• Ancient African folklore was
passed on by oral tradition.
• The importance of folktales in African culture has helped to keep the oral tradition of storytelling alive.
• Unlike other ancient civilizations, African folktales are not just spiritual stories.
• Animals play a key role in
African folklore.
• Animals were often personified – given human qualities – in African legends.
• One of the world’s most famous fables, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” has its roots in Ancient Africa.
• Having a good understanding of Ancient African Folklore is important because it gives us an insight into the philosophy (worldview) of the continent.
How was folklore recorded in Ancient Africa?
- By oral tradition -passed on from generation to generation. Why was folklore important to Ancient African society?
- It kept the oral tradition of storytelling alive and spread philosophy from one end of the continent to another.
What is the importance of animals in Ancient African folklore?
- They were often the main characters of African folktales and were “personified” (given human qualities) to help teach listeners about the world. folktales which comes from Ancient Africa/has Ancient African origins. Are:
- The Tortoise and the Hare/The Tortoise and the Birds/The Lion’s Whisker.
Furthermore,
(such as those found in Egypt and Rome,) African folktales are not just spiritual stories.
This means that African folktales did not always have religious importance. It’s not very common to see nonreligious folktales in other ancient cultures, and this helps to set the African tradition of storytelling apart from the crowd.
Animals play a key role in African folklore. Animals were often personified -given human qualities – in African legends, and many
given human qualities – in African legends, and many famous stories that use this technique (such as The Tortoise and the Birds, or The Lion’s Whisker) are still popular today.
African folklore, like the folklore of most ancient civilizations, is carried on through oral tradition. Many African folktales, legends, fables, and stories are thousands of years old.
Unlike nowadays, where stories can be recorded in audio and text, stories could only be recorded 2000 years ago if they were passed down by word-of-mouth.
