Are Legends Based On Fact?
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008We all love stories with heroes and a social message. They usually embody beliefs and concepts and ideological ways of questioning that attempt to make sense of our world. Perhaps legends and myths make reality a little more bearable and interesting. They are designed to inspire us and encourage us to dream.
The characters of many legends become so popular and familiar to us, they tend to take on a role of reality, though they do not necessarily have a basis of fact.
British Robin Hood:
Portrayed as a benign highwayman, Robin Hood is said to have robbed the rich to give to the poor. He was a fighter against injustice and tyranny, though a fugitive from the law. He led a band of seven outlawed yeomen (prosperous farmers or bodyguards in a noble or royal household), known as the band of Merry Men.
William Shakespeare makes reference to Robin Hood in a late 16th century play, ‘The Two Gentlemen of Verona’. Robin Hood even has a tombstone with his name on it, giving the legend more credibility.
British King Arthur:
King Arthur is a legendary British warrior who defended Britain against the tyranny of Saxon invaders. In some tales King Arthur was associated with the Welsh ‘other world’. It was a 12th century French writer who added Sir Lancelot, the Knights of the Round Table and the Holy Grail to the legend.
William Shakespeare:
Most people claim the English William Shakespeare as being a very prolific poet and playwright of amazing genius. Others say ‘William Shakespeare’ is only a corporate name, representing a conglomerate of writers. While the controversy continues unsolved, the fact remains that Shakespearean plays have been translated into every major language and been performed more often, than plays from any other scriptwriter
Then there are the delightful myths such as the Irish Myth:
Some say the mischievous Irish Leprechaun, with his lucky four leaf clover, moves your television remote and steals your underwear and at least one of your socks in the dark of the night. Others say the Leprechaun reveals hidden treasures if you can manage to catch one.
Perhaps the myths (mysteries) of oversize strange creatures serve some oblique purpose in explaining the unexplainable and add spice to people’s lives.
American Big Foot:
In America it is reported that Bigfoot inhabits remote forests in the Pacific Northwest.
The Abominable Snowman:
There are fresh reports which speak of having seen fresh footprints recently from the Yeti or Abominable Snowman of the Himalayan Mountains.
The Loch Ness Monster:
In Scotland’s highlands there lives the Loch Ness monster. Fact or fiction? Either way it makes a great tourist attraction.
Maybe you can add a myth, or legend that you have always enjoyed, for there are more mysteries in life than we have answers for.
To learn more about about the author and a dream that could become your reality take a few minutes to look at Win A Resort.
President Jimmy Carter, on a break from the pressures of office, was fishing in a pond in a canoe, when he saw a desperate looking rabbit swimming straight for him. “It’s nostrils flared, hissing menacingly, with its teeth flashing, it was frantically struggling to reach a safe haven,” was the report from one eye witness. No doubt it brought back many memories to the President, of tales told in his childhood, of killer rabbits in the swamps. The President’s Secret Service men were caught flatfooted.