Begins with a phrase such as, Once upon a

time . . ., or There once was . . .

About ordinary people (or animals) and
everyday life
The number three is significant and repeated
often
There are good and bad characters
Good characters gave a problem to solve
 A story from the past about a subject that
was, or is believed to have been, historical
Many legends tell about human beings who
meet supernatural creatures
Historical but not always factual
 The gods and goddesses have
human emotions
Myths contain magic
Gods and goddesses often
appear in disguises
Myths teach a lesson or
explain the natural world
 A folk's lore is communicated by word of
mouth until it is transcribed (written
down); this is called oral tradition.
Before people groups had written
languages, oral tradition was the only
means of preserving the history of a
people and its culture
 They dont have any factual basis and are
totally imaginary.
They aim to inculcate basic values as well to
entertain the public.
Most of them are historical.
The most of the themes are based on real
life incidents which are presented in a very
dramatic as well as imaginary way.