Based on Narrative Structure:
* Cumulative Tales: Stories with a repetitive structure, often featuring escalating actions or numbers. (e.g., "The Three Little Pigs," "The Gingerbread Man")
* Trickster Tales: Stories featuring a mischievous character who outwits others, often using cunning and deception. (e.g., "Anansi the Spider," "Coyote Stories")
* Frame Tales: Stories nested within other stories, often with a larger moral or lesson. (e.g., "One Thousand and One Nights")
* Beast Tales: Stories featuring animal characters with human-like qualities, often representing different aspects of human nature. (e.g., "The Tortoise and the Hare," "The Fox and the Grapes")
* Wonder Tales: Stories involving magical elements, fantastical creatures, and heroic journeys. (e.g., "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood")
* Moral Tales: Stories with a clear moral message or lesson about right and wrong. (e.g., "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," "The Tortoise and the Hare")
Based on Content:
* Fairy Tales: Stories typically featuring magical beings, princesses, and happy endings. (e.g., "Sleeping Beauty," "Rapunzel")
* Legends: Stories about historical figures or events, often with a mix of fact and fiction. (e.g., "King Arthur," "Robin Hood")
* Myths: Stories explaining natural phenomena, creation, or the origin of a culture. (e.g., "Greek Myths," "Norse Mythology")
* Tall Tales: Stories with exaggerated events and larger-than-life heroes. (e.g., "Paul Bunyan," "Pecos Bill")
Other Categories:
* Urban Legends: Stories passed down through word of mouth, often with a cautionary element. (e.g., "Bloody Mary," "The Hookman")
* Ghost Stories: Stories featuring supernatural beings or events, often with a spooky or scary element.
* Fables: Short stories with a moral lesson, often featuring animals as characters. (e.g., "The Lion and the Mouse," "The Tortoise and the Hare")
* Parables: Stories with a religious or spiritual message, often told to teach a moral or illustrate a principle.
These categories are not mutually exclusive, and many folktales can fit into multiple categories. Folktales continue to evolve and adapt over time, reflecting the changing values and experiences of different cultures.