Folklore Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Folklore - Assignment Example It also analyses the reason behind the preference of the phrase ‘intangible human heritage’ as opposed to ‘folklore’ by UNESCO in the 2003 Convention. Folklore is a term generally used with reference to traditional human beliefs, superstition, tales, and human practices that have spread or conveyed in a casual manner (informal) – usually orally or through the word of mouth. The term is also relevant when referring to the comparative and comprehensive study of tradition knowledge and human culture, which people also refer to as folkloristic. Folklore encompasses such a wide area of activities carried out by people that it is impossible to categorize it comprehensively. The following is a representative and not an exhaustive list of the genres of folklore. Folktale is usually a fairy tale or narrative among the different forms of traditional oral arts. Folktales have many characteristics that include their oral narration style, their passing on from generation to generation. Their characteristics are reliant on the time and place where a person tells them. The themes of a folktale are usually general and timeless. Often concerned with the common human being; and function to make valid certain aspects of culture. This form of art has a cultural identity, because they possess values and traits of the culture that they originate. There is often exaggeration in the characters of a folktale; they may be either human or animals. They always have a realistic setting. People often used folktales to either entertain or teach a lesson. This was especially true for the African heritage and other cultural communities. The main significance of a myth is to explain the reality of any natural phenomena. They have moral teachings and divine explanations concerning religious practices. The gods or goddesses are usually the focus of most myths. Many regard a myth as