Global folktales

Folk tales offer insights into the values of a culture. Universally, the themes of these stories include beauty, brotherly love, cleverness, creation, loyalty, disobedience, greed, laziness, happiness, lying, and patience.

In Folk Tales from Around the World, international students retell traditional folktales from their countries. Read a few of them.

Think of a well-known folktale from your country. Post a comment, naming the folktale and briefly explaining its theme.

Comments

[Lee Kyoung Bok]

When I was a child, I heard many folk tales from my grandmother. At that time, I learned wisdom of life through those folktales. I think folktales are more effective than other stories for children because they are easy and interesting. One good example is 'A Lazy Boy.' There was a lazy boy who always stayed in his room and did not do anything. He just enjoyed sleeping and daydreaming. He wanted to become a cow because he envied the lazy life of a cow.

He changed into a cow, but he soon saw a cow's life was not what he wanted. The lazy boy had to work in the field all day long and suffered from the sun and beatings with a whip. He really regretted being lazy and begged his mother to forgive him. In the middle of crying, he woke up. It was dream. However, he learned many things through this dream. He promised himself he was going to work hard from then on.

[Great Andy]

In my country, there are many folktales which are based on customs. I think folktales reflects our history. Let me explain a Korean folktale. It is called Heoungbu and Nolbu. If you translate into English, it is Richbrother and Poorbrother. It teches a lesson that promotes of virtue and reprisal of vice because our society pursues good conduct.

[Adel]

I want to tell about Korean folktale 'hyo nuy sim chung.' The folktale is very famous in Korea. The story is about a dutiful daughter. She devoted herself to see's god to open her father's eyes. Because her father was a blind person. So he really wanted to see the world. But God made her live because of moving her mind. This folktale give us lesson. The lesson is that we should be dutiful to our parents.

[Ki]

Folktale. Folk means people, family, and custom. Moreover, tale means story. Why we call the story 'Folktale', because it's not just a story for children. there are culture, tradition, and morals. For example, there is a story about A faithful tiger. There was a woodcutter. Suddenly, he met a hungry tiger. He lied the tiger is his brother. The tiger believed that, so let him go home safely. The tiger hunted everyday for woodcutter's family. Few days later the woodcutter's mother died. The tiger was so sad even make him to reach death. This story gives us to be obey our parents.

[Jiro]

Now I will tell you an interesting idea about the Japanese folk tale. It often has a good character and a bad character. A bad character is some times ‘oni’ which is a kind of demon. Oni is very familiar to Japanese. The famous folk tale “momo-taro” is an good example. In this story, the boy who was born from a peach broke the oni family with some animals.

Oni was supposed to live in an island and to have a big nose, a big body, two horns and some curled colored hair. What is this like? Generally speaking, this is the characteristics of white man except horns. I wonder that the most of people in old days might fear and hate them because Japan is isolated country surrounded by some oceans.

[Seon Mi]

I heard, read and saw many folktales in my childhood. Folktales teach us, make an impression on us, and are fun to us. There is a famous folktale in Korea. The title is " Kong Jwi and Pot Jwi". It is similar to Cinderella. Kong Jwi is very kind, honest, diligent and beautiful, but Pot Jwi is the opposite.

Everyday, Pot Jwi and her mother mistreat Kong Jwi. Also, they give give her a lot of work. However, finally Kong Jwi gets married to a prince and lives happily ever after. We can learn if we live honestly, and then we can receive good fortune.

[Jun, Mi-Hyang]

For a long time, Folk tale has given a lesson to us. It has been important to manners towards a superior from old times in Korea. The lessons are mostly filial piety, encouraging good and punishing evil. 'A wayward tree frog' is a good example. Alaways a son tree frog who was opposed to a mammy tree frog finally regreated after she died. Like this, we get a lession about respect of parents.

[Yumi]

In Korea, there are many folktales. The theme of most folktales is
promotion of virtue and disapproval of vice. In addition, most folktales give instruction to people. The folktale 'Good Brother' is a good example. Its Korean title is 'Heung boo wa nol boo.' An elder brother was a greedy and selfish person, but his younger was a kind and nice person. The elder brother always harassed the younger brother. Finally, the elder brother was punished.