Title: Myths, Legends and Folktales
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2Myths, Legends and Folktales
- Storytelling is common to every culture. Most
people enjoy listening to stories. Storytellers
have catered to the need for a 'good story' since
the beginning of civilization. - Most people have their own favorite story from
childhood and, often, these tales are both
fascinating and frightening. These stories
include legends, myths and folktales.
3What are legends?
Merlin the Magician
- A legend is a semi-true story, which has been
passed on from person-to-person and has important
meaning or symbolism for the culture in which it
originates. - A legend usually includes an element of truth,
or is based on historic facts, but with 'mythical
qualities'. - Legends usually involve heroic characters or
fantastic places and often encompass the
spiritual beliefs of the culture in which they
originate.
4What are myths?
- A myth is a story based on tradition or legend,
which has a deep symbolic meaning. - A myth 'conveys a truth' to those who tell it
and hear it, rather than necessarily recording a
true event. Although some myths can be accounts
of actual events, they have become transformed by
symbolic meaning or shifted in time or place. - Myths are often used to explain universal and
local beginnings and involve supernatural beings.
The great power of the meaning of these stories,
to the culture in which they developed, is a
major reason why they survive as long as they do
- sometimes for thousands of years.
5What is the difference between legends, myths and
folktales?
- Myths, legends and folktales are hard to classify
and often overlap. - Imagine a line (or continuum) as illustrated
below, with an historical account based on facts
at one end and myths or cultural folktales at the
other. - As you progress towards the mythical/folktale
end of the line, what an event symbolizes to
people, or what they feel about it, becomes of
greater historical significance than the facts,
which become less important. - By the time you reach the far end of the
spectrum, the story has taken on a life of its
own and the facts of the original event, if there
ever was one, have become almost irrelevant. - It is the message that is important.
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7Why were the stories told?
- As well as making fascinating reading, these
stories also tell us a great deal about how
people in the past saw, and understood, the world
around them. There are many reasons why stories
are told and passed down the generations. Here
are just a few of them - To strengthen a community and provide a common
understanding. - Stories often reflect the beliefs of the people
who tell them. The popularity of any story
depends on whether those listening approve of the
values underlying it. - By telling and listening to stories, people
confirmed their ideas about the world around
them. - Things that people found scary, infuriating, or
desirable all found their way into the stories
and they were passed on, because people wanted to
be assured that other people around them were
thinking along the same lines.
8Continued
- As a way of providing moral guidance and showing
people how they should conduct themselves,
including the consequences of not doing so, myths
and legends, like any good stories, often include
a moral. Within the myth, the hurt or
embarrassment experienced by people is often due
to their own stupidity, greed, dishonesty or
negligence. - To explain how the world works, for example why
the seasons change, and to explain strange
happenings or phenomena such as eclipses - the
reasons for which were unknown in early times. - For entertainment purposes, stories were told to
amuse and enthrall an audience in the days before
TV and other forms of mass entertainment.
9King Arthur
HISTORY
LEGEND
MYTH
10The Welsh Christian monk Nennius wrote around 800
A.D. the "Historia Brittanum, which is the
first publication to mention " Arthur" by name as
a hero. Nennius was probably an early ninth
century Welsh monk, and probably wrote it.
Historia Brittonum (History of the Britons) is
a strange assortment of texts covering the
ancestries of kings, geography, the lives of
saints.
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12The Historia Brittonum has been controversial
as to its date and origin. Nennius has been
described as "unrestrainedly inventive" with this
work. Nennius made mistakes with dating schemes,
people's names and genealogical facts
"Historia Brittanum" is drawn largely upon Celtic
legend, written or oral.
13The brief mention of Arthur by Nennius occurs
when he describes him as being the British leader
who fought against the Anglo-Saxons. The battle
culminated in a victory for the Britons at the
Battle of Mount Badon (Mons Badonicus). Nennius
lists twelve battles with which Arthur was
involved.
14The Historia Brittonum (ca. 800),15 which was
probably compiled by, rather than written by,
Nennius, is the oldest work to record legends of
Arthur. By the beginning of the ninth century,
Arthur was known as both a dux bellorum and a
miles ("soldier"), although the legends of Arthur
being a king were apparently already in
circulation, given the care with which Nennius
points out that Arthur was not a king.
15King Arthur was said to be the son of Uther
Pendragon and Ygraine of Cornwall. Arthur is a
near mythic figure in Celtic stories such as
Culhwch and Olwen. In early chronicles he is
presented as a military leader, the dux bellorum.
In later romance he is a king and emperor. The
Tudor monarchs traced their lineage to King
Arthur and used that connection as a
justification for their occupation of the English
throne.
16Irrespective of whether King Arthur was real or
mythical, it cannot be denied that King Arthur
has been a major influence on literature, from
the early Middle Ages to the present day. And
although if King Arthur had been a "real" king,
he would have lived around the 5th or 6th
centuries, it is more as a Middle Ages
(1066-1400) knight that he is presented in
literature.
17The main impetus for Arthurian stories starts
with Geoffrey of Monmouth, who records Arthur's
birth, childhood, ascension to the throne,
military conquests, and death. He places King
Arthur as living from the late fifth century to
542, when the king was mortally wounded in his
last battle. This story became the basis of the
Arthurian legend, and was built on by Chrétien de
Troyes and Sir Thomas Malory.
18Other attempts to fill-out the above concept of
King Arthur have focused on trying to localize
this Arthur. Arthur has been placed by various
researchers as the war-leader in the North of
Britain, the South, the Midlands, southern
Scotland as well as Wales and Cornwall. But
these (researchers ) are not particularly
successful at localizing King Arthur, as the
early "historical" references are just too vague
to tie him down.
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21But the main source of Arthurian myths did not
come from British English writings. Rather from
French authors living in Brittany about 300 years
before Malory's epic Arthurian tale was
published. They might well have based their
tales on stories told by English Crusaders in the
11th century, but they undoubtedly embroidered
these stories themselves. These early romantic
novelists gave us most of the myths that were
later further embroidered by Malory and Tennyson.
http//www.legendofkingarthur.co.uk/who-was-king-a
rthur.htm
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23- Either way, the story behind King Arthur
represents a man who was the epitome of
struggles - good against evil
- light against darkness
- right/wrong
24King Arthur was NOT
a Medieval King with knights in shining armor
living in a magical castle called Camelot.
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26but there were many other characters that were
cornerstones to the legends and stories
surrounding Camelot,
Camelot
27Merlin
28Excalibur
29and the Holy Grail
30the Round Table,
31Sir Lancelot
32 Sir Galahad
33And many other knights
34Of King Arthurs famous Round Table.
35These legends, real or imagined, recreate the
history of the Medieval Period (1066 -1486) and
teach the audience about valor and chivalry.
The Medieval Period was a time of feudal
manors, strict allegiance to the King,
magnificent religious festivals, and brilliant
pageantry.
36It was also a time of great magic.