Talk:Legend

myths and legends

I've been reading for an article I'd like to write about mythohistory and came across an author who suggests that myths do not take place in linear time. His example was the Odyssey, at the end of which Odysseus and Penelope ought to be quite old but there is no indication that they have really aged at all. So I wonder, do legends take place in history-like time? --Joe Quick 21:08, 22 January 2011 (UTC)

Good question, Joe. Let me think about it. Arthur ages, Robin Hood does not seem to actually age that I can recall, but he does die. Trying to think of more examples. Legends can certainly take on mythic proportions. I think maybe we should flip that around: legends cannot take place completely outside of linear time. Aleta Curry 08:27, 23 January 2011 (UTC)

Yeah, I think that's right. Legends, more than myths, tend to be about extraordinary ordinary people, folks who are special in some way. And people are more likely to exist in linear time. Let's keep in mind that there is still a time element to myths, since one thing happens after another, but they tend to exist outside of our time. Legends usually seem to take place in our time, even if they don't follow normal rules of physics or biology.

Legends, off the top of my head: Paul Bunyan, John Henry, Tecum Umam, maybe Johnny Appleseed, maybe Black Beard or some of his folk. --Joe Quick 20:58, 24 January 2011 (UTC)