Storytelling likely existed well before recorded history,
but the traditional mystery genre is actually quite new compared to some of the
earliest stories. Homer’s Illiad and the Odyssey, for
example, are generally dated in the late 8th to early 7th century
BC. Written in verse, these poems detailed the exploits of all the heroes and
heroines, kings and queens, gods and goddesses in the Trojan war, and later
King Odysseus’s travels home from the war.
Rarely were stories told
or written about the common or everyday folk. Chaucer’s Canterbury
Tales were one exception, but they were not written until the 14th century.
Even the few Shakespearean tales of the seemingly ordinary folk like Prospero
or Sly included kings, dukes or other noblemen and women. The infamous bards of
the Middle Ages dabbled in local lore and legends, but still told of
larger-than-life figures who were well known by their audiences. Robin Hood,
William Tell, and the Pied Piper came to mind. Those storytellers were also
well-versed in the local gossip and scandals of the Royal Court of the day, as
well as tales of the heroes in myths and legends such as Hercules or King Arthur. Interest in folklore, tales about the common people, didn’t begin until
the late 1700s in Europe, and then later bloomed when the Brothers Grimm
published their fairy tales in 1812.
