IDENTIFYING THE DISTINGUISHING

FEATURES OF PROVERBS, MYTHS,

AND LEGENDS
Proverbs are popular sayings which contain advice or
state a generally accepted truth. Because most
proverbs have their origins in oral tradition, they are
generally worded in such a way as to be remembered
easily and tend to change little from generation to
generation, so much so that sometimes their specific
meaning is no longer relevant.
A PROVERB is a brief, simple, and popular saying,
or a phrase that gives advice and effectively embodies
a commonplace truth based on practical experience or
common sense.
■ Easy to remember
■ Handed down from generation to generation
■ Widespread
■ Passed down orally
Examples:
1. Truthfulness ensures a lasting relationship.
(Ang pagsasabi ng tapat ay pagsasamang maluwat.)
2. He who does not look back where he came from will
never get to his destination.
(Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi
makararating sa
paroroonan.)
3. Nothing destroys iron but its own corrosion.
(Walang naninira sa bakal kindi sariling kalawang.)
MYTH is a folklore genre consisting of narratives or
stories that play a fundamental role in a society, such
as foundational tales or origin myths.
 main characters are usually gods, demigods or
supernatural humans
 Tell a miraculous or unbelievable event.
 usually focuses on a particular hero or event
 Shows us that mistakes have consequences
 No true basis in fact
Examples:
1. The Creation (Igorot).
2. How the Moon and the Stars Came to Be
(Bukidnon).
3. The Children of the Limokon (Mandaya)
A LEGEND is a genre of folklore that consists of a
narrative featuring human actions perceived or believed
both by teller and listeners to have taken place within
human history.
 based on real characters, places or events
 Often focus on a single character
 Told chronologically often in episodes
 Have them such as: good and evil, magic, rich and poor,
and journeys
 Often include a moral
Examples:
1. The Monkey and the Turtle by Jose Rizal
2. Why the Fish has Scales
3. The Story of Piña