The 5 differences between myth and legend

These narrative forms of expression have very different objectives, formats and styles.

Since prehistoric times, human beings have tried to make sense of everything that happens in the world. to make sense of everything that happens in the world.. Based on what we know and experience, we are able to try to elaborate explanations of why things are the way they are, where we come from and where we are going.

Different peoples and cultures have been establishing different stories for this purpose, in many cases inserting religious and supernatural elements. Many of them have ended up configuring myths and legends. Nowadays these two concepts are often confused, so in this article you can find out 5 differences between myth and legend.

Myth and legend: what are they and how are they similar?

When interpreting the way in which human beings have been building cultural elements and ways of explaining reality from a non-scientific point of view, it is common to find concepts that are very similar to each other.

After all, all the ways of explaining something through narratives have many things in common, and their structure is usually the same: beginning, middle and end. However, if we look at the way in which different societies and civilizations have tried to describe what has been happening in the world over the centuries, it is possible to find distinctions. This also applies to the fact of knowing the differences between myth and legend, two very frequent types of narration, and that supposed the explanation by default to everything that the human being saw and that at that time escaped rationality.

When we talk about myths and legends, we are talking about forms of narrative expression that form part of the collective imaginary of a people with the intention of of a people with the intention of trying to explain an aspect of reality for which at the time of the birth of the story there was still no explanation, or whose origin has been intended to magnify. These are stories that have been transmitted orally through the generations, many of them reaching our days. But, what do we understand by myth and what by legend?

Myth is considered to be that narration that is situated outside the real space-time and that usually has as protagonists divine or supernatural entities, or great heroes who perform incredible deeds and whose figure has not existed in the real world. In general, they they try to explain abstract concepts whose origin is uncertain, such as whose origin is uncertain, such as the world, life, love or hate. Its main function is to try to make sense of things, using analogies between what we do not understand and elements present in our lives.

A legend, although it is also a story in the form of a narrative that is passed down through the generations and that usually has supernatural and fictitious elements.It usually tries to give an explanation of a specific historical fact. They are usually based on real historical facts, although they incorporate fantastic elements that alter, modify or give a different meaning to the story. Their function is to highlight the characteristics of a real character or people, not so much trying to give a sense of reality as to promote social values and specific ideologies.

Five fundamental differences between myth and legend

Observing how we have defined each of them already it is possible to establish a differentiation between myth and legend.. Even so, in order to facilitate the understanding of their differences, we can find that 5 of the main differences between one and the other are the following.

1. What they are based on

One of the most identifiable differences from the definitions given is what each type of story is based on. The legend is based on a real historical event subject to direct observation, which is later that is subsequently enriched and deformed over time.

Myth, however, is a fictitious elaboration created directly from fantasy based on created directly from fantasy based on analogies between the real and symbolic elements.

2. What they intend to explain

As we have been able to contemplate, legends and myths have traditionally had a different objective in spite of being similar in their approach. Legends are usually intended to show, promote or enrich a value, historical event or real character, having a rather educational purpose. As far as myth is concerned, it is an attempt to explain reality in a mystical way, it is an attempt to explain reality in a mystical way.trying to understand the why and the origin of things.

3. Temporal/spatial situation

One of the most visible differences between myth and legend is the temporal or spatial context in which they appear. Generally, we can observe that the legend is circumscribed to a concrete and real historical moment, in a territory that can be perceived as existing or imaginary, contextualized in a concrete part of the world.

In the case of myth, the period of time or the location in which the events take place is situated outside the real world, being outside the real world. is situated outside the real world, being unrecognizable.. In some cases they speak of the beginning of time or of its end, or they are situated in a plane of existence different from ours.

4. Type of characters

The type of characters that appear in the story also changes between myth and legend. While in the legend, although fictitious or supernatural beings usually appear in the story, the characters are human beings who have existed in the past. the characters are human beings who have existed or are part of real peoples, in myths the protagonists are directly supernatural beings, gods or heroes that as a general rule have not been represented in the real world.

5. Supposed origin

Although this aspect is linked to that of the temporo-spatial situation, it is interesting as a difference between myth and legend. We are talking about the origin to which the story told within the story itself is attributed.

Generally, legends are attributed to the testimony of people who claim to have lived or seen the event being talked about, being the product of a direct observation of the facts. However, myths refer to metaphysical aspects that man has not been able to observe by himself. Thus, as a general rule, their creation is attributed to the transmission of information by gods or spirits, who have decided to communicate certain knowledge to man.

Bibliographical references:

• Armstrong, K. (2010). A Short History of Myth (Myths series). Knopf Canada.
• Fine, G. A. (1982). "The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings by Jan Harold Brunvand". Western Folklore. Western States Folklore Society. 41 (2): 156-157.
• Graf, F. (1996). Greek Mythology: An Introduction. Translated by Marier, Thomas. Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Pierre Grimal (2008). Mythologies: From the Mediterranean to the Ganges. Madrid: Editorial Gredos.
• VVAA. (2007). Manual de Literatura española actual. Ed. Castalia.