Jataka tales are Buddhist Birth Stories. They came to the West most recently at the turn of the 19th century through British and German scholars of Asian literature.
Long before that, they spread far and wide, adapting to different cultures. They were utilized as legends, parables, and the basis of Aesop's Fables and other popular works in various countries. They are a world treasure retold each generation. Many of the stories originated with the historical Buddha, who used them to teach uplifting truths to all kinds of people.
By contrast, the Buddha taught intellectuals with the abhidharma (ultimate truths), monastics with vinaya (ethical codes and etiquette), and ordinary worldlings in terms that suited them using sutras (discourses, narratives, and histories). The joy of Jatakas is that everyone, running the gamut from innocent children to wizened elders, can enjoy them.
