Ko Takeda
Acad NSD
2023/3/9
-Corrode
destroy or damage (metal,
stone, or other materials)
slowly by chemical action.
-Dastardly
wicked and cruel.
-Woefully
in a manner expressing sorrow
or misery.
-Dogma
a principle or set of principles
laid down by an authority as
incontrovertibly true.
-Evangelium
the gospel in Christianity,
meaning "Good news"
Why do Myths overlap with
Legends?
Why are timeless and
placeless features in Fairytale
advantageous?
What three origins can myths
deal with?
How do the emmigration of
Irish contributed to the spread
of Irish stories?
When did the category of
fairytale emerge?
Difference between Myths, Legends, Folktales, and Fairytales
1. Intro
a.Irish footprints
i. Four types pf storytellng has a distinct entry in dictionary [Stories
concerned with actions of god and goddeses(myths),the deed of
quasi-historical heroes(legends)].Yet, there are no stark distinctions.
ii. Irish story-telling mixes the boundary as to make the four
indistinguishable. Peter Berborrsford described (1977), Hero turns into
Gods and Gods turns into Her, lives of people are represented as the
lives of Gods.
b. Dictionary
i. Four exist in spectrum, and the Cartesiam plane can represent the
nuances to some extent. Nevertheless, it does not cover the entire
interconnectivity.
2. In Depth Definition
a. Myth
i. It is a symbolic story concerned with the origin of people/world/natural
phenomena. Setting is placed in the past, featuring gods.
ii. While it has little to no bases, it serves as a valuable, sacred purpose;
William(1965) described myths as"embodiment of dogma".
b. Legend
i. It refers to heroic story that remains unverifiable. Since it pertains a
breadth in terms of the "sacred and sacular" spectrum, myth often
overlapses with this.
ii. National significance is one of the characteristics, and it tends to be
fictionalized even though the common protagonist is a fresh man.
1. The Fenian Cycle story in Irish Legends introduces Finn as
a mortal, yet he steps in to the devine.
c. Folktale
i. It is a fictional, secular story that is rooted on superstition/belief. Made
solely for an entertainment.
1. Some of the Irish folktales are belived to be the derivatives
of myths or legends as there had been attempts by the
English government to eradicate Irish cultures [that forced
Irish to remove symbolism from their stories].
ii. The settings have no concrete time and place; its fluidity enables
story-tellers to adjust the story without losing its essense.
d. Fairytale
i. It is a fictional, secular story that is made for children.
ii. Set in a fantastical world, fairytale depicts unique characters( Dragon,
Goblin)
1. Sun God Lugh lost her devine power in the narrative and
degraded to Leprican
iii. The Author of The Lord of the Rings, Tolkein states that its defining
characteristic is the ability to transport audiences into an alternate
world.
1. According to him, the purpose is not to escape, but to
inspire hope.
2. Fairytales can produce joy supremely well as if they are
evangelium.
iv. The word "fairy" originates in Irish stories.
3. Conclusion
a. Myth/Legend/Folktale/Fairytale is similar to the Giant's Causeway.
b. In 1883, William Bascom wrote that when pegan god robbed of offerring, they
grew smaller until they become fairy. Pegan heroes grew bigger and bigger until
they become giants.
Four types of story-tellings are inseperable. Irish
culture exemplifies the four's interconnectivity.
For instance, Finn in The Fenian Cycle possesses
both legendary and mythological archetypes.
Similarlty, Irish Fairytales, The Lord of the Rings
depicts characters that are inspired from various
legends and myths. By recognizing the breadth
of each story-tellings, the essense of the four can
be recognized; nevertheless, the complete
separation of the four are impossible.
I was fascinated by the complexity and the ambiguity that lie in the domain of
story-telling. Since I initially deemed legends and myths as identical, their stark
differences in terms of the central role strucked me as interesting. Although I barely
come up with the Japanese examples of legends, I can cite at least dozens of Japanese
myths. I reckon that this can be attributed to the weak nationalism in Japan when
compared to many European nations'. Albeit the fact that the majority of Japanese
held the high level of patiotism when the victory in Japan-Russian War (1904)
occurred, Japan had been in the subordinate position due to China's dominance in Asia
for more than centuries. As I've learned in the class that the most myths and legends
are of long history, it is likely that the deficiency of patriots in the centuries ago
resulted in the shortage of Japanese legends.