Dating back to the early traditions of oral storytelling, the short story has evolved through the ages from myths, legends, fairy tales, fables, parables, stories in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, tales in the Panchatantra, the adventure tales of the Odyssey, biblical stories, the Norse sagas, and many others. As the oriental tale and Gothic novel gained popularity in the latter half of the eighteenth century, short story began developing in Britain. And by the beginning of nineteenth century, it had highly evolved as a form.