Myths, Legends, and Folklore

Oral Tradition
Also called Oral lore
Defined as:
cultural material and tradition transmitted
orally from one generation to another;
the material is held in common by a group
of people, over several generations

Oral Tradition
The messages or testimony are verbally
transmitted in speech or song and may
take the form, for example, of folktales,
sayings, ballads, songs, or chants. In this
way, it is possible for a society to transmit
oral history, oral literature, oral law and
other knowledge across generations
without a writing system.

Oral Traditions in Customs

Blowing out candles at birthday celebrations

Not wearing white to a wedding, unless you are the bride
Celebrating the bounty of the harvest at a festival
Babies wearing white at christenings
Rituals for new members of a fraternity or sorority
Taking a gift when invited to someones house for dinner
Throwing a baby shower for a mother-to-be
Having bachelor or bachelorette parties before a wedding
Having a bridal shower for a new bride
Tip a waiter or waitress for good service
Greetings like a nod, bow, smile, handshake or verbal greeting
Removing shoes before entering a home

Oral Traditions in Beliefs That Are

Superstitions

Find a penny, pick it up and all day long, you'll have good luck
A black cat crossing your path will bring bad luck
Friday the 13th
Cross your fingers for luck
Break a wishbone and the person with the bigger portion will have
good luck
Knock on wood for good luck
Step on a crack, break your mothers back
Finding a horseshoe brings good luck
Blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with one breath and
your wish will come true
Make a wish upon a falling star and it will come true
Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve

Oral Traditions in Beliefs About

Weddings
Its bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding
The bride wears white to symbolize chastity
The bride needs something old, something new, something borrowed and
something blue
Sweden - gold and sliver coins are placed inside a brides wedding shoe
Norway - the bride wears a silver crown with charms to ward off evil
spirits
Czech newlyweds are showered with peas instead of rice
The groom carries the bride across the threshold
Hindu tradition states that rain on your wedding day is good luck
The fourth finger was chosen for engagement and wedding rings
because it was once believed that it contained a vein that led to the heart

Oral Traditions in Prose and Literature

Jokes
Riddles
Stories
Rhymes
Tall tales
Ghost stories
Stories of tragic events
Stories of local heroes
Creation stories

Oral Traditions in Proverbs and

Adages

A watched pot never boils

If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong
Actions speak louder than words
Don't bite the hand that feeds you
Necessity is the mother of invention
Dont judge a book by its cover
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill
A penny saved is a penny earnem
If it ain't broke, don't fix it
Good things come to those who wait

Oral Traditions in Legends

Atlantis
Big Foot
Camelot
Chupacabra
El Dorado
Fountain of Youth
Griffins
Hercules
Johnny Appleseed

The Loch Ness

monster
Medusa
Pegasus
Robin Hood
Shangri-La
The Bermuda Triangle
William Tell
Yeti, or the Abominable
Snowman

Oral Traditions in Songs

Alphabet Song
Auld Lang Syne
For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow
Found a Peanut Happy Birthday
Frere Jacques
Jack and Jill
London Bridge
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Mulberry Bush
Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall
On Top of Spaghetti
Ring Around A Rosy
Ten Little Indians
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Oral Traditions in Dances

Hawaiian hula
Polkas
Square dancing
Waltz
Two step
Western line dancing
Round dances of Native Americans
Break dancing
Flamenco
Greek circle dances

Creation Myth
A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural,
traditional or religious myth which describes the earliest
beginnings of the present world. Creation myths are the
most common form of myth, usually developing first in
oral traditions, and are found throughout human culture.
A creation myth is usually regarded by those who
subscribe to it as conveying profound truths, although
not necessarily in a historical or literal sense. They are
commonly, although not always, considered
cosmogonical mythsthat is they describe the ordering
of the cosmos from a state of chaos or amorphousness.

Types of Creation Myth

Creation from chaos
Cheonjiwang Bonpuli

(a Korean creation myth)

Enma Eli(Babylonian creation myth)
Greek cosmogonical myth
Jamshid
Kumulipo
Mand creation myth
Pangu
Raven in Creation
Serer creation myth
Sumerian creation myth
Tungusic creation myth
Unkulunkulu
Vinminen
Viracocha

 Earth diver
Ainu creation myth
Cherokee creation myth
Vinminen
Yoruba creation myth

Emergence
Hopi creation myth
Maya creation of the world myth
Din Bahane (Navajo)
Zuni creation myth

 Ex nihilo (out of nothing)

Debate between sheep and grain
Barton cylinder
Ancient Egyptian creation myths
Genesis creation myth (Christianity and Judaism)
Islamic creation myth
Kabezya-Mpungu
Mori myths
Mbombo
Ngai
Popol Vuh
Rangi and Papa

 World Parent
Coatlicue
Enma Eli
Greek cosmogonical myth
Heliopolis creation myth
Hiranyagarbha creation myth
Kumulipo
Rangi and Papa
Vlusp

Samples of Creation Myths

summary

Myths on the Cycle of Life

These are myths that tell us of how
life starts and how it would end and
then regenerate.
People believe that life has a
beginning and an end and there is
what we call life after death.

Christian Life Cycle

nothing

something

GOD

LIFE

Spiritual
World

DEATH

Egyptian Life Cycle

Indian or Hindu Life Cycle

Stories of Strange Places

Magic Tales

Witchcraft and Sorcery