Legends, Myths, and Folktales

In very ancient times, people needed help to explain the mysteries of life. They didn’t have scientists or other experts to tell them why different things happened. So the way they grew to understand these mysteries was through stories called “myths.” Today when we call something a myth, we usually mean that it isn’t true. But that’s often because we don’t believe the very old stories. People used to believe in myths very strongly. Some of the most familiar European myths come from ancient Greece. The gods and goddesses of Greek religion all had stories about them that explained just why things were the way they were. World religions today have their own mythologies. Hinduism, for example, is filled with wondrous tales of gods and heroes, such as the elephant-headed god Ganesha, who represents good luck. One Bible story tells how Moses led the original Jews out of slavery in Egypt. And the famous stories of Jesus stand as examples to Christians of a perfect life. Myths are closely related to several other kinds of stories that teach us lessons. These include folktales, legends, fables, and fairy tales. Folktales are very much like myths, though they are usually about ordinary characters in unusual situations. Legends resemble folktales and myths, but they’re usually linked to a particular place or person, real or imaginary. Fables teach lessons by telling stories with animal characters. Fairy tales sometimes carry a message about right and wrong. But often they’re simply exciting, magical stories.