Folklore and the Importance of Stories

 

    Folklore is passed down from generation to generation. Most of the stories I was told centered around Irish folklore. It mostly involved fae creatures, and most of these tales had lessons. A couple of them were as follows: 

1. Don't go into the forest by yourself. 

2. Be nice to your parents. 

3. Always have a bowl of sugar outside your front door. 

4. Don't be greedy. 

    One thing I noticed about folk tales is that they always have a lesson. Whether it's a cautionary tale about arrogance or a story about spreading kindness, folk tales should be used as teaching tools. 

    Folklore varies by culture. In many cultures, it is passed down verbally, usually from an older person to a younger one. Tales and stories like Tales Our Abuelitas Told by F. Isabel Compoy and Alma Flor Ada, and The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, were usually told verbally. They also have different themes. Some include animals, while others include humans. 

    Tales of Our Abuelitas are primarily stories centered around Hispanic culture. Some of the tales are from Spain, and others are from different countries in Latin America. My favorite story in the collection is "The Happy Man's Tunic." The story focuses on a caliph and his sickly son. Like in most stories, the caliph meets an old lady who tells him that in order to help his son, he must find a tunic from a truly happy man. He ends up finding a shepherd who helps him cure his son. My favorite part of this story is how familiar it was. Despite being from a completely different culture, I had heard of this lesson before. The theme of money not buying happiness is a common theme in folk tales, and it reminded me of some of the stories I heard from my childhood. Overall, this collection was refreshing to read and reminded me of the stories I heard growing up. 

Tales Our Abuelitas Told 

    The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton is a folk tale collection that centers black identity and heritage. Most of the stories are passed down from generation to generation and have the same lesson-based structure as most folk tales. My favorite collection story is “Manuel Had a Riddle”.  The story centers around Manuel and fooling a vain royal family into solving his riddle. With the help of a witch, he successfully gets their riches.  “Manuel Had a Riddle” has a lot of similarities to a story in Campoy and Flor Ada's collection, "'Deer Deer!' Said The Turtle'". Manuel and the turtle use their wits and skills to fool their rivals. I find it fascinating that despite being different collections, they have similar themes or tropes. 

The People Could Fly By Virginia Hamilton 

    Folktales are not only enjoyable; they are a window into someone's culture. It was fascinating to see how similar and how different these tales are. Despite having similar themes, they might have other characters or be told differently. It was a great way to see what stories are passed down from person to person, and how they impact recent storytelling. 

Works Cited 

    Campoy, F. I., Ada, A. F., Dávalos, F., Escrivá, V., Guevara, S., & Torres, L. (2006). Tales our abuelitas told: A Hispanic folktale collection. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 

Hamilton, V. (1985). The People Could Fly. Knopf Books for Young Readers.