Hi guys!
Welcome to this Mometrix video on Myths, Fables,
Legends, and fairy tales.
A lot of you have probably grown up with your parents reading you books or watching movies with you.
Well, chances are, most of what they read
to you was a Myth, Fable, Legend, or fairy tale.
Let's look at what makes something a myth,
fable, legend, or fairy tale.
A myth is a story that was made up by people
who wanted to explain how or why our world
works, how it came to be, how we should treat each other's, why hurricanes happen, and so on.
Myths were sort of like our ancient ancestors'
version of science.
Myths explained how natural events occurred and are set in really ancient times; before history even began.
These myths are generally passed on from parents
to kids, and when those kids grew up to be
parents, they would tell their kids, and so
on.
The word "Myth" actually comes from the Greek
word "mythos" meaning "word of mouth."
Myths were shared by groups of people
all throughout the world and became a really big part of their community.
Greek mythology is one of the most popular
examples of this.
Their myths generally centered around various
gods and goddesses.
Sometimes days were even set apart to have
big celebrations because of these myths.
Legends are stories that people made up as
well.
However, legends are about real life people
and what they did.
Legends always have an important purpose,
but the facts are always a little exaggerated
to make them more interesting and exciting!
Generally, some of the facts are dramatically
altered and the person the legend is about
never really did what the story says.
Now, a fable is also a story that is passed
down.
A fable's overall purpose is to teach a lesson.
However, all the characters in a fable are
things that can't normally talk.
A fable is about animals, plants, or forces
of nature that can talk and act like humans.
Fairy tales are probably one of the most popular
today.
Fairy tales are specifically for kids, and
often have a lot to do with magic; like a
fairy god-mother, elves, or any supernatural
character.
Animals can also be characters in a fairy
tale.
Fairy tales always have good characters and
evil characters.
A lot of times fairy tales begin by saying
"once upon a time."
So let's do a quick review:
Myths- are stories that are passed down about how or why something came to be.
Legends are designed to teach a lesson about a real person in History, with a few facts dramatically changed.
Fables- are stories that are passed down,
with a good lesson to be learned,
and are about animals, plants, or forces of nature
that are humanlike.
Fairy tales- are stories that are specifically
for kids, involve magical characters, have
good and evil characters, and generally start
with "once upon a time."
As you do your reading practice, try to find
out what type of story it is, and be sure
to check out more of our videos right here.
See you next time!
