What is the difference between a myth and a fairy tale?
With many literary genres we are acquaintedstill at school. Many of them are so similar to each other that the students begin to confuse them with each other. So, for example, many do not know what a myth differs from a fairy tale.
A Tale and a Myth: Similarities and Differences
The reason for the confusion lies in their similaritysome basic features. So, in both genres there is a certain amount of fiction, as is often told about the ancient times (if you take into account, for example, Russian folk tales). However, still the myth and the tale are different genres.
Myth is a narrative about the ancient gods, spirits andheroes. The purpose of the myth is to tell about the origin and structure of the world. In myths, people passed knowledge and ideas about the world, nature, religion, life of society. Myths were formed for a long time, passed from mouth to mouth. A vivid example is the myths of Ancient Greece. More about the myth you can read in the article What is a myth.
A fairy tale is a narrative work witha clear setting for fiction. A fairy tale is a completely fictitious story. In the myth, however, real facts can be used, for example, real persons can act as heroes. The tale does not talk about the world order, its purpose is not to transfer the accumulated knowledge. A fairy tale teaches something good, shows good and evil. The fairy tale is much younger than the myth by age, many fairy tales have their authors. There are three main types of fairy tales:
- Tales of animals - the main characters - animals: "Fox and Hare", "Sheep, Fox and Wolf", "Fox and the Wolf";
- Satirical tales - everyday tales that show the shortcomings and virtues of ordinary people: "Shemyakin court", "Smart worker";
- Magic fairy tales - fairy tales about good and evil, often they use magic objects, the main character fights against evil: "Ivan Tsarevich and the Gray Wolf", "Koschey the Immortal".
