Surely you have ever heard of myths and legends. You are likely familiar with some of these forms of narrative. But, could you tell what their differences are?
Although they share characteristics, they are different concepts. In this article we will know the 5 differences between myth and legend. First, however, we will explain what each of these forms of narration consists of.
Myth and legend: what are they?
Myth and legend are two forms of literary narrative.These are different ways of telling stories and, furthermore, each of them incorporates different elements and aspects. As we will see, they are based on different elements, pursue different objectives, and their characters vary as well.
Without further ado, let's see what exactly a myth and legend consist of.
one. Myth
A myth is an account of wonderful facts. Normally its protagonist is a supernatural character (or several), that is, a God, a monster… or extraordinary, such as a hero.
Generally, a myth is a story that describes a culture, as well as the origin of its typical elements. It is a type of narration.
To better understand what a myth is, let's give some examples; the myth of how life was created, how the first animals arose, how the world began, how certain customs originated…
These are stories that try to answer all of this. Most cultures have myths; In the past, they were even given greater value, and most people understood or lived myths as true stories.
2. Legend
The term “legend” comes from medieval Latin, from the word “legenda”, which means “what has to be read” . But, what is a legend and what are the differences between myth and legend?
A legend is a traditional story, usually typical of a specific place or geographical area (for example, a town, a city, a region...). Legends can also group related narratives together.
Normally their story or plot is based on imaginary events, which, however, are considered real.
A characteristic of the legend is that it can mix real events with fictional ones. However, its origin is generally based on a true situation, which has really happened.
5 differences between myth and legend
Now that we have explained, in broad strokes, what a myth and a legend consist of, let's talk about the 5 most important differences between myth and legend .
one. Characters
The first of the differences between myth and legend that we find has to do with their characters.
Thus, in myths, the characters (and protagonists) are usually, as we have seen, supernatural characters, such as gods, monsters … On the other hand, in the legend, the characters that usually appear in the narrative can be of different types: human beings that have really existed, fictitious beings or supernatural characters.
That is to say, that the characters of the myths have never really existed, and the characters of the legend, may have existed in the past, in real life (at least some of them).
2. Source
The second of the differences between myth and legend has to do with the origin of the story within its own story In the case of myths, they especially use metaphysical elements to which man has not had access; For example, they speak of God as the creator of man, or of the spirits as the cause of “X” situations, etc.
In addition, in myths it is understood that it was God (or a spirit) who "decided" to transmit said story to human beings.
On the other hand, in legends, it is understood that the origin of the stories are the people themselves, who have witnessed or experienced certain situations and have been explaining them from generation to generation. That is, the story is born because certain people have witnessed certain situations (for example, "the legend of the girl with the curve", which is terrifying).
3. Elements on which they are based
Another difference refers to the following question: What is each type of narration (myth or legend) based on The myth, for its part, it is based on fantasy; that is, it is a story created from fictional elements combined with symbolic and real elements.
Instead, the legend is based on a historical event that actually occurred; Other elements are added to said event that, in addition, are modified over time (also a product of the transmission itself).
4. Temporal and spatial situation
The fourth of the differences between myth and legend has to do with the temporal and spatial situation of the story itself.
In myth, the time period and location of the story are set “outside” the real world; that is to say, it is a fictitious place, which cannot be recognized because it does not exist.Sometimes they are very ambiguous and abstract situations (temporal and spatial), such as “at the end of time” or “at the beginning of a new era”.
On the other hand, in the legend, the temporal situation (time period) is more specific, and it is also real (a specific historical moment, for example). In addition, the spatial situation also exists; in the event that it does not exist, it can be contextualized, located or imagined in a more specified part of the world.
5. What they explain
The last of the most important differences between myth and legend answers the following question: What does each story (myth or legend) try to explain?
This difference alludes to the function or objective of each of these narratives (or rather, to their main objective). Thus, on the one hand, myths have the objective of explaining a reality, but in a more mystical way; In addition, they look for people to understand the why of things, as well as their origin.
On the other hand, captions have a more “educational” function; Thus, they try to explain or transmit a story, highlighting their values (that is, they seek to transmit a value or an important message). To do this, they focus on an important historical event, as well as real people.
Conclusions
As we have seen, there are 5 key differences between myth and legend, although there could be some more These would be, but, the more important. Both myth and legend reflect, once again, the need of the human being to tell stories, to transmit values, to create... this need is intrinsic in the human being, and for this reason these types of narrative have always existed.
As a synthesis, and to achieve a global idea of these two types of narrative, we can say that: myths originate in a remote era and arise from the imagination or fantasy of a people , and legends arise from real events, through wonderful or supernatural explanations.
Myths are, in a way, non-rational explanations of supernatural events; Legends, on the other hand, have the purpose of teaching or transmitting certain values or facts.