Noun

Singular legend

Plural legends

legend (plural legends)

1. A story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary past events. Also historical legend.

   The legend of Troy was discovered to have historical basis.

2. A story in which a kernel of truth is embellished to an unlikely degree.

   The 1984 Rose Bowl prank has spawned many legends. Here's the real story.

3. A leading protagonist in a historical legend.

   Achilles is a legend in Greek culture.

4. Any person of extraordinary accomplishment.

   Michael Jordan stands as a legend in basketball.

5. A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.

   According to the legend on the map, that building is a school.

6. The text on a coin.
7. A fabricated backstory for spies, complete with appropriate documents and records.

   According to his legend, he once worked for the Red Cross, spreading humanitarian aid in Africa.

   • 1992, Ronald Kessler, Inside the CIA, 1994 Pocket Books edition, ISBN 067173458X, page 115:

     If the documents are needed to establish "a light legend," meaning a superficial cover story, no steps are taken to make sure that if someone calls the college or motor vehicle department, the name on the document will be registered.

   • 2003, Rodney Carlisle, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spies and Espionage, Alpha Books, ISBN 0028644182, page 105:

     Sorge solidified his own position by returning to Germany and developing a new legend. He joined the Nazi Party […] .

   • 2005, Curtis Peebles, Twilight Warriors, Naval Institute Press, ISBN 1591146607, page 25:

     Both the agent's legend and documents were intended to stand up against casual questions from Soviet citizens, such as during a job interview, or a routine police document check, such as were made at railway stations.

Synonyms

• key (5)
• guide (5)
• myth (1, 2)
• hero (3, 4)
• tall tale (2)
• inscription (6)

Derived terms

• campus legend
• legend in one’s own mind
• legend in one’s own time
• urban legend

Related terms

• lege
• legendary

A legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility", defined by a highly flexible set of parameters, which may include miracles that are perceived as actually having happened, within the specific tradition of indoctrination where the legend arises, and within which it may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic. The Brothers Grimm defined legend as folktale historically grounded. A modern folklorist's professional definition of legend was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990:

Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode, reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs."