Different categories of narrative materials can be distinguished, e.g.
- myths
- fairy tales
- sagas/ legends
- historical narratives
Criteria to differentiate narrative materials
Different types of narrative material can be distinguished by the use of the TTEPP criteria (German: ZOPHT-Kriterien): Time, Topic, Events, Places, Protagonists (German: Zeit, Ort, Protagonisten, Handlung, Thematik).
Most helpful for distinguishing between different narrative materials is the criterion of main protagonists. Main protagonists in
- Myths: specific deities and specific humans who are difficult or impossible to verify historically
- Fairy tales: unspecific humans who cannot be verified historically
- Sagas/ Legends: specific humans who are difficult to verify historically
- Historical Narratives: specific humans who can be verified historically
Further reading: C. Zgoll 2019, 212-219 (with further criteria)
Reference:
Zgoll, C. 2019, Tractatus mythologicus. Theorie und Methodik zur Erforschung von Mythen als Grundlegung einer allgemeinen, transmedialen und komparatistischen Stoffwissenschaft, Mythological Studies 1, Berlin / Boston. (Open Access: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110541588)