When a writer publishes a version of a folktale we tend to say it is "retold by" rather than written by that author. This is because traditional literature originated orally and has no identifiable author. Much of traditional literature was told and retold with details varying depending on audience and context. Tales were carried by storytellers from place to place, and the details of the narrative were changed to suit the context. Folktales vary from culture to culture but they often have the same basic literary elements, known as motifs. Characters in traditional tales tend to be archetypes rather than well-developed characters. They tell stories of the human experience and convey a rich sense of culture. Traditional literature is a significant part of the building blocks for contemporary literature and is often considered the mother of all literature.
Many of these stories are now written down in multiple versions, some paying strict attention to particular oral traditions, others creating new, alternate versions, which are sometimes referred to as fractured fairy tales. There are also new stories with an identifiable author that are written in the folkloric tradition.