medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
It is unfortunate that both "legend" and "myth" have
> come to mean "nonsense" or even "lie" in general (non-scholarly) usage.
> However, scholars use "legend" and "myth" with their original meanings, so
> those terms are less problematic than "urban legend," a term that has, I
> believe, only recently come into vogue.
I seem to recall that an archaeologist once said "Myths and legends tell me
where to dig. They do not tell me what I shall find at the bottom of the
trench."
I think that what is literally true for the archaeologist should be
metaphorically true for the literary historian. Certainly I have found that
to take myths and legends seriously - but not uncritically - can open up
unexpected vistas of investigation. Academic rigor does not have to be
academically blinkered.
Brenda M. C.
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