1. Legends What is a legend? What are the characteristics of a legend?
What are some examples of legends?

2. What is a legend?
A legend is a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.
Legends relate to people or clans.

3. The Characteristics of Legends
A legend is set in a specific place or time.
The main character is often heroic.
The main character is a human, not a god.
They were stories that were told orally and turned into literary masterpieces.

4. Examples of Legends

5. Legends of Mesopotamia
The legends of Mesopotamia may have been written on clay tablets such as this.

6. The Legend of Gilgamesh
Famous ancient story about a great warrior (named Gilgamesh) who lives a very long time and does a great many great things. This story also includes a Great Flood story and some other stories found in traditions of other ancient civilizations. Gilgamesh was from Uruk, a Sumerian city.

8. Writing Our Own Legend You are going to write your own legend.
Choose a heroic character – it should be a human.
Choose a specific place where your character lives.
Give your heroic character a few legendary qualities.
Explain what makes your character a legend.