This attempt, normally begun by an individual, is transmitted to other individuals by word of mouth or by action. A folktale has a universality that transcends cultural, political, and ethnic boundaries, although the details of a folktale are individualized according to the customs and morals of a particular culture. Folktales have been compared to many-faceted jewels, which show different meanings as they are turned this way and that. Since they are related almost exclusively in an oral fashion, they shift subtly according to the personality of the narrator. Each teller presents a story differently, and each auditor perceives his or her own meaning.
Folktales are alive and constantly changing.
Folktales tend to thrive in areas where people are separated from others due to geographical boundaries or occupational neccessities. For example, a rich folk tradition can be found among the highlanders of the Appalachian Mountains in America, as well as among sailors. A folktale is not the same as a legend or myth, although some people use the terms interchangeably. A legend is a story from the past about a subject that was, or is believed to have been historical. Myths also deal with the past.