What are the main differences you can see among folktale genres from different cultures?
The idea of folktale genres is really a part of Western scholarship that goes back to mid 19th century (see What is Folklore? at this site) The scholar who did the most to establish a guiding collection and analytic approach was Stith Thompson who with his collaborator Antti Aarne researched and edited the multi-volume work Motif-Index to Folk Literature. So that’s one place to start looking and understanding how western scholars gather and categorize world folktales. Although folklore has terms like myths, legends, fables, tall tales maybe the easiest way to think about stories in different cultures is not what they are called in English but how and why they are told and for whom? Some stories are very sacred, and are only told at certain times of the year. Other stories like riddle stories, or even tales of the supernatural, might be told in homes, at bedtime or family gatherings. Sometimes, stories are told to remember important people, rulers or ancestors. One way to get a glimpse
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