Sunday, May 19, 2024

Folktales Throughout History

Where did folktales originate? That question's unanswerable because the stories likely predate literacy and printing. And contemporary folklorists prioritize function over origin. Nonetheless, scholars have unearthed old written versions of popular tales, possibly the first recorded variants of certain stories or story cycles:


The Doomed Prince (1290s - 1210s B.C.E.)

The Story of Two Brothers (1200 - 1194 B.C.E.)

Perseus and Andromeda (1 - 200 C.E.)

Cupid and Psyche (120s - 170s C.E.)

Yeh-hsien (850 - 860 C.E.)

About a Girl Saved from Wolf Cubs (1022 - 1024 C.E.)

Troylus and Zellandine (1330 - 1340 C.E.)

Culhwch and Olwen (1382 C.E.)


Hopefully, the above examples inspire writers and readers to explore the genre's rich history. 

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