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[whimpering] Dragon! Big dragon!
Today, I am jumping through... running through epics, legends,
and tall tales and there is one angry dragon back there that meas business!
Where are those knights of the round table when you need them?
Okay, epics, legends, and tall tales are stories
of human adventure and heroism. Most aren't very realistic, though
some do contain grains of truth, so they sound like they could have happened.
All three are part of the genre of folklore and have been passed down
by storytellers from generation to generation. With each retelling comes
slight variations, but all versions are considered correct.
Epics are long complex poems or stories
or cycles of stories that center on the actions of a single hero.
They evolved from myths, so you'll notice some similarities to them.
Epics have key characteristics. Their purpose
is to inform or entertain the listener. The setting is on
Earth, but it's not always realistic. The characters
may include gods and goddesses, but the hero is always human or
in some cases, super human, as is Odysseus in the Iliad and
Odyssey or Roland in The Story of Roland. These characters became
national or cultural heroes who embodied universal emotions,
greatness, and highest moral values of their country of origin.
The plot centers on epic heroes who are often caught in the struggle between good
and evil and are able to survive by their intelligence rather than their brute strength.
Did you know that epics continue to be written today? [distant growling]
What was that?
Legends are hero tales that do not technically fit the definition
of epics. They are based on either real or supposedly real
individuals and the marvelous deeds they do.
Sometimes legends are based on facts, but the story is so fanciful
that it's difficult to tell where reality stopped and the teller's imagination took over.
Tales of heroes adventures grew into full blown
legends. The blend of realism and fantasy used to create
characters like King Arthur, Lancelot, and Merlin the Magician leave readers
spell-bound about the land of Camelot. Though you might think legends are
difficult to believe today, they were considered factual in their time.
A modern day spin is the urban legend. Typically, urban legends
like their ancient counterparts, are stories with a little bit of truth and a whole lot
of fiction and just like the ancient stories that were passed from person to person,
urban legends spread much the same way: over the internet!
[phone rings] What was that?! Oh, [laughter] excuse me,
I have mail. Oh, here's another
one! You've got to be kidding, really? Remember hearing
this story about the kid who drank diet cola and ate mints? Yeah, not true!
[laughs]
Did it just get warm in here? [roaring]
Paul Bunyan? Come on!
Tall tales are highly exaggerated accounts of people's accomplishments that have become
more and more exaggerated with each retelling. Each story
teller has added a few amazing details to make the story a little better,
to the point where the stories are valued more for their humor and fun than factual
content. You can think of tall tales as a sub-category of
legends, but they are much more recent in their development as a very American form of
folktale. Tall tales combine history, myth, and
fact and serve as a symbol of strength for early settlers. These tales
often help to offset the harshness of the new world with a little humor.
As the new country developed, so did the characters. Heroes soon became the
mightiest, strongest, and most daring lumberjacks, railroad workers,
coal miners, and river boat captains around. Tall tales made
everyday people larger than life. You may be familiar with the tall tales
of Davy Crocket, Daniel Boone, and Johnny Appleseed. They were real
people who did some amazing things, but became larger than life over time.
Because folklore is so closely tied to different cultures,
countries, and value systems, it's shelved in non-fiction. You can find
these stories in the 398's of your library. So, jump into the genre
of folklore with epics, legends, and tall tales.
Watch out for dragons! [roaring] Nice dragon...
good boy...SIT!! [gasps]
♪ [suspenseful music] ♪