Determine the themes of myths, fables, and folktales
key notes:
A theme is a key message or lesson in a story.
Usually, stories don’t openly state their themes. To find the theme or lesson of a story, look at the main events. Use these events to make educated guesses, or inferences. Why did the characters act the way they did? How did they grow or change? What did they learn?
Finally, think about how your inferences apply to the wider world. The story might suggest something about people in general. Or, it might give a lesson you can use in your own life. These ideas and lessons are themes of the story.
Learn with an example
😆Read the following Greek myth.
Pandora’s Box
The Greek gods made the first woman, Pandora. The god Zeus gave her a box with a lock on it but told her never to open it.
Pandora was very curious about the box. She knew she should obey Zeus, but she longed to discover what was inside.
One night Pandora sneaked into the room where the box was stored and broke the lock with a hammer. Out of the open box flew all kinds of bad things. Sadness, hunger, anger, sickness, hate and other evils rushed into the room and then flew out in all directions.
Pandora tried to catch the evil things and put them back in the box, but she could not. From then on, there were many troubles in the world.
What is the main theme or lesson of the myth?
- Good always wins a fight against evil.
- Being too curious can cause bad things to happen.
🔥Think about the events in the myth:
Zeus tells Pandora not to open the box, but she is very curious. She opens it anyway and lets out all kinds of evil things.
🔥Make an inference:
Being curious leads Pandora to do the wrong thing and let evil into the world.
🔥Apply to the wider world to find a theme:
Being too curious can cause bad things to happen.
😆Read the following fable by Aesop.
The Lion and the Mouse
One day a lion was asleep in the jungle when a mouse ran over his leg. The lion woke up and trapped the mouse beneath his paw. He opened his large mouth and picked up the mouse.
‘Oh, please don’t eat me!’ the mouse begged. ‘If you let me go, I will find a way to make it up to you someday.’
The lion found this funny. How could a tiny mouse help the king of the jungle? But the lion agreed and let the mouse go.
A few months later, the lion was out roaming when he became caught in a hunter’s net. Luckily, the same little mouse happened to walk by at that moment. She saw right away how she could help. She chewed through the net, freeing the lion from the trap.
‘See?’ said the mouse. ‘I was right.’ The lion was never happier to be wrong.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
- You don’t have to be big and powerful to do important things.
- Never make a promise if you’re not sure you can keep it.
🔥Think about the events in the fable:
The lion doesn’t believe that a tiny mouse could help him, the king of the jungle. But the mouse does help the lion, freeing him from a trap.
🔥Make an inference:
Even though the mouse is so much smaller than the lion, she saves the lion’s life.
🔥Apply to the wider world to find a theme:
You don’t have to be big and powerful to do important things.
😆Read the following fable by Aesop.
The Fox and the Grapes
A fox one day spotted a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice. The fox’s mouth watered, and he gazed longingly at them.
The bunch hung up high, far out of the fox’s reach. He tried to jump and grab it. The first time he jumped, he was still far away. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap. But he fell short once more. Again and again he tried, but he simply could not reach the grapes.
After a long time, he sat down and looked at the grapes in anger.
‘What a fool I am,’ he said. ‘I am wearing myself out, and for what? This is just a bunch of terrible, sour grapes.’
And away he walked with his nose in the air.
What is the main theme or lesson of the fable?
- Sometimes fruit is sour, not sweet.
- People pretend they don’t want things they can’t have.
🔥Think about the events in the fable:
The fox decides that the grapes are terrible and sour after he fails to get them.
🔥Make an inference:
He only says the grapes are bad because he cannot have them.
🔥Apply to the wider world to find a theme:
People pretend they don’t want things they can’t have.
let’s practice!
Read ‘The Turtle and the Rabbit’, a fable by Aesop.
One day, a turtle and a rabbit decided to race each other. The rabbit was sure he would win. After all, he was much faster than the turtle.
When the race started, the rabbit began to sprint as fast as he could. Soon, he was way ahead of the turtle.
‘I may as well take a nap’, the rabbit thought. ‘That slow turtle will never catch up with me!’
While the rabbit slept, the turtle kept going and going. He never stopped, even when he got tired. The turtle reached the finish line while the rabbit was still asleep. The slow turtle won the race!
