

==== EgyptAustralia ====

=== China ===

=== EuropeEgypt ===

=== Ireland ===

=== Japan ===

** ... and other [[Multiple-Tailed Beast|Multiple Tailed Beasts]]s.

=== Northwestern Europe ===