Most people use the words folklore, myth, and legend pretty much interchangeably. We have the Mythbusters (a great show despite an inaccurate name). Most folks refer to “urban myths” when they’re really “urban legends,” or say “oh, that’s just a myth” when describing something they think is totally false. Legends are usually equated with local stories told about larger-than-life beings or events, i.e. “the legend of Bigfoot” or “the legend of Boggy Creek.”
If the terms are interchangeable, why do we have three of them?
As is often the case, there are actually functional differences between each term. For all practical purposes the (admittedly somewhat subtle) differences are only relevant to people like me, who study subjects like legends, history and the ways in which they intersect. The three areas are generally closely related, and of course the exact definitions vary depending on who you ask. Here’s the way I usually break it all down.
Folklore literally means “stories of the people” and usually refers to songs, proverbs, stories, dances, practices, traditions, and popular beliefs though this isn’t a complete list. Examples of folklore might include the tradition of throwing salt over ones’ shoulder to dispel evil (i.e. “throwing salt in the Devil’s eye”) or spitting on a newly married couple in order to wish them luck. Practices and stories that fall under the category of folklore don’t necessarily have religious connotations, though it’s equally likely they will. Stories of betting with the Devil and winning by trickery fall into the realm of folklore. Other examples of folklore are completely mundane in nature.
Probably the best short definition I’ve ever heard for myth is “the way a society explains itself, to itself.” Myths are generally religious or otherwise sacred in nature, and involve characters or events from the distant, or not so distant, past. The stories of Prometheus stealing fire from the Gods, of Romulus and Remus founding Rome, or of the American ideas of “manifest destiny” and “the melting pot” are all examples of myth. In the latter example, the arrival and integration of immigrants from far-flung cultures is presented as the way in which American society has developed. According to the myth, each group brings its special character to while merging into American society as a whole — a case of heterogeneous groups becoming a homogeneous whole.
Myths explain why something is as it is — the objectives of a society, the way in which it was founded, or the belief systems it supports.
Myths may be seen as true within the culture in which they are created, but false from the viewpoint of other cultures. Examples might be the 19th century Chinese idea that China was the only advanced, “civilized” country in the world while all others were primitive barbarians, or the Nazi myth of Aryan superiority. The “truth” of a given myth depends on context and worldview; it is not dependent on factual evidence or objective detail. Myths can become even more dangerous when groups attempt to fulfill or “prove” the factual nature of a myth despite evidence of its falsity.
Legends are tales about (allegedly) real people performing real actions in the real world. In general, a legend doesn’t involve supernatural or impossible actions, and is relevant to a very specific area or group of people. Urban Legends, for example, are always told in the context of locations that are recognizable to the hearer. A telling of “the choking Doberman” heard in white noise cd for tinnitus
Boston, Massachusetts will always involve nearby towns or streets. The same tale told in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, will involve locations in or near that town. If a legend is adapted to another setting, its details will be altered to suit its new environment.
Some legends are more esoteric and remote, yet still involve allegedly real locations and people. Atlantis, Shangi-La, and Robin Hood are examples of this genre; they all involve stories of places that may have existed and people who performed actions well within the realm of human possibility.
None of these cultural tales necessarily remain static. They will be altered over time, either through inaccuracies in oral transmission, additions of new details (sometimes taken from other stories) or evolving needs among those to whom they're relevant. Tracing the evolution of myths, folktales, and legends can reveal a great deal about changing values, social situations, and psychologies of the societies in which they're told.