FOLKLORE = FOLKTALES, MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND EPIC POEMS
Folklore and Traditional Literature
Folklore consists of a people group (or “folk”) and all of its accumulated facts (“lore”) including: traditional customs, beliefs, knowledge, values, and attitudes of the ordinary people.
Folk + Lore = Folklore
A folk's lore is communicated by word of mouth until it is transcribed (written down); this is called “oral tradition.” Before people groups had written languages, oral tradition was the only means of preserving the history of a people and its culture.
TRADITIONAL LITERATURE
Folklore = Stories that have been handed down from generation to generation.
Epic Poem
Facts
values
myths
legends
�SOME COMMON FOLKLORE TRAITS:
TYPES OF FOLKLORE
WHAT IS A FOLK TALE?
A folk tale is a story with no known author that usually teaches a lesson. Examples of American folktales include: Brer Rabbit, Paul Bunyan, and Three Billy Goats Gruff.
����WHAT IS A MYTH?�
A myth is a story that usually explains something about the world and involves gods and other superhuman beings. The Greek culture has the most famous collection of myths.
WHAT IS A LEGEND?
A legend is a story often believed to be true and in which the characters are usually considered historical by some. Examples include Robin Hood, King Arthur, and Pecos Bill.
WHAT IS AN EPIC POEM?
An epic poem is a long, often book-length, narrative in verse form that retells the heroic journey of a single person, or group of persons. Elements that typically distinguish epics include superhuman deeds, fabulous adventures, highly stylized language, and a blending of lyrical and dramatic traditions.
The Odyssey is one of ancient Greece's two great epic poems. The other is The Iliad. Both poems feature a larger than life hero, deeds of great valor, and the gods' interference in human affairs.
THE ODYSSEY
MOST IMPORTANT ODYSSEY CHARACTERS
MAP OF O’S JOURNEY