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A legend It is an oral or written story that transmits the history of a certain region. It is a narrative that tries to communicate a fact or event but with a fantastic tinge.
In all legend beings of fictitious or imaginary origin participate, or animals that carry out actions typical of man (such as speaking). It can also happen that there are human protagonists with certain mutations.
Every legend seeks to convey a message related to morality. These stories are transmitted from generation to generation, originally in oral form, although today many legends were compiled in written form.
It can serve you:
- Myths
- Fables
Characteristics of a legend
- Space. It takes place in a specific space or scope (although it does not refer to real time) and the spaces may or may not be real.
- Characters. Characters are imaginary or fictional beings who speak.
- Teaching. Every legend seeks to convey to the listener or reader a moral teaching.
- Extension. The length of a legend will depend on the teaching to be communicated. For example, children's legends are usually short.
Examples of legends
- Legend of Robbin Hood
Robbin's name means "Robbin of the hood." This English legend of medieval origin tells the story of a vigilante who steals money and belongings from the rich and distributes them to the poor.
This hero had great skill with the bow and arrow and used the weapon to loot the Sheriff of Nottingham and the prince "John without land", who illegally demanded money from all the people for their own enrichment.
It is believed that the legend of Robbin Hood was based on the wishes of many peasants who were oppressed by the excessive payment to the crown.
- Legend of the bad light
This legend arises in the northeast of Argentina. It is called "bad light" to a light that appears in the upper area of dead animals in the field. The inhabitants of these regions are said to see a greenish light that rises above these animals.
The legend is told by the natives of the place in meetings in the light of the fire, in particular, to scare the children and prevent them from going out at night without the company of an adult.
- Legend of Aka Manto
It is a legend of Japanese origin that speaks of the ghost of a woman who lives in the last toilet of the public baths of that city. This woman appears to the young women who visit this last bathroom with the sole objective of avenging her own death (since it is said that she is the ghost of a discriminated woman) and killing the victim.
This urban legend reflects the recommendation (through fear) that young women should attend public toilets accompanied by others to prevent theft or abuse in these places.
- Legend of the ceibo flower
This legend belongs to the people of northern Argentina. The story tells that there lived a young but not very beautiful Indian woman who told stories of her ancestors (also Guarani) to the entire tribe.
After the arrival of the white man to their lands, the villages were looted and Anahí, the indiecita, was kidnapped along with several other women of the tribe.
One day she decided to escape but, at the moment of evading the guard, he woke up. Anahí threw a knife at the body of the guard and killed him. However, he managed to give notice for the rest of the guards to find Anahí who had already quickly left for the forest.
Upon finding the indiecita, the conquerors decided to burn her in retaliation for having escaped.
When the flames began to burn, Anahí, head to the side, slowly turned into a ceibo flower tree.When they woke up in the morning, the conquerors found, in the place of a burned young woman, a beautiful ceibo flower tree as a sign of the courage that the young woman had until the last moment.
- Baca legend
This is a legend of Mexican origin. The baca is a demon that the owners of the farms throw on their own lands so that they are not looted by opportunists.
- The legend of La Llorona
This legend of Mexican origin tells the story of an indigenous woman who had a love affair with a Spanish man from high society. This love was very deep for them and, although hidden, they both loved each other deeply.
After a while, that love had its fruits: they had three beautiful children whom their mother adored and cared for fervently.
The mother demanded the presence of her husband in the home but he refused to formalize his relationship with her because of the social gaze: he was a distinguished white man and she was only an indigenous person.
Faced with repeated refusals by the gentleman, she decided to approach the riverbank with her three children and one by one she drowned them. After such an act of brutality, he also decided to drown.
Legend has it that the crying of the weeping woman can be heard on the banks of that river in Mexico City.
- The legend of the werewolf
It is said that the legend originated when several horsemen indicated that in the forest they met other black-clad horsemen who promised them many riches in exchange for surrendering their souls and becoming werewolves themselves.
- The legend of the rocking chair
This Mexican legend begins when a young man finds an old abandoned rocking chair. Although the chair was not in good condition, she decides to take it home to her grandmother, who needed one and couldn't afford it.
The young man did not have time to repair it, and the chair was left in the basement of the house, accumulating clothes.
One fine day when the young man was in the basement, he heard the chair start to make a noise as if it was rocking. Little by little, the clothes on top of the chair began to fall off, while the chair kept rocking stronger and stronger.
The young man also heard the sound of a cane hitting the ground and saw the silhouette of an old man who, as a sign of reproach, reproached him that the chair was not his.
The ghost of the old man disappeared, the chair stopped rocking and the pounding of the cane stopped, and the young man ran to return the chair to the place where he had found it.
- The legend of the black lagoon
This Spanish legend tells the story of a young man who lost his parents in an accident. As they had been financially very wealthy people, the young man inherited a significant fortune.
The young man married a very beautiful young woman, with whom he had two children. Years passed, their children married as well, and their wives (eager for the fortune they would inherit) began planning ways for husbands to kill their own father.
One day the old man decided to go out for a walk through his lands and after the walk he wanted to rest under the shade of a tree, on the banks of a lagoon. While he slept, he dreamed that his two sons would come to him and kill him. Scared, he woke up and found that both sons were at his side to kill him.
The men threw their father's corpse into the lagoon, which was stained black. No one ever accused the children of that episode, but the lagoon remained this color forever.
- The legend of the rainbow
This popular legend tells the story of the colors. It is said that one fine day all the colors began to argue because each one thought that each one was more important than the rest.
So one by one they began to argue their importance until a bright white light fell from the sky and spoke to them: “How can you believe that one of you is more important than the rest? Don't they see that each one is unique and unrepeatable and that God, who created them, loves them? "
Then the white light invited them to demonstrate the wonders that together they could create and helped them form the rainbow.
- The legend of Walt Disney
This is a legend that arose after the death of Walt Disney. Apparently, the wonderful creator of "Disney World" needed to stay alive in the collective unconscious.
Popular legend holds that Walt Disney's body was not cremated after his death but that his body had been frozen before he died so that he could revive in the future and continue creating his wonderful characters.
- The legend of the werewolf
This legend belongs to the Guaraní mythology in the north of Argentina, although it is also known in South America and Spain.
Legend has it that a curse fell on the seventh son of Tau and Kerana: on the nights of the full moon, the child turned into a wild dog.
It is said that werewolves are recognized for being lonely men, thin and sickly in appearance and children are advised not to approach them to avoid being eaten.
- The legend of La Sallana
This is a Mexican legend from the colonial era, which tells the story of an aristocratic woman married to a good man, with whom she has a beautiful son. Although she is from a good family, the woman lives pending the opinions of the rest of the population.
One day a rumor reaches her that her husband is cheating on her with his own mother. The woman runs to kill her son, her husband and, finally, her mother, who before she dies throws a curse on her: "Your name will be Sallana and you will wander the streets scaring gossipers as punishment for your actions."
From that moment on, the woman turns into a spirit and visits gossiping women as a reprimand for being carried away by talk and lies.
- The legend of the mojana
This legend of Colombian origin tells the story of a woman with long golden hair down to her feet who lives in an underwater house, in a lake.
The woman has the habit of abducting small children and taking them to her home, from which they never return. To avoid abduction, parents are recommended to secure children with special cords from the feet and from the waist.
It can serve you:
- Short stories
- Urban legends
- Horror legends
