Guide to Literary Terms | Folk Tale

Folk tale - a traditional legend or narrative originating among a people, usually part of an oral tradition
and subject to variation in transmission. Folk tales include legends, myths, fables, and the supernatural. Folk tales make up the folklore of a people.

The etymology of this word is the same as that of folklore.

Examples of folklore include the “Johnny Appleseed” and “Babe, the Blue Ox,” stories of the Old West American culture.

see: fable, folklore, legend, myth