What are myths, legends and folktales?
Human beings have been telling stories since they first learned to speak. And even before we could speak, we managed to tell stories by drawing and painting pictures on the walls of the caves we lived in. Once upon a time, long, long ago, before even your teachers were born, there lived some really great storytellers. Their stories have been passed down, retold, translated, adapted and, more recently, written down, because everyone loves a good story! Do some of your favourites include haunting and murder, treasure and battle, wicked deeds and heroic actions? These stories probably include legends, myths and folktales. What are legends? A legend is usually based on a true event in the past. However, the story may have changed over time to take on some special ‘mythical’ features. Legends usually have a real hero at the centre of the story and they are often set in fantastic places. The story will have been passed on from person to person, sometimes over a very long period of time. The
