Myths & Legends
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ENG 201 Intro. to Literature Prof. Everson
Definitions
{ Myths & Legends
Myths
A myth is a story that gives a religious explanation for
something: how the world or a particular custom or
natural phenomena began or was created. It may also
recount a heroic deed by a symbolic ancestor or founder
of a people, or beginning of human life.
Setting: the place and time of myths are not usually
related to the present day, though myths or a cycle of
myths may have their own internal chronology.
Time period: is general and timeless in that the events are
symbolic rather than realistic.
Characters: myths usually include the gods or fantastical
(mythological) creatures; flat or archetypal characters .
Myths
Theme: concerns issues related to the religious view of the
people, and believers of the religion may take myths as
truth.
In modern era (today) many are skeptical about the truth
value of myths, and even some Biblical stories in the
Christian religion are understood as “myth” and thus not
literally true but as a symbolic truth. For example: Adam
& Eve, Noah’s Ark, Tower of Babel, among others.
Legends
A legend is a story which is told like a true, historical
event, not as an explanation for something else or a
symbolic narrative, as is a myth. The legend may or may
not be an elaborated version of a historical event.
Examples of legends in the English tradition are the
stories about Robin Hood, which are set in a definite
period, the reign of Richard I of England (1189-99), or
about King Arthur and his knights, which were perhaps
originally based on the exploits of a Romano-Celtic prince
who attempted to resist the expansion of the AngloSaxons in what was to become England. The stories about
Robin Hood and King Arthur have been elaborated and
expanded on down the years.
Reading 5:
The Hummingbird
The Hummingbird
Long long ago . . . far up in the hills there
was once a small pool fed by a waterfall that
tumbled down the side of a mountain. It was
the favorite place of Alida, the daughter of a
great and powerful Taino cacique.
One day when Alida came to the pool to rest after a
long walk, she was startled by a stranger—a young
Taino not from her tribe who was picking fruit from
the trees. He told her about himself to make her feel
at home. He was a member of an enemy tribe who
had been left behind after an attack and had lived in
the forest by the pool ever since. Alida and Taroo
became good friends. They would meet often at the
pool. Their meetings were always brief so that no
one would discover their secret friendship.
In spite of Alida’s precautions, there came
a day when someone saw them and told
her father. Alida was forbidden to return
to the pool, and her father decided to
arrange a wedding to a man of his own
choosing in order to put an end to Alida
and Taroo’s romance.
Alida was grief stricken and prayed to her
god for help. “Do not let me marry this
man whom I do not love!” The god took
pity on her and changed her into a
beautiful red flower. Meanwhile, Taroo,
knowing nothing of Alida’s saddness, still
waited for her by the pool, but she never
arrived.
One night, the moon took pity on him and
called out “Do not wait for Alida. Your secret
has been found out, and to avoid marrying
another man, she cried out to the gods for
help and was changed into a delicate red
flower.” “Help me to find Alida”, Taroo cried
out. The gods took pity on him also and
changed him into a small multi-colored bird
saying “Fly, Colíbri, find your love among the
flowers.” His wings made a humming sound
as he rapidly flew away.
In the morning, the Tainos saw the new bird
darting among the flowers as swift as an
arrow and as bright as a jewel. They heard the
humming of his wings and saw him hovering
over every flower he passed and kissing the
petals. They liked the bird with the music in
his wings and called it a hummingbird. Ever
since then the little bird has hovered over
every flower he finds, but he returns most
often to the red ones still looking for Alida.
He has not found her yet.
Discussion questions:
1. Who are the four characters of the story?
2. Where does the story take place? Does the location have
anything to do with the end of the story?
3. Why is it important for Alida and Taroo to keep their
relationship a secret?
4. How does Alida’s father find out about Taroo?
5. What happened to prevent Alida’s marriage to an
unknown suitor?
6. Who does Alida ask assistance from, to avoid the
marriage?
7. What is the significance of changing Alida into a beautiful
red flower?
8. Why do you think the gods called Taroo “colíbri”?
9. What do we learn about hummingbirds from the story?
10. Is this a legend or a myth? Why?
Myth
“Myths are things that never happened but
always are.”
Sallustius, 4th cent. AD
“A myth is a narrative which discloses a sacred
world.”
Lawrence J. Hatab, Myth and
Philosophy
“Mythology is the womb of mankind’s initiation
to life and death.”
Joseph Campbell, Bios and Mythos
Defining Myth
Held to be Sacred and True
Core Narratives in Larger Ideological
Systems
Set Outside of Historical Time
“In the Beginning…”
Describes Actions of Divine or Semi-Divine
Characters
Explain Key Aspects of World Order
Multi-Episodic
Often Performed in Ritual or Ceremonial
Contexts
Assignment #5
{ The Hummingbird
A.5 Complete the Myth Chart
Copy the Myth Chart on the Wiki into your notebook.
Complete the Myth Chart in class. Use any resources
including the professor.
HOMEWORK:
Print the A. 5 Myth Chart from the Materials page of
Wiki, and complete it.
Submit the completed Myth Chart for Wednesday,
October 17th
The Myth Chart will be evaluated as Assignment #5.