Legend

Legends (derived from Latin legenda) are stories in oral tradition passed on by word of mouth.

The word is also used for famous or historically significant people, places, events, etc. We sometimes say of someone who is extremely famous that they are a "legend" or "of legendary fame".

Examples of legends are Ali Baba, the Fountain of Youth, Nano Begal, Paul Bunyan, Bogeyman, Kraken, Sirens, Atlantis, the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, and Yeti. Some legends are stories about real people; others are not. Odysseus and Robin Hood for example may have been real but most the stories about them are definitely fiction.

For some places, legends are the earliest history. For example, the origin of ancient Rome is known only from legends, as are the earliest dynasties in the history of China.

Legend Media

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  Holger Danske, a legendary character

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  Giants Mata and Grifone, celebrated in the streets of Messina, Italy, the second week of August, according to a legend are founders of the Sicilian city.

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  The tale of the White Lady who haunts Union Cemetery is a variant of the Vanishing hitchhiker legend.