Fairy stories, myths, legends and fables

​​In a nutshell

Fairy stories, myths, legends and fables are often confused as they share a lot of similar characteristics. Fairy stories, myths, legends and fables are all genres of traditional tales which have all been passed down through generations. In this summary, you'll learn how these genres differ.

Fairy stories

A fairy story is a short story set in a magical place. Fairy stories are traditional, they have been passed down through generations. These short tales almost always start with the phrase 'Once upon a time'. There are human characters in fairy stories, as well as magical characters like witches, wizards, giants, elves, trolls, fairies and other supernatural beings. From the outset, the characters in a fairy story are usually defined as either good or evil.

Examples

Myths

A myth is a traditional story from a culture which offers a reasonable explanation about how something came to be in the world. Myths were first imagined by early civilisations as a way for them to make sense of the world by either explaining some element of nature, or accounting for human actions. The characters in myths are usually gods or goddesses with magical powers who live among magical creatures. 

Examples

Romulus and Remus

Icarus

Legends

A legend is a semi-true story with an important meaning or some symbolism. Like myths these are traditional stories, but legends don't involve magic or monsters as they are based on reality. In a legend the main character tends to be based on a real person from history, but the events that happen may be exaggerated or may not have happened at all. 

Examples

King Arthur

Robin Hood

Fables

A fable is a short story which ends with a moral. These stories are traditionally used to teach children life lessons. The characters in fables are generally anthropomorphised animals, which means that they are animals acting like humans. In a fable there is a small conflict followed by a life lesson.

Examples