Tale is an English word for a narrated account: a story, report, or something told aloud or in writing.
# Etymology
“Tale” comes from Middle English *tale*, inherited from Old English *talu*, meaning “a telling” or “something told”, and more broadly “talk” or “the action of telling” - etymonline.com 
It is a Germanic word, and it is closely related to Tell in both form and meaning (a “tale” is, at base, something that is “told”).
Older layers of the word-family overlap with the idea of “reckoning” or “counting”, which is why some relatives in other Germanic languages lean toward “speech/language” while others lean toward “number” - wiktionary.org
# Sense and word-family vibes “Tale” often carries a slightly old-fashioned or literary flavour (fairy tale, folk tale, tall tale), where the point is the telling itself rather than strict factual reporting. Because of that “account/reckoning” undertone in its history, “tale” sits not far (in feeling, not necessarily in direct lineage for every modern form) from words like Tally and “teller”, where “telling” can mean narrating or counting.
# Tale vs Tail
“Tale” and “tail” are modern English homophones, but they are not the same word and do not come from the same origin.
“Tail” (as in the tail of a fish) comes from Old English *tægl / tægel*, meaning the hind appendage, from a different Proto-Germanic root associated with a long trailing part, and it has cognates in other Germanic languages for “tail” or “hair/fibre of the tail” - etymonline.com - merriam-webster.com
So the quick distinction is.
- A “tale” is something you tell (a narrated account).
- A “tail” is a physical appendage (like a fish’s tail).