A folktale is a traditional story or legend that is common to a specific culture and often passed along orally. They are closely related to many storytelling traditions, including fables, myths, and fairy tales. Folktales are stories in the oral tradition, or tales that people tell each other out loud, rather than stories in written form. They often contain a lesson to be learned and can take many forms, like fables, tall tales, and even ghost stories. Since theyre handed down from generation to generation, many folktales arent set in a specific time and place. Other particulars are changeable, too. That way, whoever is telling the tale can add or change details to make the story more relevant to his or her culture.

Some key characteristics of folktales include:

• Anonymity: Folktales are usually anonymous, meaning that their authors are unknown.
• Oral Tradition: Folktales are often passed down orally, from generation to generation.
• Variability: Folktales can vary from one telling to the next, with different details and plot points depending on the teller and the audience.
• Lesson: Folktales often contain a lesson or moral that the audience is meant to learn.

Examples of folktales include Stone Soup, a popular folktale that imparts a valuable lesson about cooperation.