Folktales (folklore) are ancient stories passed on from one person to another by word of mouth. There are different folktales from all around the world and they are meant to teach lessons. These tales were not originally written down, but existed only in the memory of mankind. It is only now, as the tradition of oral story-telling is giving way to books and television, that such tales are being collected and written down. Many fairy tales, fables, myths and legends are based on folktales.
http://www.longlongtimeago.com/llta_bibliography.html
(Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp)
Some of the most well-known folktales originated in: