Legend: Literary Genre

A legend is a story coming down from the past, especially one popularly regarded as historical and true, although not verifiable.

Legend Definition

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Legend Definition

Legends are stories or groups of stories about people, or groups of people, that have been passed on throughout history. Legends may include supernatural beings or some elements of mythology, but they are generally told as a matter of history about a person or a place. Although legends are supposedly at least semi-true stories, they are often transformed over time in order to keep them interesting and relevant. Local legends often travel and change depending on where they are told.

In the English language, the term “legend” dates back to the early 1500s as a narrative story, usually about a saint. About one hundred years later, English-speaking Protestants began using it to imply that an event or person was not real.

Teaching about legends in the classroom gives students the opportunity to learn about how other countries tell stories, and how they are passed on and changed over many years. One activity in a writing unit could be to have students research well known legends, explain the elements of a legend, and then write their own. Another way to use legends in the classroom is to take an existing legend and change it in a new and creative way.

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Legend Examples

• Robin Hood
• King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Atlantis
• Kamehameha and the Naha Stone

Want to learn more? Check out our educational article on Literary Genres!