Understanding Folktales and Their Cultural Role

• Folktales were passed down through oral tradition, so they are easy to remember and share.
• Folktales assist children in differentiating characters, following plotlines, and recalling event sequences.
• Working with folktales helps children develop critical reading skills like phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
• This aligns with the Common Core Standards for Reading.
• Folktales pass along core values and character traits in an entertaining way.
• They share common history, reinforce cultural values, and highlight important traditions.
• Agreement within tribes or villages was essential to minimize conflict.
• Leaders would use stories to clarify transgressions, encouraging those at fault to recognize their mistakes.
• Folktales model behaviors and reinforce expectations for living a meaningful life across generations.
• Folktales incorporate character traits such as caring, resourcefulness, trust, and courage.
• Folktales model effective decision-making, where characters face conflicts requiring resolutions.
• A "good" decision results in positive outcomes, while a "poor" decision leads to negative outcomes.
• Folktales demonstrate the importance of making difficult decisions, and discussing these consequences helps children make effective decisions.
• Folktales celebrate diversity by exposing children to different cultures.
• Children gain insights into other cultures' values, beliefs, history, practices, and customs.
• Learning about diverse cultural traditions broadens perspectives and promotes appreciation for one's own heritage.

Ways Folktales Help Children

• Develop stronger reading skills
• Study other cultures
• Model character traits
• Appreciate other traditions
• Learn about decision making
• Explore new ways of seeing the world
• Discover a love of stories
• Folktales have been preserved to be shared across generations.

Four Functions of Folklore (William Bascom)

• To amuse
• To validate culture
• To educate
• To maintain conformity

Theories Related to the Study of Mythology

• Ancient Theories:

  • Rationalism: Myths are early forms of logical thinking and have a logical base.
  • Etymological Theory: Myths derive from and can be traced back to certain words in the language.
  • Allegorical Theory: Myths contain hidden meanings, with the narrative deliberately concealing or encoding them.
  • Euhemerism: All myths arise from historical events that were exaggerated.

• Modern Theories:

  • Naturalism: Myths attempt to explain natural phenomena, often tracing origins to the worship of the sun or moon.
  • Ritualism: Myths accompany and explain religious rituals, describing significant events that led to a particular ceremony
  • Diffusionism: Myths originated from a few major cultural centers and then spread throughout the world.
  • Evolutionism: Myth-making occurs as the human mind evolves, and similarities across cultures are attributed to shared experiences.
  • Freudianism: Myths are related to repressed infantile wishes, which are eliminated from the conscious mind but continue to exist in some form.
  • Jungian Archetypes: Myths contain motifs from a "collective unconscious" that is genetically inherited and passed down through generations.
  • Structuralism: Human behavior is patterned into codes like language, so myths must be analyzed linguistically to understand their meaning.
  • Historical-Critical Theory: A multitude of factors influence the origin and evolution of myths, requiring individual examination of each story.

Folktales, passed down orally, aid in developing critical reading skills such as phonics and comprehension while aligning with Common Core Standards. They transmit core values, reinforce cultural norms, and emphasize significant traditions. Folktales also model expected behaviors and promote character traits like caring and courage.