Because the same terms are sometimes used for these different types of tales, which are often extremely old and have been passed down through generations, we feel it would be a good idea to point out the differences between them:

• Fairy tale (German: Märchen) comes from the middle-high German word maere, which more or less means news or announcement. German fairy tales are usually imaginative stories in which natural law is suspended and miracles are the norm: For example, animals, plants and people can often talk and relate to one another. These worlds are also populated by magical helpers with fantastic means at their disposal!
  Psychologically speaking, fairy tales are considered to be projections of human desires and fears.
  
  
• Sagas have to do with speaking, rumours, stories handed down from antiquity, and historical tales. Saga comes from the old Icelandic word saga, which was a term used in old Nordic literature to refer to written prose (beginning approx. in the 12th century).
  
  
• The word fable comes from the Latin fabula, which basically means story or tale. Fables are usually stories in which animals have the power to speak and reason, and thus serve as a mirror for - and reminder of - human morals and philosophies of life. Fables reached the highpoint of their popularity during the Age of Reformation (15th and 16th centuries).
  
  
• Legend comes from the Latin word legende, literally "that which is to be read". Legends are often folkloric tales that teach a lesson using the life of a saint as an example. In the past, legends frequently played a key role in the establishment of pilgrimages.

Our Recommended Links for This Topic:

• At ZUM you'll find plenty of links to different types of literature and fairly tales. It's a good place to browse - or even post a reference to your own website.
• A library of fairy tales, fables and sagas is a special section at the Gutenberg Project website.
• The Grimm Fairy Tales from Udo Klinger.
• The best German sagas from Udo Klinger, along with the explanation: What is a Saga?
  
• Fairy tale lexicon
• Old fairy tales from the best-known authors - the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and others. Brief information on the authors: www.1000-maerchen.de. The following are links to fairy tales written by the authors most frequently read in Germany (Gutenberg Project):
  • Fairy tales from Hans Christian Andersen (alphabetically by title)
  • The Grimm Fairy Tales

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