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Types of Folktales

Stories that are set in the past and have been passed down from generation to generation

Fairy Tale

A folktale  that takes place in a magical land and is ruled by royalty; the characters are either good or evil; and there is always a happy ending.

Examples:  Cinderella, Snow White, Shrek

Fables

A very short folktale where characters are usually personified animal that teaches a moral or a lesson

Examples: The Tortoise and the Hare,The Lion and the Mouse

Legends

A folktale that usually has some connection to a real historical person or event, combining factual and fictional events with exaggerations that are not meant to be humorous

Myths

A folktale that explains something about the world such as frightening or mysterious forces or how something came to be

Examples:  Hercules, Atlas, Pandora’s Box