Difference Between Folktale and Fable

Main Difference – Folktale vs Fable

Folktales and fables are two types of stories. Folktale is a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. A fable is a short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral. The main difference between folktale and fable is that fables always teach a moral lesson to the readers, but not all folktales have a moral. Let’s look at all these differences between folktales and fables in this article.

What is a Folktale

A folktale is a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. The term “folktales” actually covers a broad range of different types of story, including legends, adventure stories, fairy tales and stories relating to the deeds of well-known historical figures. Folktales can include material from other sources such as history and religion.

Folktales are anonymous; they have no exact author, and they passed on by word of mouth. Folktales are also place-specific; different countries their own folktales. Some folktales have different versions in different regions.

Folktales can have different types of characters – humans, animals, demons, gods, plants, etc. Folktales also can teach a moral lesson to their listeners, but not all folktales have lessons.

What is a Fable

Fables are a particular type of stories, in which animals, plants, mythical creatures, or other similar characters are given human qualities so that they act like humans. This quality of attributing human qualities to animals is known as anthropomorphism. Fables often deliver a moral lesson: this moral lesson may be explicitly stated at the end of the fable.

Some fables have known authors, while there are some others who have unknown origins. “Aesop’s Fables” is a perfect example for fables. Many popular tales such as hare and the tortoise, lion and the mouse, ants and the grasshopper, crow and the pitcher, fox and the grapes, etc. are fables. All these stories deliver a moral lesson at the end.

Difference Between Folktale and Fable

Definition

Folktales are stories originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth.

Fables are short stories, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

Authorship

Folktales do not have an author.

Fables may or may not have an author.

Moral

Folktales may or may not have a moral.

Fables always have a moral.

Characters

Folktales have a mixture of characters – humans, animals, supernatural creatures, etc.

Fables have animals, plants, mythical creatures, or other similar characters that are given human qualities.

Variations

Folktales may have different variations.

Fables are usually uniform, especially the ones that are written down.

Image Courtesy:

“Folk-tales_of_Bengal_209” by w:Warwick Goble – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia 

“Valentine, Laura – Aunt Louisa’s Oft Told Tales” By Laura Valentine – (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia 

ncG1vNJzZmiolZm2oq2NnKamZ5Ses6ex0Z6lnJ1dl7K1w8SepWaen6G4ta3LnmSappRis6Kuy55m