Legend (folklore)

Legend (folklore), traditional narrative or collection of related narratives, popularly regarded as historically factual but actually a mixture of fact and fiction. The medieval Latin word legenda means “things for reading.” During certain services of the early Christian church, legenda, or lives of the saints, were read aloud.

A legend is set in a specific place at a specific time; the subject is often a heroic historical personage. A legend differs from a myth (see Mythology) by portraying a human hero rather than one who is a god. Legends, originally oral, have been developed into literary masterpieces. Among the most famous legends of all time are the classic epics the Iliad and the Odyssey (see Homer) of ancient Greece and the Aeneid of ancient Rome (see Virgil). From the Middle Ages come legends about Arthur, king of the Britons; Charlemagne; and the German alchemist Faust.

In modern times legends have grown up around such presidents of the United States as George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Contemporary legend usually deals with leading figures in the world of sports, motion pictures, and popular music. Another type of contemporary legend, the urban legend, is recounted—sometimes even in newspapers—as though it were true, but its patterns and motifs indicate that it is a folktale. Urban legends address the concerns and anxieties of urban living.