Unveiling Cultural Significance: A Semiotic Analysis of the Moral Essence of Myths and Folk Tales.

This article analyses Gambian myths and folk tales through a semiotic lens using Rolande Barthes' (1972) semiotic theory as a framework. It examines how certain tales in Gambian folk lore and fables could be read as mythical narratives laden with morally and culturally significant meanings. The narratives are selected thematically and subjected to a semiotic analysis that highlights their metaphorical, ideological, cultural and moral significance. We thus explore the role of Gambian myths in conveying moral and cultural values, with a view to providing insights into the society's structures and emphasising the universal tendency to create and interpret mythic narratives. The analysis shows that several figures such as the hare, the hyena, the evil stepmother, the marabout, the witch and the cultural hero serve as mythical symbols through which moral values such as honesty, truthfulness, justice and equality are metaphorically expressed as cultural principles that guide social existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]