What is the difference between myth and fairy tale and legend?

The difference between myth and fairy tale is not obvious. For a modern person, both types of narration tell of miracles, adventures of heroes (people, animals or gods) endowed with supernatural qualities. However, if you look closely, the difference between a myth and a fairy tale is not so difficult to notice. This also applies to the legend. Myth can be called the progenitor of both genres. Each of them has something from an ancestor, but both the fairy tale and the legend differ from it by a whole set of features.

Source

Myth is the result of people's rethinking of all phenomena occurring in their eyes, determining or accompanying life. Initially, he performed the functions that science has undertaken today. Myth explained that, from where and why it is taken, according to what rules the universe lives, how it all began. Today we perceive it as a beautiful narration about cosmic processes or a somewhat naive representation of our ancestors about the etiology (origin) of individual objects and phenomena. In ancient times, myths acted as a concentration of worldview truths, contrasted with ordinary understanding.

Plots

Myths of different peoples always tell us about distant, prehistoric times. One of their most important functions is to explain the emergence of things, living beings and natural phenomena. The most common mythological subjects - the origin of the world, gods and heroes, the appearance of the first people and so on.

The reality of the events described in the myth was not questioned. An illustrative example in this sense is the works of ancient philosophers. For Herodotus, Titus Livia and other historians of antiquity, it was the myths that served as the main source of information about the past.

At the heart of the stories is the close interconnection of the real and the invisible worlds. And the second is almost always determined first. Myths tell about otherworldly beings, their features and ways of interacting with them. They explain how to worship the gods, than they can be appeased or angry.

Successor

Similarities and differences of myths and fairy tales, at least, their essence, become intuitively clear after the definition of the older component of this pair as a concentrated form of the world outlook and the basic thoughts of the distant ancestors of modern peoples. Let us denote them more concretely.

Tales from the myth grow. This position is supported by most researchers of the issue. They borrow many subjects, some heroes. Fairy tales always have a magical, fantastic component. This is their similarity to their "ancestor".

Byl and fable

In order to understand how to distinguish a myth from a fairy tale, it is necessary to pay attention to the content of the narrative, as well as its purpose. If you remember Cinderella, a girl with matches or any story involving Baba-Yaga, none of the examples will be able to find an explanation of natural or cosmic processes. Fairy tales do not expound the structure of the world and do not tell about the origin of living beings or objects. Moreover, in the most ancient times, to anyone, except for very young children, they did not seem to be a story about real events. The difference between myth and fairy tale is that the events described in the first were not questioned. The fairy tale both the narrator and the listener was originally defined as fiction.

A fairy tale is a lie, but in it a hint

One of the goals of the existence of all known stories about Little Red Riding Hood or Ivan the Fool is the entertainment of listeners. However, the role of fairy tales in our lives is not exhausted. They do not describe cosmic laws, but explain many social, family, tribal, social principles and norms. A common story is the oppression of the heroine by her stepmother and her daughters. Researchers often interpret it as a narrative about the likely consequences of a marriage with members of a too distant tribe.

Many tales tell about the vicissitudes of heroes who are at low levels of the social ladder (and this is another difference between the myth and the fairy tale: in the first the heroes often have a number of advantages from other characters in relation to other characters). Ivanushka the fool, orphans, offended and deprived in the course of history after the trials and meetings with the wonderful helpers receive wealth, the princess and half the kingdom in addition. Many stories describing events in a particular family actually tell about tribal or national processes. Some of them present a personal story to the listener, from which everyone can identify something useful for themselves.

Profession and Sacred

The difference between a myth and a fairy tale can be summarized as follows:

• Fairy tale - fiction, myth - reality for our distant ancestors;
• A fairy tale is created, read and listened for entertainment, the myth belongs to the sacral realm, in some cases not even everyone was allowed to know it;
• The tale narrates about personal grief or happiness of characters, family or tribal history, in myth in the center of attention - global events, its heroes are always endowed with superhuman properties;
• The tale teaches, describes social processes, the myth explains the structure of the world.

The difference between the myth and the fairy tale, using the example of the stories set forth by the Brothers Grimm, and the ancient plots is quite simple to see. However, this does not always happen. Archaic tales, which appeared first, grow directly from the myth and often borrow from him the heroes and the logic of the plot. But in this case, in detailed consideration, we can distinguish elements that turn the sacred narrative into an interesting story with meaning.

Legend

The difference between myth and fairy tale lies in the time of the events described. The first tells about the most ancient era. The plot of the fairy tale, as a rule, is timeless: it is almost impossible to determine when certain events took place. The same applies to the scene. A characteristic feature of the legend - another genre, which in the minds of many is identical to the myth - is precisely the time. The events described take place in a certain historical epoch. The accuracy of dating is rarely raised. And here lies the similarity of myths and legends: they are thought of as a description of real events. Common in two genres is the presence of a fantastic component.

The difference between myth and legend and fairy tale lies in the plot. The first, as already mentioned, tells about the deeds of heroes and gods, which are reflected in the entire universe and explain some of its laws. The legend describes the historical events that took place with people, and often really took place in reality. They are often embellished and supplemented with spectacular details, mystical and fantastic elements.

Traditions

The legend, like a fairy tale, loses the element of sacredness. Her heroes act in a later time than in the myth. Often their existence in reality is proved by many other sources. At the same time, in the European tradition, legends told of the deeds of the characters of sacred history. Narratives of the events of worldly life were called legends. Often this description was not accompanied by fantastic additions.

Traditions and legends differ from each other far from all cultures. The border between them can only be held in a society where a new single religion (Christianity or Islam) has replaced the early mythological systems.

Mythology and religion

If the myth differs from a fairy tale in the literature for many is not obvious, it is even more inconspicuous for the unsophisticated borderline in the question of man, which divides myth and religion. Throughout history, many scientists have been engaged in this topic. Some tried to purge the religion of the impurity of mythology, others praised the second and distrusted the first. Today, for researchers, there is a clear connection between these two concepts and systems.

As already mentioned, myths act as the equivalent of modern science at a certain stage of human development. They explain the structure of the world and in this function are far from religion. At the same time, myths justify the norms of behavior, customs. They justify the immutability of many social rites and prohibitions, endow them with sacredness. So from the myths grow religious customs. The sequence of ceremonial actions, the necessity of prohibitions are due to the fact that this is how the gods or heroes, embodied in the myth, acted. However, religion can not be called secondary education. For many followers of this or that cult, mythology did not matter much. It was not necessary to believe in her narrative. Important in this regard was worship of the gods and knowledge of the ritual. Thus, religion and mythology retained a certain independence from each other in the early stages of the development of society. And in most cases it is impossible to determine the primacy of one in relation to another.

The difference between myth and fairy tale and religion, from legend and legend becomes clear only after a detailed examination of each category separately. Myth can be called the ancestor of almost all literary genres and even the art of narration. A little different with the religion. Mythology is closely related to it, but it is not its source. It explains many religious rituals, but it often turns out to be an unnecessary, burdensome component.