“A Study On Bodo Folktales Compiled By Missionaries”

Abstract

Folktales are passed down from generation to generation orally which means by word of mouth. They are prose narratives or oral narratives which are works of Fiction. It constitutes an important genre of Folklore. Eventually, they are published in books. They tell us about a culture’s moral lessons and their beliefs, cautions and even foolish behaviour. Bodo folktales are stories that have unbelievable events. Herein we see the vast grid of the incredible men and women who built our great tribe. These folktales are based on exaggeration figuratively known as hyperbole. They have their origins the people were undergoing a difficult time back then and the settlers viewed their surroundings as filled with unimaginable dangers that needed to be conquered. We see the touches of tales that show the end of the Kachari Kingdom and their gradual contact with the foreigners. These folks had to be a cut above regular people to expose themselves to such harsh conditions and they almost had to be superhuman. That’s how the heroes of the tales became as super strong and ferocious. These folktales were a reflection of their circumstances. There were several instances of their struggle against poor economic conditions; their search for food and water and even fire.  There is the Old Man and the Old Woman and a personified evil. These tales represent the power and strength of the Bodo spirit. They also have the male chivalry power and control of the environment by dominance with their physical strength and cleverness.

 This paper will focus on Bodo Folktales as Compiled in the books of J.D. Anderson and Rev. Sydney Endle and data have been taken from primary and secondary sources.