Society, Oral Tradition and Folk Literature (original) (raw)

The Khasi language as we all know is an oral language. The Khasis had no written literature of their own in the past but they had many wise sayings, proverbs, incantations, fables and folk songs which were in oral form. These forms are transmitted from father to son so as to have the great vision and thought; it is also kept in the memory of the listener. Though the society has changed and become advanced and modern, yet folk literature can still be applied to such developed societies. The paper will also focus on folk life and society. It will explore the possibility of the myth of U Thlen or the man-eating serpent and its relevance to the modern society. The images of fear and snakes as expressed by Golding remind us of what our forefathers have said about human society.