|
A Legend is defined as
a. An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical. b. A romanticized or popularised myth of modern times. The word "legend comes from the Latin adjective legenda, "for reading, to be read". It used to refer to written stories only. This didn't include traditional stories passed orally from generation to generation. This was the accepted usage in the late 14th century in reference to written accounts of saints' lives, but ever since the 15th century, the word "legend" has been used to refer to traditional stories as well. So legends can be as ancient as story telling itself, or as modern as you. |
 |
Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. |
Of Myths and Legends: The popular use of the term "myth" refers to a story that is widely believed to be false. Religious stories of our own culture or the beliefs of other cultures were often labeled this way, so it is now sometimes considered a derogatory term. The term often causes offence, even when none is intended. The "Ancient Myths of Greece and Rome", for example, tell the stories of the gods who were believed in at the time. The line between myths and legends is so blurred, this unit will just look at the stories and the animals, without worrying too much about the definitions. Legends are a narrative, a story told by generation after generation, often to the young. There is usually a belief that they are based on fact. They are often used to illustrate some moral lesson. So legends involve the actions of humans and animals which are considered to be within the realm of possibility by both the teller and the listener. Although others may consider some aspects of the story to be 'beyond belief' this does not detract from their validity as a legend. And they are often so beautiful,
that a suspension of belief is worth while for the time of the telling and the time of reflection.
|
Technically, fables and stories of mythical creatures do not fall within the definition of 'legend'. The talking animals of Aesop identifies his brief parables as fables, not legends. Legendary animals are those which you may just meet when travelling to far- off exotic places. You probably won't, but their stories are told in a tone which suggests they are within the realms of possibility. So the term "legendary animals" does not include mythical animals, like the sphinx or the unicorn. We will look at fantasy and mythical animals anyway.
And then there are Urban Legends - stories which are widely believed but not based on fact at all. We will have a look at an urban legend about eagles.
This unit looks at legends which relate to animals, but it takes the definition of 'legend' in its broadest sense.
In reading many books about animals when writing my natural history books about crocodiles and spiders, I was struck by how often the story related accurately to a particular species of animal - the one the writer would have seen in their local environment. Charlotte's Web, for example, derives Charlotte's behaviour from a keen observation of the garden orb weaver. The creation myth of Timor is so reminiscent of the real behaviour of the crocodile of the area, the saltwater crocodile, it is really in the blurred space between myth and legend.
The more I read about animals, and the more I read their legends (and myths), the stronger this link became. It is not always so. Sometimes the animals behave like no real animal at all. Such is the intrigue of it all. It is that intrigue which has led to this unit, and a book I am writing to take the topic so much further.
It will take a great deal more than the rest of my life to explore all animals and all the legends which surround them. I do hope I may inspire some of you to follow in my tracks.
Lynne Kelly
January, 2007
