The theme of myth, folklore and legend is rife in most of the popular childhood stories we have covered. It is important to note that in most cases, the purpose of folklore is to pass an important moral lesson, and useful information for everyday life.  The reader will observe that the stories will often glorify characters of good moral standing but disregard villains and wicked characters who usually perish in the end.

In the story of Cinderella, we encounter a beautiful and good maiden who suffers in the hands of her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. The later make her life miserable, but as folklore would have it, good always triumphs over evil. In this respect, a fairy godmother appears to save Cinderella. Overnight her fortunes change, and she meets a prince who is intent on marrying her. On the other hand, her stepsisters who were better placed to marry into royalty due to merit and social position do not stand a chance. In the end, Cinderella’s evil stepmother and stepsisters are vanquished, while Cinderella gets her “happy ever after” ending.

Another common element of legends is the existence of supernatural beings and extraordinary events. Take the story of “Jack and The Beanstalk”, readers encounter Jack, a boy who gets hold of ‘magical beans’ that grow into a gigantic beanstalk that reaches the clouds. Jack also possesses the extraordinary to climb the enormous beanstalk, and later emerges into a castle owned by a terrifying giant. The story of Cinderella also features a fairy godmother, and with a wave of her magical wand, she transforms a pumpkin into a carriage, and four mice into horses. Cinderella also gets a lovely gown and glass slippers. Indeed, legends largely comprise of such extraordinary events that transcend human understanding, and are usually a major deviation of scientific evidence.