ABSTRACT
The folktale is probably the most popular genre in Ga oral prose narratives. Although the folktale is often associated with legends and myths because of the generic affinity with these genres, Ga folktales are significantly different from other folk genres. Myths, for example, are generally held in high esteem by the people because they feature recognizable gods, ancestral spirits, and other supernatural beings as major characters (Bascom 1965). As such, myths are regarded as explanatory systems rather than literal historical accounts of humankind's relationship with God and the mystery of life, creation, and nature. Legends too are used in theology and ritual; for they also contain stories about certain past personalities and episodes. But the past dealt with in legends is less remote than the past that myths describe. Legends are considered to be serious, sacred, and “true,” but less so than myths. In contrast to these forms, folktales are considered to be basically fictions that recounts the adventures or experiences of tricksters, humans, animals, ogres, deities, and supernatural beings. However, the distinctions noted among myths, legends, and folktales are not watertight because of the degree of overlap that exists between the sacred and the profane and among various categories of African oral literature (Okpewho 1992). In what follows below I focus on the Ga folktale, the various situational contexts in which it is performed, its major thematic issues, and the techniques by which it is performed.
