Discover the PARTS of a LEGEND

Legends are part of our cultural history. They manage to tell us about past events with touches of fiction that are incorporated to give the narrative a more literary aspect. In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to discover you what are the parts of a legend and that, thus, you can learn to clearly identify this literary subgenre in which mix fiction with history real. Some texts that help us understand our culture and understand what our society in which we live is like. Here we tell you!

Before getting to know the parts of a legend fully, it is important that we know well the definition of this genre. When we speak of legend we are referring to a type of literary narrative that mix fiction with real events. One of its main characteristics is that its origin has always been oral and, therefore, its transmission has been from generation to generation.

They are short stories but you have to know the differences between legend and tale because they are two very different literary subgenres. The legend is starring

real and historical characters and, usually, it also tells events that have taken place at some point in history. However, this narrative cannot be considered as historical because it mixes reality with fiction and uses literary resourcesthat help create a text that is considered literary.

Also, legends are usually placed in a actual historical period and, this, gives greater credibility to the narrated story. But during the narration we find a great presence of fantastic elements as, for example, the existence of magical creatures, the appearance of miracles, and so on. Although in the legend the texts are presented as real, the truth is that it is a literary text in which imagination and fiction abound.

Legends used to be created with ethical or moralistic purposes: the protagonists embodied a ideal citizen model and he fulfilled skills such as courage, honor, responsibility, and so on. They were texts that were usually carried out by courageous heroes who performed impressive feats and who, quickly, became role models. In Spain we have a clear example of this with the legend of the Cid Campeador.

In the RAE define the subgenre of the legend in this way:

F. Story based on a real event or character, deformed or magnified by fantasy or admiration.

The big difference with the myths is that, the legends, they talk about men while the myths focus on narrating the adventures of the gods.

We are going to get into the topic at hand and get to know the parts of a legend. As in the case of the stories, the legends also comply with a very clear structure of approach, middle and end. But these parts have some characteristics that are worth knowing.

Here are the parts of a legend so that you know them in detail. Attention!

Approach, the first part of the legend

During the setting of the legend is when we know the hero or the protagonist of history. Typically, legends often feature heroes or characters who are very courageous and who are a role model. For this reason, it is during this part of the story that we will get to know what this character is like, his interests and his personality. In addition, here we also know the place where the events will take place, as well as the narrative time in which we find ourselves.

But it is also part of the approach of the story the first element that interrupts his routine. Some event implies that the hero has to make a decision that will change and will start a new adventure. An element also typical of the legends is that the protagonist is accompanied by a mentor or by a character who is his nobleman during the adventures that are about to begin.

The knot of the legend

Another part of a legend is the one that corresponds to the knot of the story, that is, at the beginning of the "problems" that will make the hero see himself at a crossroads. The knot usually begins in the legend just at the moment in which the hero decides to abandon his routine and start with that new adventure or company that has been presented to him in the approach.

The protagonist is entering an unknown universe and in which, very frequently, they appear fantastic and supernatural characters that will test the skills and ideology of the hero. It is during the knot of the story that all the troublesome events of the story take place. story and the protagonist must overcome them in order to reach his mission and fulfill his objective. It is normal for the main character to encounter enemies and opponents that they must defeat.

In the knot is when it takes place, too, the climax of the story, that is to say, the key moment of the hero's problems, when the plot reaches its maximum level. Here the story will explode and a denouement will be reached that can be positive or negative for the hero.

The end of the legend

Right after the climax It is when the denouement of the story takes place, that is, when all the problems are resolved and the calm situation with which we started is recovered. Here the protagonist usually has a reward for his worth, this reward can be material or spiritual but it is usual that, in legends, the heroes come out "rewarded" for his performance.

The outcome also usually corresponds to the return home, the adventure is over and the protagonist can now return home. However, he does not return the same as he had left: he has learned one or several lessons and has changed slightly. In the denouement, the main conflict in the story is resolved and the protagonist has lived an experience that has made him change and evolve.

And we close this lesson on the parts of a legend to tell you about the main characteristics of this narrative subgenre. Legends are easy to differentiate from other texts such as stories or myths; here we tell you which are the most outstanding elements of these compositions:

• Mixture of fiction and reality: We have already commented that one of the main characteristics of legends is that they are stories that mix fiction with facts and / or real characters.
• Short stories: They are also easy to recognize because they are narratives, that is, narrative texts that use the appropriate literary resources but, in addition, they are also short-lived.
• Fantastic elements: it is also common for legends to have characters or events typical of the world of fantasy and that give a more allegorical character to the narrative
• Oral tradition and collective creation: traditionally the legends are of oral tradition, that is, they have been passed from generation to generation and each narrator has been able to incorporate expressive elements or changes that make the legend may be different depending on where we hear it
• Precise time and place: as it has a verisimilitude function, the legends are usually presented very well framed both in the place and in the time in which the action occurs
• Moral purpose: legends are usually explained by moral motivations in which heroes serve as role models for a good coexistence in society