Legends and Myths

[pennydreadful]

Mythology is a passion of mine. Legends and Myths are humanities way of explaining the human condition or the world. I have spent a great deal of time researching mythology for a project I am working on. I find it completely fascinating that there are ancient beings we know by name, but have little history or conflicting stories about. I enjoy the freedom this lends to creativity and creation of alternate mythology and legends. One of the best stories I have come across is an Asian fairy tale of Cinderella. That version is the most wicked and twisted I had ever read. It was exciting, and yet, the foundation, the theme, was the same.

[lv lewis]

I am very interested in legends and myths. My favorite is Greek Mythology. I am a sucker for anything along those lines. Rick Riordan anyone?

[lolashoes]

I love Greek Mythology and have been interested in them for a long time now. It's really fascinating to read all the adventures and stories about the Gods and Goddesses of the ancient times.

[ramblinggnomes]

Myths and legends are the basis of so many good stories even today. They are usually packaged as something different in films and books but the underlying theme is still there. They're the original fantasy and I get as excited about them as I did as a child.

[MerryLove]

I love when a book incorporates a legend or myths, but I've never thought of them as meant to be true or believed. They usually have some sort of life lesson involved, or focus on a trait to be admired, etc. In this way, they are great stories to share and pass on for human insight, but not for the literal story itself.

[Pookabooks]

Lengths and myths are so much fun to ponder on and speculate. They have such great possibilities and add flavor into stories and life. Generally, I don't put much weight in them outright, but I do think many times they originated from an ounce of truth that got distorted. Regardless, I tremendously enjoy the mystery and intrigue that they bring!

-- 10 Dec 2016, 19:08 --

I suppose I could truthfully say that I'm partial to animals and creatures in mythology. Things like unicorns and dragons being the ones usually encountered in books, though gargoyles have been gaining in popularity.

And Native American lore is always interesting, and full of animals.

I agree! I used to collect unicorns when I was younger. I have always loved animal creatures in mythology and I find it excited when I discover them in new Places.

[thereadingsloth]

These are great, so far!

I love learning about Greek mythology, but I guess the tale I remember the most is Paul Bunyan. Though this is a tall tale/folklore, it's one that has stuck with me since I was a kid. I mean who wouldn't remember a giant lumberjack and a blue ox?

I absolutely love Greek mythology! Learning about things that other people believe in really gets me thinking on what I really believe in. It is always a topic that is entertaining for all age groups too!!

-- 12 Dec 2016, 12:21 --

One particular legend that has always fascinated me is that of the Loch Ness monster... there is so much unknown still in our world that there could very well be undiscovered "monsters" out there still

This one always fascinated me too. There is so much unknown, especially in the water. Thinking about how big and deep water is gives me the creeps! We have no idea what lies in certain places, and the legends/myths keeps us on our toes wondering about what we have yet to find out for sure.


-- 12 Dec 2016, 12:23 --

I love Greek Mythology and have been interested in them for a long time now. It's really fascinating to read all the adventures and stories about the Gods and Goddesses of the ancient times.

I do too. I wish i could just jump in and live there!

[Aakaraw]

I believe that the stories of legends in every community are told to teach us some morals and ethics so it does not matter whether those stories are true or not. What matters is what we learn from them.
My favorite legend is Pandora's box. It teaches us that greed is never good but also teaches us that when all is lost, there is still hope. So we must never lose hope, no matter what.

[Diving doc]

I think it's definitely cool with authors incorporate them into books. However, I personally am not really sure how much I believe them. I would say it really all depends on which myth, because some are more realistic than other.

I agree with you totally, that they're interesting to red/hear about, but the content needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.

[angelbeats1]

I like hearing legends and myths. It is interesting to hear the legends and myths of different cultures, as well as where they originated from. I find them to be magical in a sense because essentially legends and myths are stories that were passed down from one generation to the other overtime. They always fill me with wonder.

[cjohns105]

My best friend is currently pursuing her doctorate in Native American studies. Her absolute favorite area of study is that of myths, legends, and the oral traditions that contextualize and support them. While myths and legends often seem both unreal and eclectic, it is still quite an undertaking to choose to incorporate them in to a piece of literature.

I happen to live within a reasonable drive from the location introduced in Chapter 1. Since I am familiar with how the area generally looks I found myself feeling very invested in the telling of this creation story, even if I did not fully understand it. It also makes me want to visit the are again so that I can look at it through the lens of some of what I read in the book.

As far as my favorite myth or legend, I do have a favorite. I think the reasoning behind the choice is silly though. I have always felt that when a person is born is important because it ties them to the world around them. For instance my grandmother's birthday coincides with the summer solstice and to me that makes sense. she is a very warm and bright person, so of course she would be born on the longest day of the year. My birthday on the other hand happens to coincide with the legend of Krampusnacht. This is a legend of Bavarian origin that talks about a devilish creature who comes to haunt and torture anyone who has not been good in the preceding year. While it was most likely pagan or at least pre-christian in origin, the legend was adapted over time to tie into the Christmas holiday. Now Krampusnacht is the night when those of Santa's naughty list get their "gifts", while those who have been good are spared and may look forward to Christmas. Now I have about as much German in me as I do Native American (roughly 1/16 each) but when my grandmother would tell us all about this old legend, I was always the only one who had no problem with it. I would even go so far as to defend poor Krampus' honor from the words of my cousins and siblings. Its all very silly, I know, but I have always felt oddly connected to the legend and I suspect it is because of when I was born.

[losingsleepoverbooks]

I like legends and myths because they are intriguing and they make even books more interesting! That does not necessarily mean I believe them, but they are fun to read! In high school, we had a unit in history about Greek and Roman mythology and I absolutely loved it! I thought it was entertaining and I learned a lot!

[Acwoolet]

I definitely lean towards books that are based on legend or myth. I have yet to read Roan uet, but I think I'll be adding it to my list.

[Azeline Arcenal]

Greek mythology has always intrigued me. I love learning about the different gods and the stories of how they came to be. On the other hand, legends like King Arthur are also fascinating. My favorite legend is about King Arthur, Merlin, and the knights of the round table.

[Jax14]

I love the way that around the world you can find myths and legends that have the same meaning but culturally specific characters...

-- 17 Jan 2017, 02:30 --

I love the way that around the world you can find myths and legends that have the same meaning but culturally specific characters...