The word legend means

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller or listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants may include miracles. Legends may be transformed over time to keep them fresh and vital.

Many legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted.^[1] Legends are sometimes distinguished from myths in that they concern human beings as the main characters rather than gods, and sometimes in that they have some sort of historical basis whereas myths generally do not.^[2][3] The Brothers Grimm defined legend as «folktale historically grounded».^[4] A by-product of the «concern with human beings» is the long list of legendary creatures, leaving no «resolute doubt» that legends are «historically grounded.»

A modern folklorist’s professional definition of legend was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990:^[5]

Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified^[6] historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode, reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs.

Etymology and origin[edit]

Legend is a loanword from Old French that entered English usage circa 1340. The Old French noun legende derives from the Medieval Latin legenda.^[7] In its early English-language usage, the word indicated a narrative of an event. The word legendary was originally a noun (introduced in the 1510s) meaning a collection or corpus of legends.^[8][9] This word changed to legendry, and legendary became the adjectival form.^[8]

By 1613, English-speaking Protestants began to use the word when they wished to imply that an event (especially the story of any saint not acknowledged in John Foxe’s Actes and Monuments) was fictitious. Thus, legend gained its modern connotations of «undocumented» and «spurious», which distinguish it from the meaning of chronicle.^[10]

In 1866, Jacob Grimm described the fairy tale as «poetic, legend historic.»^[11] Early scholars such as Karl Wehrhan [de]^[12] Friedrich Ranke^[13] and Will Erich Peuckert^[14] followed Grimm’s example in focussing solely on the literary narrative, an approach that was enriched particularly after the 1960s,^[15] by addressing questions of performance and the anthropological and psychological insights provided in considering legends’ social context. Questions of categorising legends, in hopes of compiling a content-based series of categories on the line of the Aarne–Thompson folktale index, provoked a search for a broader new synthesis.
In an early attempt at defining some basic questions operative in examining folk tales, Friedrich Ranke [de] in 1925^[16] characterised the folk legend as «a popular narrative with an objectively untrue imaginary content», a dismissive position that was subsequently largely abandoned.^[17]

Compared to the highly structured folktale, legend is comparatively amorphous, Helmut de Boor noted in 1928.^[18] The narrative content of legend is in realistic mode, rather than the wry irony of folktale;^[19] Wilhelm Heiske^[20] remarked on the similarity of motifs in legend and folktale and concluded that, in spite of its realistic mode, legend is not more historical than folktale.

In Einleitung in der Geschichtswissenschaft (1928), Ernst Bernheim asserted that a legend is simply a longstanding rumour.^[21] Gordon Allport credited the staying-power of some rumours to the persistent cultural state-of-mind that they embody and capsulise;^[22] thus «Urban legends» are a feature of rumour.^[23] When Willian Hugh Jansen suggested that legends that disappear quickly were «short-term legends» and the persistent ones be termed «long-term legends», the distinction between legend and rumour was effectively obliterated, Tangherlini concluded.^[24]

Christian legenda[edit]

In a narrow Christian sense, legenda («things to be read [on a certain day, in church]») were hagiographical accounts, often collected in a legendary. Because saints’ lives are often included in many miracle stories, legend, in a wider sense, came to refer to any story that is set in a historical context, but that contains supernatural, divine or fantastic elements.^[25]

[edit]

Hippolyte Delehaye distinguished legend from myth: «The legend, on the other hand, has, of necessity, some historical or topographical connection. It refers imaginary events to some real personage, or it localizes romantic stories in some definite spot.»^[26]

From the moment a legend is retold as fiction, its authentic legendary qualities begin to fade and recede: in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving transformed a local Hudson River Valley legend into a literary anecdote with «Gothic» overtones, which actually tended to diminish its character as genuine legend.^[27]

Stories that exceed the boundaries of «realism» are called «fables». For example, the talking animal formula of Aesop identifies his brief stories as fables, not legends. The parable of the Prodigal Son would be a legend if it were told as having actually happened to a specific son of a historical father. If it included a donkey that gave sage advice to the Prodigal Son it would be a fable.^{[citation needed]}

Legend may be transmitted orally, passed on person-to-person, or, in the original sense, through written text. Jacobus de Voragine’s Legenda Aurea or «The Golden Legend» comprises a series of vitae or instructive biographical narratives, tied to the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. They are presented as lives of the saints, but the profusion of miraculous happenings and above all their uncritical context are characteristics of hagiography. The Legenda was intended to inspire extemporized homilies and sermons appropriate to the saint of the day.^[28]

Urban legend[edit]

Urban legends are a modern genre of folklore that is rooted in local popular culture, usually comprising fictional stories that are often presented as true, with macabre or humorous elements. These legends can be used for entertainment purposes, as well as semi-serious explanations for seemingly-mysterious events, such as disappearances and strange objects.

