Legends are heroic or sentimental episodes with marvelous or superhuman elements, transmitted and preserved through oral and popular tradition, locatable in space and time.

Definition

Legends are heroic or sentimental narratives that blend fantastic elements with reality, transmitted through oral tradition. Generally based on historical events, they portray popular emotions and ideas, integrating elements of everyday sociocultural life with new ways of interpreting and explaining reality. These stories not only entertain but also reflect the values and beliefs of a community, serving as a link between past and present.

According to Cascudo (1984), the term "legend" derives from the Latin legenda, "legere", which means "that which must be read." Legends play a crucial role in constructing cultural identity, as they reflect the values, beliefs, and customs of a specific community. According to Brazilian folklorist Luís Cascudo (1976):

According to Dorson (1970), cited by Klacewicz (2003, p. 15), there are various types of legends, classified according to their content and origin. These include:\

  • Personal Legends: Connected to known individuals, heroes, or villains, and can be subdivided into heroic, hagiographic, or anecdotal.
  • Local Legends: Linked to geographical locations such as rivers, lakes, lands, and caves.
  • Episodic Legends: Relate particular events of community interest.
  • Etiological Legends: Explain the origin of animals or plants.

The function of legends is multiple and significant. They serve as a vehicle for transmitting moral values, teachings, and traditions, reinforcing social cohesion and collective identity. Legends allow communities to understand and interpret the world around them, offering symbolic explanations for natural and social phenomena. Additionally, they play an educational role, facilitating the understanding of complex concepts through engaging narratives.

Among their main characteristics, the presence of superhuman or marvelous elements stands out, along with their fixation in time and space, and oral transmission — which allows for variations and adaptations over time. According to Bayard (as cited in Klacewicz, 2003, p. 29),

in legends we find human teachings more valuable than those passed down through the chronological rigidity of historical study, and even when distorted by popular imagination, legend is a precisely located action, has well-defined characters, and is based on historical facts.

Myth vs. Legend

Despite these distinctions, the boundaries between myth and legend are not always clear. Both share fantastic elements and transmit cultural values. However, while myth has a universal and timeless character, legend is rooted in specific contexts, being influenced by historical events and regional characteristics. We can summarize as follows:

  • Myths: deep structures of human thought that address existential questions through sacred narratives, explaining the origin of the world, gods, and universal phenomena.
  • Legends: earthly stories related to the daily life and historical experiences of a people.

In summary, Legends represent a cultural heritage of great value, preserving collective memory and strengthening the cultural identity of a people. By transmitting knowledge, values, and beliefs, legends connect the past to the present, allowing communities to understand their origins and keep their traditions alive. The study of legends is, therefore, fundamental to understanding the cultural and social dynamics of societies.

References

  • BRANDÃO, Junito de Souza. Greek Mythology. Petrópolis: Vozes, 1986.
  • CASCUDO, Luís da Câmara. Oral Literature in Brazil. Rio de Janeiro: Livraria José Olympio Editora, 1984.
  • ELIADE, Mircea. Myth and Reality. São Paulo: Perspectiva, 1992.
  • KLACEWICZ, A.C. Legends, myths and history: study of Polish and Greek narratives. Porto Alegre: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, 2009. (Monograph in Letters), 2009.
  • PROPP, Vladimir. Morphology of the Wondertale. Rio de Janeiro: Forense Universitária, 1984.