MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Background Information
Every community has ways of explaining their origin and heroic deeds of their people. This is usually done through their myths and legends. The information is passed on from one generation to the next through word of mouth such as songs, proverbs and stories among others.
Objectives
By the end of the lesson, you should be able to;
(a) Identify features of myths.
(b) Identify features of legends.
(c) Explain the differences and similarities between the legends and myths.
(d) Identify features of myths.
(e) Identify features of legends.
(f) Explain the differences and similarities between legends and myths.
Different communities have different stories to explain the creation of the world, origin of human beings, animals and other natural and supernatural phenomena which are beyond human understanding. These stories are referred to as myths and are usually taken seriously in each community. Myths sound like a simple description rather than a story.
Your knowledge of phrases will be useful in this lesson. As learnt earlier, a phrase is a group of words
that forms part of a sentence and does not make sense on its own. A quantifier is a word that shows
amount or quantity. Some words that show quantity are:
Plenty
Few
Little
Many
Some
one
two
several
A phrasal quantifier is a group of words that express quantity in terms of amount or number.
Material– describes what something is made from, for example, A wooden spoon.
Size – tells you how big or small something is, for example a large envelope.
Age – tells you how young or old something or someone is, for example, Fort Jesus is an ancient
building.
Colour – describes the colour of something. For example, A blue dress
Shape – describes how something looks like. For example, a round- faced clock.
Origin – describes where something/someone comes from, for example, A Kenyan footballer
Intensive Reading
In this lesson we discuss comprehension and style in poetry and prose
Public writing
Myths and Legends
In this lesson we will discuss myths and legends.
Do you have a story in your community where the chameleon or any other animal delayed to deliver an important message to humanity?
Legends
Legends, like myths are also specific to a group of people. They are stories about historical figures,
characters or events. They are specific to a particular community. The hero/heroine in a legend usually possesses superhuman qualities. The qualities of legendry figures are sometimes exaggerated and may sound like fantasy. For example, Lwanda Magere, a legendry character among the Luo community had a body of rock and strength was in his shadow.