Date of Award

Spring 2021

Document Type

Thesis

College

School of Unrestricted Education

Primary Advisor

Dr. Grace Veach

Abstract

Folklore is a unique form of storytelling that is culturally specific. This thesis argues that folklore has a dual role as it reflects a given culture and also actively shapes culture. To support this argument, opinions of various writers and fol klorists are considered as well as folk ideas from various societies. Two folktales are taken from two different countries Saudi Arabia and Estonia. In these folktales three things are considered: the qualities of the characters, the overall themes, and the morals of the folktale. This is then compared to the modern society of each culture, to see if these same themes and relationships exist within the society. Finally, the thesis considers the importance of folklore being both reflective and influential.


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