ORAL TRADITION
•	Passing down literature (both poems and stories) by word of mouth
RESULTS OF THIS:
•	Stories change
•	Many versions of the same story
•	Need for professional storytellers/ record keepers
•	Some early cultures develop a written code, but it is rarely used
What makes literature easier to remember?
•	The key elements:  RHYME, RHYTHM, and REPETITION

•	Add one more technique:  ALLITERATION-  the repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words
EXAMPLE:  
What kinds of stories were important to communicate?
•	MYTHS-  religious stories about creation.  They explain natural phenomenon; the hero is usually a god.  Stories have a moral lesson.     

•	FOLKTALES-  stories told for fun, featuring common heroes, characters are not gods, but animals or common people