Folktales' Qualities and Eligibility as Intangible Heritage

The eligibility of a folktale as intangible cultural heritage stems from the qualities it possesses. Therefore, examining whether a folktale exhibits the characteristics of intangible cultural heritage is crucial in determining its eligibility for such status. First, I will organize the qualities of a folktale, especially those that can be related to intangible cultural heritage. A folktale has its own specific qualities in that it is an oral art, a remembered history, and a resource for the imagination of narrative. These unique qualities of a folktale are complete in themselves, but they are directly connected to whether it can acquire legal qualifications as a national cultural heritage. Article 2 (Basic Ideology) of the National Cultural Heritage Basic Law explicitly states the ideological value of a national cultural heritage, and in relation to this, a folktale is in perfect accordance with the following basic ideology as a national cultural heritage. 1) A folktale is the root of our lives. 2) A folktale is the source of creativity. 3) A folktale is an asset of all mankind. 4) A folktale preserves and enjoys the value of a national cultural heritage. 5) Tales can be creatively inherited and developed. 6) Tales enrich life. In addition, among the seven categories divided in Article 2 (Definition) of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Act, tales are the most applicable to “oral traditions and expressions,” so there is no reason why they cannot be designated as intangible cultural heritage. Tales, a type of oral literature, have suffered damage due to our society’s focus on written language. This may be why the importance of tales as remembered history has been overlooked or underestimated compared to recorded history. Not only that, the performance element of tales being told orally has also been underestimated, and they have been treated as a type of narrative prose. In addition, the basic attribute of tales, variability, is not a weakness as art, but rather an area that can greatly contribute to the utilization of national heritage in that it enables infinite creativity. Moreover, in terms of overcoming the limitations of modern literature that focused on probability and leading the postmodern pursuit of improbability, folktales are fully qualified as a national heritage that can become the darling of the times.