Our new project, 'Tales of My Childhood', is a crowdsourcing on a new level! We are asking you to retell us the folktales you grew up with in your part of the world.

 

Folktales are the most common type of narrative folklore. They form part of oral tradition and passed down from one generation to the next in every culture. Folktales reflect the values and customs of the culture from which they come. They are used to teach character traits while at the same time providing hours of entertainment for the little ones. For example, the Buddhist story of 'The Banyan Deer' illustrates concern for others. The Russian folktale 'The Turnip' teaches the value of teamwork. The Ghanaian folktale 'The Hungry Little Boy' teaches respect for the elderly. Similar folktales are found in different cultures around the world. 'The Three Little Pigs' appear in both English and Russian folklore. So is the 'The Frog Princess'. 

 

Nothing brings us closer to the other culture than learning about its traditions and values through folktales. That is why Walt Disney Pictures' 'Mulan' was borrowed from Chinese folklore traditions. 'Alladdin' came to us from 'One Thousand and One Nights' which is a collection of Middle Eastern and South Asian stories and folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. 'Jack and the Beanstalk' and 'Jack the Giant Killer' are both traditional English folktales, best known through the retelling by Joseph Jacobs.