What you want to see in Sci-Fi and Fantasy more?

[MrStaggerLee]

The line between fairytale and myth is often blurred. I have a book of Native American stories that I'd call fairytales, though the book calls them myths. African fairytales are also often described as myths.

I love trickster stories of all kinds. They illuminate human nature so wonderfully. They tell us that though we want to see great and powerful heroes, we also want to see those heroes humbled sometimes. Coyote, Raven, Loki, Anansi the Spider, the Kitsune in Japanese tales, all serve to show us we ain't 'all that', especially when we think we are.

 

[Doubtless]

I prefer myths, except in the fact that they're all pagan. They always have a more serious tone, though, that lets you take them seriously, and not view them as childish, like most people think of fairytales. Though, usually, they include fairies and such.

 

[Lessien]

I prefer myths, except in the fact that they're all pagan. They always have a more serious tone, though, that lets you take them seriously, and not view them as childish, like most people think of fairytales. Though, usually, they include fairies and such.

Myths are good. The fact that they're pagan doesn't stop me from reading them; it only serves to remind me that they're fiction. They are more serious, and they're usually quite creative. It's no wonder so many authors are inspired by them. Till We Have Faces was a reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, and it was one of the best books I've ever read.

There's really no clear definition for "fairytale" and "myth," but I know a fairytale from a myth when I see it.

 

[NeoScribe]

I wonder if the ancient greeks considered their myths fairytales.

 

[Photios]

I wonder if the ancient greeks considered their myths fairytales.

That would depend on which ancient time period you mean, as well as what region and person you were thinking about. Also, it would help to answer that to know what sort of differentiation you are drawing between the two. The only real demarkation made by most scholars on the subject is that fairy tales involve entry into another world, in more than just a figurative sense. The myth of Orpheus, therefore, is something of a fairy tale, while the myth of Perseus wouldn't be.

 

[Rion]

As far as women go, I'd love to see women who are strong, know they're strong, but don't have to remind people or themselves about it every five minutes or boss people around to prove it.

Every single one of Robert Jordan's women fail at this. I don't reading about men who think women are inferior, stupid and good for only one thing. Why would I want to read about women who do the same?