1. Learn About Folktales
Compiled by
Deb Thonus

2. Learn About Folktales Where do folktales come from?
Elements found in folktales
Types of folktales
Popular folktales

3. Where do folktales come from?
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Most traditional folktales are very old. They are stories which were passed down to new generations by storytellers. Later they were written down. Each tale may have many versions.
Folktales are told all over the world.
Often folktales teach lessons.

4. Elements found in Folktales
Often has good and bad characters
Involves common people and/or animals
Main characters usually have a problem to solve
Usually has a happy ending
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5. Types of Folktales
Trickster tales
Fables
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6. Trickster Tales One character is clever and very tricky
Trickster causes problems for another character
He/she usually gets away with the trick
Different cultures have specific tricksters.
EX: Brer Rabbit (American), Coyote (Native American), Anansi (African)

7. Fables Short stories Teach a lesson
Animal characters with human characteristics
Stress themes such as: the value of cooperation, looking at problems from different viewpoints, rewards if lesson is learned
Lessons may not be stated directly
Listener must find their own lesson in the tale

8. What’s the difference between a Fable and a Folktale?
The short answer is, “not much.”
Basically, the term “Folktale” is an umbrella term that includes a few different types of stories, including Fables.
The only element that is exclusive to Fables is that the main characters are usually animals (or sometimes plants), rather than human beings.

9. Some common folktales Paul Bunyan John Henry Pecos Bill Brer Rabbit
Casey Jones
Aesop’s Fables