When we think of traditional literature, we think of stories that have been verbally passed down through the ages. These stories can be retold as they were originally passed down or in a way that makes more of a connection with a contemporary audience. There are many such stories that differ by culture but still follow the same story line.
Some types of traditional literature are myths, epics, and legends. Myths are used to explain the origin of the earth and its people and the miracles of nature and are thought of as creation stories. Epics are about a human hero among gods. Legends are stories that present characters doing amazing things that seem to be fantasy but were actually believed to be fact in ancient times.
Folktales are ancient stories that came to be cherished and guarded by generations. These stories bloomed from the life experiences and imagination of those telling them and there are many different kinds. Cumulative folktales have a simple plot that grows as the story develops. In this type of story there is much repetition that engages young listeners especially. These are fun to use in the classroom because students can begin to recite the repetitive parts along with the storyteller. Humorous tales are another kind of traditional tale. These tales are about silly people that do nonsensical things. Beast tales, still another type, use animals with human characteristics and cleverness toward tricking others. Magic stories, or fairytales, are another type of traditional tale. These stories include magical objects and people with magical powers to help the cause for or against the hero/heroine.
Two more types of folktales are pourquoi and tall tales. Pourquoi tales deal with answering the question, "Why?" when looking at the world surrounding. Tall tales are exaggerated stories that become so far-fetched that they are no longer believable but provide humorous stories of amazing feats, much like comic book superheros today.
Another kind of ancient story is a fable. Fables have animals as their main characters and are created to teach a universal truth or moral lesson. Still another kind of traditional story is a religious story. These stories are recorded in the literature associated with different religions and passed down to their believers. One particular type of religious story is a parable. Parables are stories that are told to teach a lesson.
The beauty of traditional literature is the importance it held in the
lives of our ancestors. It is sad to think that some of these stories
are losing their importance and could possibly die out altogether due to
lack of sharing. With proper practice and preparation, teachers can make traditional literature come to life for students and share the beauty of storytelling that was once so much a part of every culture.
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