The term «urban legend,» as used by folklorists, has appeared in print since at least 1968.^[29] Jan Harold Brunvand, professor of English at the University of Utah, introduced the term to the general public in a series of popular books published beginning in 1981. Brunvand used his collection of legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends & Their Meanings (1981) to make two points: first, that legends and folklore do not occur exclusively in so-called primitive or traditional societies, and second, that one could learn much about urban and modern culture by studying such tales.

See also[edit]

• The Matter of Britain, Arthurian legend
• Legendary saga
• Legendary creature
• Lists of legendary creatures

References[edit]

Last Updated:
14 Apr 2023
— Updated example sentences

If you’re into fantasy or folklore, or even if you’re into the wonderful world of sports, you have most likely heard the word legend used a time or two. It’s a pretty common word, but whenever it’s used it adds a fantastic, exciting flavor to the conversation or piece of literature you’re engaging with. 

But there are a few different definitions of this word, and if you’re not familiar with all of them, you run the risk of confusion. So even if you think you might be unfamiliar with all of the definitions, it might be a good idea to get a refresher.

So today’s word of the day is legend. By the end of this short guide, you’ll have a solid understanding of the word legend, its various definitions, its etymology, and how to use it. Let’s get started. 

What Is the Meaning of the Word Legend?

As mentioned above, there are several different definitions for the word legend, pronounced ​​ˈlɛdʒənd. But they’re all fairly easy to understand. Here’s a quick list of the various definitions of the word legend: 

• An old story that tells a tale of a famous event or person, typically of ancient origin and not necessarily a true story
• A person who is famous for being incredibly skilled at a particular task, craft, or event
• A diagram or list on a map that explains the different symbols used in the map

As you can see, two of these definitions have similarities, and one definition of legend sticks out from the others. The first relates to stories of greatness that have significant cultural importance, such as folktales like the story of Robin Hood or King Arthur. A collection of such stories is so valuable to culture and history.

The second relates to incredibly important people who changed the world. Babe Ruth is a baseball legend, Tom Brady is a football legend, and Martin Luther King Jr. is a legend of civil rights. We are lucky to witness the historical acts of these greats in our own lifetime.

The third definition of legend is an essential element that helps us understand something that would otherwise be unclear and incredibly difficult to make useful. 

All three of these definitions are important. The first definition carries great historical meaning about the stories and cultures from ages past, the second is an important word to describe amazing and talented people, and the last is a crucial element that helps us read one of humanity’s most important tools. 

Common Collocations and Idioms for the Word Legend

A collocation is a common pairing of words that occurs more often than just by chance, and an idiom is a saying that combines words to mean something different than its individual parts. 

Here are some common collocations and idioms that use the word legend. 

• The stuff of legend
• Arthurian legend
• Urban legend
• Living legend
• Absolute legend 

Legend in Other Languages

Here’s a list of the word legend in various languages from around the world: 

• Spanish: Leyenda
• Greek: θρύλος 
• Arabic: عنوان تفسيري
• Danish: Legende
• Italian: Leggenda
• Portuguese: Lenda
• Bulgarian: легенда
• Turkish: efsane

Where Did the Word Legend Come From?

To help bring more clarity to the definition of legend, let’s look at the history of how it came to be or its etymology.

Like so many words in the English language, the word legend finds its roots in Latin. Its oldest ancestor is the Latin legere, which means “to read.” This word was used a fair amount in the ancient language. Another form of this word was the gerundive of legere, the Latin legenda, which means “passages to be read.”

From there, the word was adopted into the Old French legende, which has the same meaning as the Latin legenda. 

In Medieval times, the Catholic church, which used Latin for its holy texts, was at large. They adopted the Medieval Latin legenda with the same definition. The church would create different legendas, which were written stories of famous saints’ lives in the church for the purpose of encouraging believers. 

