Types of LEGENDS and their characteristics- complete SUMMARY !!

Inside of oral tradition literature, legends are one of the genres with the most history and most important. Legends help us to configure a story from our past that has touches of fiction and that are based on real characters. But we must not forget that it is literature and, therefore, they are stories that mix reality and fiction and that pursue a moral or didactic objective to instruct the population on the way to follow, continue. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to show you the different types of legends and their characteristics so that you can learn about the different types of narratives that we can find in our historical and literary corpus. We started!

Before discovering the types of legends that exist, it is important that we stop for a moment in better understand the definition of legend and that, thus, we know exactly what type of text we are we find. We must bear in mind that there are large differences between tale and legend, as well as between myth and legend; each of these genres have particular characteristics that make them unique.

With that said, we are beginning to reveal to you what a legend is so that you can better understand the lesson. Legend is a story that is based on history, but that includes fantastic elements own of literature. In this type of story we can find that real and true events are mixed with other supernaturals that cannot take place in our world. Legendary stories have been passed down from generation to generation thanks to the oral literature that explained to the rest of the citizens the findings of a town or a hero in particular. They had a moralizing ending or with ethical elements so that society would take the legend as an example.

Unlike myths, legends have a part that is more realistic and historical. Although there are elements of fiction, the truth is that these stories are told from a true point of view and that it could well be real. This has meant that, on many occasions, a great confusion with legend and history, since the legends were built in scenarios that were credible and narrated situations that could have been possible. A world very familiar to the listener or the reader and that gave rise to confusion.

Legends have a large component of popular culture, since they were stories that used to emphasize to a town a hero in concrete. The events narrated were almost always related to the homeland and took place in real time / space. This has made, currently, legends are a great source of study for anthropologists because they have elements of their culture, identity or religion.

Once the definition is known, now we can fully enter the different types of legends that exist. Depending on some factors of their nature, the legends are classified into two large groups; here we discover them.

Types of legends according to their theme

• Historical legends. These stories tell us about situations that have taken place in reality and that are usually linked to wars or epic battles. Although they have a real basis, the truth is that the stories are "made up" with elements of fantasy that help to emphasize the message that you want to convey to the population.
• Etiological. These legends are those that refer to the origin of the natural world, that is, where rivers, trees, rain, etc. come from. They are a type of common legend in indigenous peoples who have been in constant contact with nature and give a literary explanation of their origin.
• Eschatological legends. They are the types of legends that talk about life after death or the afterlife. They are stories that deal with death and the underworld which, in the vast majority of cultures, is a place on Earth that exists and is where we go when we die.
• Religious. Within the world of religion there are also legends that have been built based on characters that have actually existed. These stories talk about saints or people who are important to the religious corpus. They have real and fantastic elements that fulfill the objective of transmitting the foundations of religion.

Types of legends according to their origin

• local. They are legends that arise within a town, a region or a province and that are usually framed in some space of the area and have a popular hero who was historical and known. In Spain, the legend of the Cid Campeador it is one of the best known and most studied.
• Rural. These legends used to appear during feudal times when the vast majority of the population was rural. Here we find stories that are closely linked to the folklore and traditions of a people and are usually set in the fields or in rural spaces.
• Urban legends. They are one of the most well-known types of legends today and are generated in urban centers, that is, in cities. The stories are more modern and industrialized, although they still have elements of fantasy or supernatural elements. Today there are a lot of urban legends and many of them are scary stories related to spirits or ghosts. The legend of La Llorona it is a clear example of urban legend.

Now that you know the different types of legends that exist, let's now focus on the features of the most prominent legends and that will help you to more easily detect this type of literary text.

• Fiction and reality. As we have already indicated, legends are stories that have elements of reality, but also of fiction.
• Verisimilitude. It is very common for there to be some confusion with the legends and history. This is mainly due to the fact that the legendary stories are written with the maximum verisimilitude and, therefore, could well be real. The fantastic component is very well integrated into the story and can make us doubt its veracity.
• Brevity. Captions are also usually short in length, unlike other literary genres like the novel, for example.
• They are literary texts. We must not forget that legends are part of literature and, therefore, will have literary resources such as metaphors, comparisons, and so on. They are not historical texts, but literary texts that have a style, have narrative tension, etc.
• Collective creation. Another characteristic of the legends is that they are stories that, being of oral tradition, have been built over time. Each narrator has been able to give their own expressive elements or changes in the story that have been modifying it since its origin.
• Nestled in a real space / time. Legends have a real basis and, therefore, are always built in spaces known to the listener. The place where the plot takes place and the moment of the story has taken place in our reality and, therefore, can generate confusion with the veracity of the argument.
• Moralistic purpose. Legends are told for a reason; the objective pursued is to instruct the population, highlight the model to follow, the vices to avoid, and so on. Legendary heroes usually fulfill the ideal of an ideal citizen and, this, usually changes depending on the ethnic group or people that the legend tells.

Here we discover the parts of the legend so that you know how these literary texts are usually structured.