Entertaining Tales

A tradition is a custom or belief that is passed down through the generations or that is done time after time or year after years. Over the years, there are certain types of tales that people pass down for entertainment; some of these traditional entertaining tales also teach lessons. View the different types of traditional entertaining tales below:

View the video below for more information and examples of traditional tales:

Entertaining Tales Self-Assessment

Practice your understanding of the entertaining tales below:

The Fable

Aesop (620-564 B.C.)

Aesop was an Ancient Greek story teller who created various fables that now appear in a collection called Aesop's Fables. Some people question if Aesop ever existed, but the tales he supposedly created have been passed down for centuries and translated into many languages. Most of his tales were told as entertainment and include animals with human-like characteristics that solve problems and teach lessons.

Click here to read three of Aesop's fables. Links to an external site.

As you read, note the characters, conflicts, and themes of the fables.

The Fairy Tale

The Brothers Grimm (1785-1863)

The Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm) were German philosophers and authors who wrote folklore together in the 19^th century. Many of their stories are now known as fairy tales, and you are probably familiar with their stories since they now appear as well-known movies. Some familiar story titles might be "Cinderella", "Rapunzel", "Snow White", and "Hansel and Gretel". Similar to fables, fairy tales were stories told to entertain, but they often included lessons and the presence of good versus evil. Although other authors wrote fairy tales, The Brothers Grimm remain some of the most well-known and retold fairy tales.

Click here to read three of the fairy tales by The Brothers Grimm. Links to an external site.

As you read, note the presence of good versus evil and the themes of the fairy tales.

The Tall Tale

Unknown Authors

Tall tales contain unbelievable elements such as giant men or men with extraordinary strength. Some tall tales are exaggerations of actual events, but some tall tales are completely fictional. Tall tales are good-natured short stories told for the purpose of entertaining an audience and unlike legends, the focus of a tall tale is the exaggerated elements for the purpose of entertainment. Various cultures have their own well-known tall tales, and since most tall tales were passed down orally, the authors are unknown. Most of the tall tales from other countries are not widely available, so you will read three American Tall Tales which were often told when the rough men blazing the frontier gathered and told stories about the Old West.

Click here to read three American Tall Tales. Links to an external site.

As you read, note how the elements of exaggeration serve as a form of entertainment and laughter.

The Trickster Tale

Trickster tales are stories that includes a trickster - a clever animal or person who plays tricks on other characters. Similar to many of the short stories in this module, Trickster tales have been passed down through the oral tradition, so many of the authors are unknown. The trickster is typically a silly, innocent, childlike prankster who ends up creating order out of chaos or tries to teach cultures a skill such as building fire. The trickster normally ends up failing at his or her task and being tricked by another. Many Trickster tales stem from Native Americans.

Click here to read various Trickster Tales. Links to an external site.

As you read, try to pick out the trickster and what the trickster is trying to attempt for a culture.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS