Folk tales are an important component of the
long and rich culture of Tibetan ethnic minority. Most of their contents have
connection with Tibetan Buddhism, because such religion has become part of the
Tibetans' daily life.
The Tibetan folk tales can be divided into
two types: stories handed down through oral narration, stories compiled and
recorded in the written form. All these stories have been popular among people
for a long time.
The Tibetan folk stories can be further
divided into several subcategories: stories eulogizing wise people and
describing the resistance against oppression and exploitation, myths and stories
about fighting against nature, and stories describing love freedom and marriage,
and fables that personalize animals to further reveal life philosophy to human
beings.
As to the artistic expression of Tibetan
folk stories, this kind of literature has diversified, flexible styles,
including myths, legends and fables, etc. As to the artistic techniques, the
folk stories adopted rich techniques. Folk songs and popular ballads are always
added into the Tibetan folk stories, so storytellers can sing while telling a
story to attract listeners and make stories more vivid. This is one of the major
differences between the Tibetan folk stories and other folk stories.