Myths and Legends (African and Non-African Tales)

Myths and legends refer to any highly imaginative concept or narrative and usually full of falsehood and incredibility

Myths: Myths are folktales that are religious and explain the universe and its inhabitants. Such stories are considered true both by the narrator and the audience and tell of the creation and regulation of the word.

Legend: Legends are folk history, and even when dealing with religious subject matter differ from myth in that, they tell about what has happened in the world after the period of its creation is over. They are believed by both narrator and audience and covered a variety of subject: saints, werewolves, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures: adventures of real heroes and heroine.

A myth is a traditional story about heroes or supernatural beings, often attempting to explain the origins of natural phenomena or aspects of human behavior. It is widely held but mistaken belief. It is a widely held but mistaken belief. It is a narrative that through many retelling has become an accepted tradition in a society. It explains when the world began, how human being and animals came to being, how divine and human interact.

Features of Myths

1. They are stories considered to be true explanations of how everything came to be.
2. The characters are often not human but gods or deities.
3. The settings are in a world that resembles our world but is different from it.
4. They sometimes try to show us how to live.

Legend

It is a story that has been passed down for generations, especially one that is presented as history but is unlikely to be true. They are traditional narratives or collections of related narratives, regarded as historical fact but are a mixture of fact and fiction. They are believed by both narrators by both narrator and audience; it covers a variety of subject: saints, wolves, ghosts and other supernatural creatures, adventures of real heroes and heroine.

EVALUATION

1. Explain the concept of myth.
2. What is a legend?