In this context, the word
wife means "woman" rather than "married woman". This usage stems from
Old English '
("woman") and is akin to the German ' (also meaning "woman"). This sense of the word is still used in
Modern English in constructions such as
midwife and
fishwife. Old wives' tales are often invoked to discourage certain behaviours, usually of children, or to share knowledge of
folk cures for ailments ranging from
toothaches to
dysentery. The concept of old wives' tales has existed for centuries. In 1611, the
King James Bible was published with the following translation of a verse: "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself [rather] unto godliness" (
1 Timothy 4:7). Old wives' tales originate in the oral tradition of storytelling. They were generally propagated by illiterate women, telling stories to each other or to children. The stories do not attempt to moralise, but to teach lessons and make difficult concepts like death or
coming of age easy for children to understand. These stories are also used to scare children so they do not do undesirable things. ==See also==