From this point, during the Middle English period, we finally see the word legend come into English with the same definition as seen in the Old French. 

When it comes to map legends, they have been around for as long as maps have, which is at least 2500 years. But obviously, the English word legend did not exist 2500 years ago. 

Instead, after the word legend came into the English language with the definition “something to be read,” it was adopted for the tool on the map because it was pertinent that you read the legend in order to understand the map. 

What Are Some Example Sentences for the Word Legend?

Seeing a word in context can help bring more clarity to its definition and how you can use it in your own life. Here are some examples of legend used in a sentence: 

An old story

• Have you heard of the legend of King Arthur? 
• I have a particular interest in folklore and the legends that people have passed down orally throughout generations. 

A legendary person

• It’s amazing that we have gotten to watch a legend like Tom Brady play football in our own time. 
• Of course, I know Gary Kasparov, he’s an absolute legend in the world of chess. 

A map legend

• If you’ll look at the legend, you’ll see that one inch represents 5 miles on this map. 
• I don’t know what these ridges are on the map. Let me look at the legend and find out. 

What Are the Synonyms of the Word Legend?

Here are some synonyms of the word legend that you might find in a thesaurus.

• Fable
• Folklore
• Myth
• Tale
• Icon
• Superstar
• Big name
• Great
• Genius
• Luminary
• Cipher
• Code
• Inscription

What Are its Antonyms?

And here are some antonyms for the word legend.

• Nobody
• No-name
• Failure
• Amateur

The Word Legend

Now you know everything you need to know about the word legend, its definition, its history, and how to use it. Use it confidently in your writing and your conversation. And if you need a refresher on this word, come back to this article for the information you need.

Sources:

About Chart Legends | MIT 

LEGEND | Cambridge English Dictionary 

Legend | Hull AWE 

What do we mean by legend?

An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical. noun

A body or collection of such stories. noun

One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame. noun

An inscription or title on an object, such as a coin. noun

An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration. noun

An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart. noun

To narrate or celebrate in or as in a legend.

To furnish with an inscription; inscribe with a legend: as, “a legended tomb,”

In the early church, a selection of readings from Scripture appointed for use at divine service; later, and more especially, the chronicle or register of the lives of the saints, formerly read at matins and in the refectories of religious houses. noun

An entertaining story, especially in early times one relating to wonders or miracles told of a saint; hence, any unauthentic and improbable or non-historical narrative handed down from early times; a tradition. noun

A musical composition set to a poetical story, or intended to express such a story without words. noun

An inscription or device of any kind; particularly, the inscription on a shield or coat or arms, or the explanatory inscription on a monument or under a plan or drawing, or the inscription which accompanies a picture, whether descriptive or supposed to stand for words used by the persons represented in the picture. noun

In numismatics, the words or letters stamped on the obverse or the reverse of a coin or medal: sometimes differentiated from, inscription as the reading around the circumference of a coin or medal, and sometimes as all that is inscribed excepting the name of the sovereign or other person represented. noun

A roll; list; book. noun

To tell or narrate, as a legend. transitive verb

That which is appointed to be read; especially, a chronicle or register of the lives of saints, formerly read at matins, and in the refectories of religious houses. noun

A story respecting saints; especially, one of a marvelous nature. noun

An unrealistic story depicting past events.

A person related to a legend or legends.

A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.

An inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

A musical composition set to a poetical story.

Totally worth of respect for any reason Urban Dictionary

A person who embodies the pinnacle of all the important social aspects. Any person who is funny, reckless, original and sensitive in the right measures is likely to be nominated a legend by his associates. A person to whose persona you aspire. Urban Dictionary

A legend is someone or something whose coolness extends beyond all space and time. Urban Dictionary

A general term to describe someone that achieves the impossible on a daily basis can also extend to legendary to explain the amazing things that the person has acomplished
can be used to describe certain people such as chuck norris, bruce lee and adriaan w Urban Dictionary

One everyone should respect. Urban Dictionary

Someone who is the ultimate of cool. The legend is witty and nice, contrary to what they might think. The legend is also badass, though. Urban Dictionary

Their name will be known a hundred years from now Urban Dictionary

A noun that refers to someone of greatness and who is very well known Urban Dictionary

An entity of limited lifespan (typically in the past) most would prefer had continued their work endlessly. Urban Dictionary

Someone who ois so good at what they do Urban Dictionary