Gods & Monsters

Overview: Myths, Legends, Folk & Fairy Tales

Dr. Thierfelder: The terms myth, folklore, legend, and fairy tale are often used interchangeably, leading to the misconception that they mean the same thing: fanciful tales. Although it's true that these terms may refer to bodies of writing that answer some of life's basic questions or present commentary on morality, each type presents a distinct reader experience. They've all stood the test of time, which speaks volumes about their ongoing hold on our imaginations.
© The following material is adapted from https://irishmyths.com/2021/02/20/differences-between-myths-legends-folktales-fairytales/ Retrieved 24 July 2022.
A myth is a symbolic story concerned with the origins of a people, their world, or other natural phenomena. Myths typically take place in the distant past and feature gods, goddesses, and/or other supernatural beings as their primary protagonists. While the original adherents of a particular mythology (i.e. a body or collection of myths) believed them to be true, myths often have little or no basis in historical reality. Like folktales and fairytales, myths are fictional stories. But instead of existing for mere entertainment, they serve a higher purpose. They are sacred rather than secular. To quote folklorist and anthropologist William Bascom, “Myths are the embodiment of dogma… and they are often associated with theology and ritual.” (source: The Journal of American Folklore, reprinted in Sacred Narrative: Readings in the Theory of Myth)
A legend is a heroic story set in the recent past that is popularly considered historical but remains unverifiable. Straddling the line between sacred and secular, legends don’t usually have religious significance but often have national or cultural significance (re: King Arthur and Robin Hood for the British, William Tell for the Swiss). Legends may be based on historical figures, but the actual adventures said figures partake in are often fictionalized or exaggerated.
A folktale (or folk tale) is a secular, fictional story that is passed down among common people and is often rooted in a superstitious belief. Unlike myths and legends, folktales are not considered sacred or truthful by storytellers (or story-listeners) and are usually told solely for entertainment’s sake. Furthermore, folktales are often described as “timeless” and “placeless”, meaning you can change a folktale’s setting—from past to present or vice versa, and/or from this land to that land or vice versa—without losing the essence of its narrative. The fluidity and adaptability of folktales further distinguish them from other story categories, as myths (and to a lesser extent, legends) tend to have not only fixed settings but also fixed meanings.
A fairytale (or fairy tale) is a secular, fictional story, often geared toward children, that features fantastical lands, forces, and/or characters, such as fairies, elves, goblins, trolls, giants, dragons, and wizards. A sub-genre of the folktale, a fairytale does not necessarily need to feature fairies in order to earn its classification, but it does require a happy ending or “turn”—hence the expression, “fairytale ending.”According to Hobbit and Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien, a defining characteristic of the fairy tale is that it transports readers and listeners to an alternative (but still rational and consistent) world that operates under a different set of rules than our own world. The purpose of this transportation, however, is not simply to escape from the cruelties of the real world, but to gain perspective and inspire hope. To quote Tolkien: “The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending: or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous “turn” (for there is no true end to any fairy-tale): this joy, which is one of the things which fairy-stories can produce supremely well, is not essentially “escapist,” nor “fugitive.” In its fairy-tale–or otherworld–setting, it is a sudden and miraculous grace: never to be counted on to recur. It does not deny the existence of dyscatastrophe, of sorrow and failure: the possibility of these is necessary to the joy of deliverance; it denies (in the face of much evidence, if you will) universal final defeat and [gives] a fleeting glimpse of Joy, Joy beyond the walls of the world, poignant as grief.” (source: On Fairy-Stories)There is little doubt that Tolkien’s famed fairy otherworld, Middle-Earth, was inspired, at least in part, by the Otherworlds of Irish and Celtic mythology (e.g. Tír na nÓg, the Land of Youth; Magh Mell, the Plain of Happiness; Dún Scaith, the Fortress of Shadows). The numerous Irish fairytales associated with these mystical realms were likely sources of further inspiration.

Recommended Media

Selected Web Resources: Print Part 1

Ancient Greece and Rome: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/greek-mythologyThe Middle East: https://warriorsofmyth.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Middle_Eastern_Mythology,_Legend_and_FolkloreThe Middle East: https://www.harpersbazaararabia.com/culture/arabian-folkloreSoutheast Asia (annotated list): https://www.cabinetdesfees.com/2010/the-myths-folklore-and-legends-of-south-east-asia-an-annotated-list/Asia (bibliography): https://www.worldoftales.com/Asian_folktales.html#gsc.tab=0Europe: https://culturetourist.com/cultural-tourism/the-most-exciting-european-myths-and-legends/European Folklore (links to individual nations and groups): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_folkloreWest African Mythology (by country): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_mythologyAfrican mythology (general): https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/african-mythologyAfrican folktales: https://www.worldoftales.com/African_folktales.html#gsc.tab=0South American folktales: https://www.worldoftales.com/South_American_folktales.html#gsc.tab=0Mesoamerican Creation Myths: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesoamerican_creation_mythsAmerican Indian Myths and Legends (PDF of Book with dozens of narratives): https://www.gusd.net/cms/lib/CA01000648/Centricity/Domain/2027/AmericanIndianMythsAndLegends.pdfOceanic Mythology (with numerous links): https://www.godchecker.com/oceanic-mythology/Australian Mythical Beasts: https://www.racv.com.au/royalauto/travel/australia/australian-mythical-folklore-creatures.htmlAustralian Myths and Legends: https://theculturetrip.com/pacific/australia/articles/11-fascinating-indigenous-australian-myths-and-legends/
Medusa
Shiva

Web Resources: Print Part 2

Web Resources: Video

Siegfried Slays the Dragon
Thor

Web Resources: Selected Stories

THEME EXAMPLES
MIGHTY HEROESTERRIFYING MONSTERSGODS AND GODDESSESNATURAL DISASTERSTHE AFTERLIFE TRICKSTERS ACQUISITION OF FIRETRANSFORMATION AND INCARNATION
Dragons
ARCHETYPE EXAMPLES
HEROSHADOW/ENEMY (Wicked Stepmother, Evil King, Demons)ALLY (Good Prince, Best Friend)MENTORSUPERNATURAL BENEFACTOR
Werewolf
PROMETHEUS (Greece)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prometheushttps://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/prometheus-fire-myth/
ARACHNE (Rome)https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arachnehttps://classicalwisdom.com/mythology/monsters/how-the-spider-came-to-be/
THE BULL OF HEAVEN (Middle East)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_of_Heavenhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_of_Gilgamesh
LI CHI THE SERPENT SLAYER (China)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Ji_slays_the_Giant_Serpenthttps://www.rejectedprincesses.com/princesses/li-chi
THOR (Scandinavia)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorhttps://www.worldhistory.org/Thor/
ALATANGANA (Kono People)African Mythology (Yale): https://teachersinstitute.yale.edu/curriculum/units/1998/2/98.02.03/4https://mythcrafts.com/2019/02/07/a-creation-myth-from-guinea-death-and-his-son-in-law/
QUETZALCOATL (Aztec)https://www.worldhistory.org/Quetzalcoatl/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl
SEDNA (Inuit)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedna_(mythology)https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/the-goddess-of-the-sea-the-story-of-sedna
THE TAMING OF KINIE GER (Aboriginal Australia)Aboriginal Mythology Overview: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Aboriginal_religion_and_mythologyhttps://wikimili.com/en/Kinie_Ger
Native American Folklore