The ghost story above could be a legend for several important reasons. First, it is based on an actual location and flour mill in Rhode Island, where the factory workers` shacks still stand today. Second, the plot is believable and possible. Third, the details are ambiguous. Does the wheel really stop every October? It`s possible. Do you hear a man moaning? Unlikely. But could it be real? As you can see, some parts of the story are real, but other parts may be fiction. A legend (/ˈlejənd/) is a story about human events or actions that has not been proven or documented in actual history. The legends are told as if they were real events and have been confused with historical accounts. They usually tell stories about things that might be possible so that the storyteller and audience can believe they are true.
Its meaning comes from the medieval Latin term legenda, meaning „things to read“, and the Latin legendus. A legend is a larger-than-life story passed down from one generation to the next, such as the legends of Beowulf, Robin Hood or even Big Foot. Although this article focuses on the literary definition, it is important to note that nowadays we also use the term „legend“ when we want to emphasize the fame or importance of something. We often describe things as „legendary“ – for example, we would say that Babe Ruth is a baseball legend and Elvis is a rock `n` roll legend, „legendary“ in pop culture. In his introduction, Wade explains why this legend is so hard for him to believe – but he always goes on a mission to discover the monster in Loch Ness, and truly believes it could exist. There are a plethora of documentaries and episodes on television that deal with legends like this. Nowadays, with the ability to capture things on video, one would think that it would be easier to prove and disprove the existence of these creatures – but in fact, it makes people ask themselves more questions and search even harder. Today, legends play an important role not only in literature, but also in popular culture. These are timeless stories that can be adapted to any audience in any style, making them an invaluable form of storytelling. Compared to the highly structured folktale, the legend is relatively amorphous, noted Helmut de Boor in 1928. [18] The narrative content of the legend is more realistic than the ironic irony of the folk tale; [19] Wilhelm Heiske[20] noted the similarity of motifs in legend and folktale and came to the conclusion that legend, despite its realistic mode, is no more historical than folk tale. Stories that transcend the boundaries of „realism“ are called „fables.“ For example, Aesop`s talking animal formula identifies his short stories as fables, not legends.
The parable of the prodigal son would be a legend if told as if it had actually happened to a particular son of a historical father. If it contained a donkey giving wise counsel to the prodigal son, it would be a fable. [ref. Urban legends are a modern genre of folklore rooted in local popular culture and usually includes fictional stories that are often portrayed as true, with macabre or humorous elements. These legends can be used both for entertainment purposes and for semi-serious explanations of seemingly mysterious events such as disappearances and strange objects. But curiously, it wasn`t until Betty Lardner when he returned to the hotel that made him think of the legend again. From the moment a legend is told as fiction, its authentic legendary qualities begin to fade and disappear: in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving transformed a local legend of the Hudson River Valley into a literary anecdote with „Gothic“ connotations that actually diminished its character as a true legend. [27] Legends are often based on creatures that might be real, but have not been proven according to science.
These legends often date back centuries and have been told from generation to generation until today, where they remain secret. Bigfoot, the Lochness Monster, and the Hideous Snowman are three great examples of legends that some people are still looking for. On Discovery Channel`s River Monsters, biologist and television star Jeremy Wade investigates reported sightings of giant river creatures. In the special series „Legend of Loch Ness“, Wade attempts to uncover the mystery of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster, as he introduces it in the following clip: Around 1613, English-speaking Protestants began using the word to imply that an event (specifically the story of a saint not recognized in John Foxe`s Acts and Monuments) was fictional. Thus, the legend received its modern connotations of „undocumented“ and „false“, which distinguish it from the meaning of the chronicle. [10] The attempt to „repel the aurochs of Germanic legend“ was a play with the Nazi obsession with racial purity and eugenics. Hippolyte Delehaye distinguishes legend from mythology: „Legend, on the other hand, necessarily has a historical or topographical link. It refers to imaginary events about a real personality, or it locates romantic stories in a specific place. [26] Britannica English: Translation of legend for Arabic Speakers Sir Thomas Malory`s Le Morte d`Arthur is the most famous and influential collection of stories in literature detailing the legend of King Arthur. In fact, all the stories you`ve heard about King Arthur, Queen Guinevere, Lancelot, the wizard Merlin, the Knights of the Round Table and the city of Camelot probably come from the Dead of Arthur.
The following passage is taken from the third book of Arthur`s Dead Woman, in the chapter entitled „How the Knights of the Round Table were ordained and their sees blessed by the Bishop of Canterbury“: The above selection tells of the day Guinevere is said to have come to Camelot and Arthur`s plans for their marriage. In addition, Malory describes the arrival of the „round table“ and the knights who carried them. But whether or not all of this actually happened remains debatable. Although it is generally believed that King Arthur was a true historical figure, the details of his life and reign are uncertain, unreliable and unclear – therefore, all stories about King Arthur are legends. The professional definition of a modern folklorist of legend was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990:[5] Last April, Mike Sievert at T-Mobile succeeded a legend, John Legere, who started in last place and ended up winning the most customers and had the most successful stocks in telecommunications during his eight years. Founded by German monks in what is now Stockholm`s Old Town, Zum Franziskaner has become a legend among locals and tourists alike. A myth is a classic or legendary story that usually focuses on a particular hero or event, explaining the mysteries of nature, existence, or the universe without any true foundation. Sometimes myths use legends as part of the story. The main difference between the two forms is that myths are now collectively known and considered false, while many legends can still be based on some degree of truth. In addition, legends are usually about human affairs, while myths are almost always about gods and goddesses – for example, the story of Hercules is a myth, while the story of King Arthur is a legend.
The details of the legends are altered and adapted over time so that they remain of interest to the public – for example, the legend of the philosopher`s stone (a magic stone that can immortalize a person and turn metals into gold) can be found in literature from the Middle Ages to the modern Harry Potter series. Legends do not claim to be accurate accounts of events, so they are not fully believed or completely questioned by the public or author. Legend is a borrowing from Old French, which entered the English language around 1340. The Old French name legende is derived from the medieval Latin legenda. [7] In its old English usage, the word referred to a narration of an event. The word legendary was originally a name (introduced in the 1510s) and meant a collection or corpus of legends. [8] [9] This word became legendary, and legendary became the adjective form. [8] Some writers and artists create fictional legends based on personal ideas, such as the creators of The Legend of Zelda, a fantasy video game series that has been a video game favorite since its initial release in 1986.
