Реферат Legends today
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Plan
Introduction. Legends – a definition………………………………….. 4
Part 1. Examples from different countries…………………………….. 6
1.1 English legends about Robin Hood……………………………... 6
1.2 King Arthur – a legendary hero…………………………………. 7
1.3 The legend about Lady Godiva………………………………….. 8
1.4 An old Indian legend about Dagomba…………………………....9
1.5 A legend from the USA………………………………………….10
1.6 Ancient Greece legends………………........................................ 11
1.7 The legend about the Cherokee Rose……....................................17
Part 2. Legends today………………………………………………… 20
2.1 Loch Ness from Scotland………………………………………..20
2.2 The Yeti from the United States and Canada……………………20
2.3 Bigfoot from the Himalayas……………………………………. 21
2.4 The crocodiles under New York………………………………... 21
2.5 The Legend of the Vampire……………………………………...21
Conclusion
Literature
Appendix
Легенди (від латиського слова "legenda" - те, що слід прочитати) — група фольклорних творів, об'єднаних присутністю в них елементів фантастичного, незвичайного, надприродного, але може сприйматися як дійсне, достовірне, яке проходить на межі історичного та міфологічного часу або в конкретному історичному періоді.
Легенди переважно пов'язані з персонажами священної історії ( в тому числі з святинями християнської та ісламської релігій, євангелiйськими персонажами).
Однією з основних рис легенди є їх належність до історичного часу, або їх переходу від міфологічного часу до історичного.
Деякі легенди включають в себе елементи дійсності, але частіше зміст та події, описані в легендах є цілком вигаданими. Часто представники тієї чи іншої нації хочуть наділити героїв легенд чимось особливим, надзвичайним, якого напевно не було насправді, але факт існування головних персонажів підтверджено історично в якості зразка можна навести приклад Короля Артура та його лицарів, Вільгельма Теля, Робін Гуда та інших героїв відомих легенд. В українській історії можна навести історичну постать Устима Кармелюка, захисника знедоленого люду.
Різні легенди розповідають про різні цивілізації, наприклад таких країн як Греція, Індія, Італія, Єгипет, європейські країни.
Інколи досить непросто розрізнити легенду від міфів та повір'їв. Хоча, безумовно, існують окремі типологічні відмінності, які є темою окремого дослідження.
Об'єктом даного дослідження стали легенди різних часів і народів. Однак, перевага віддається старовинним та сучасним легендам англомовних країн.
У ході роботи були використані не тільки книги легенд, а і періодичні видання, енциклопедії та підручники англійських видавництв.
Метою нашої роботи було зібрати зразки легенд різних країн, різних часів, перекладених на англійську мову, проаналізувати їх і простежити спільне та відмінне, стиль викладення подій, щоб мати уявлення про легенду як літературний твір у цілому, так і про легенди англомовних країн зокрема.
Новизна роботи полягає у співставленні легенд, які належать до різних культурних традицій та часів та представленні сучасних легенд
Практичне значення роботи в тому, що в ній є досить цікаві зразки легенд різних країн на англійській мові, які можна використовувати як в практиці викладання англійської мови, так і для широкого кола читачів.
INTRODUCTION
Legends are stories about the past. Some of the stories come from ancient history. Another definition says: "A legend is an old popular story which is perhaps true and perhaps not."
The New Penguin Encyclopedia gives such definition: "Legend — a vague term, either referring to stories of ancient heroes, saints, or ordinary men or women which have been handed down by oral or written tradition, or simply to fairy stories. It is usually, but not always, distinguished from myth, which deals with gods; and opposed to history, which is subject to critical judgment. Nevertheless, because ancient peoples were not given to fiction, in the modem sense of the term, a legend often contains a kernel of truth."
Legend is any improbable or fairing story handed down from the past. Legends often contain an element of fact, but sometimes they are totally untrue. Legendary tales often are interwoven with the history of a people or nation. These include stories that talk about the earliest king of Rome, King Arthur and the knights, William Tell, and Paul Bungan.
The word 'legend" comes from the Latin 'legenda" meaning a story to be read aloud. It came to mean the life of a holy person or a collection of saints lives. The most famous collection of saints lives 'The Golden Legend" (about 1300) includes the story of a George and a Dragon. In the late Boo's Geoffrey Chaucer's Legend of Gold Women retold the lives of Cleopatra, Dido, Medea and other such women.
Legends are the part of folklore. Folklore is any of the beliefs customs and traditions that people pass from generation to generation. Much folklore consists of folk-stories legends like myth. Stories told us
that they were true. But legend are set in the real world and relatively recent times.
American folklore includes many heroes. David Crockett was a famous American frontiersman who was elected to the US Congress from Tennessee in 1827. After Crockett died in the battle in the Alamo in 1836 he became a popular figure in American folklore.
John Chapman, better known as Johny Applesead planted apple trees from Massachusetts to the Midwest during the early 1800's. He was the hero of a number of legends by the time he died in 1840's.
John Henry was the black hero of the many legends in the South. A famous ballad described how he completed against a steam drill in a race to see whether a man or a machine could dig a funnel faster. Using only a hammer John Henry won, but he died of exhaustion.
Many legends are from ancient civilizations. For example, there are legends about the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome, India, Egypt, China and Mexico.
The ancient stories are often about great events and great people and about the origins of the world. There are also many stories about powerful gods and about important people such as kings and queens. In some countries there are stories about magic and about animals and monsters. Many legends tell about human beings who meet supernatural creatures, such as fairies, ghosts, vampires and witches. Number of legends are associated with famous people who have died. Other tell of holy persons and religious leaders. Some legends describe how saints work miracles.
The auction of many legends has not been completed by the story's end. For example, a legend about a hurried treasure man end by saying that the treasure has not yet been found. A legend about a haunted house may suggest that the house is still haunted.
PART 1
There are many examples of old legends from different countries.
The most popular English stories are about two legendary heroes, King Arthur and Robin Hood.
English legends about Robin Hood
1. Robin Hood is a legendary hero who lived in Sherwood Forest, in Nottingham, with his band of followers. Stories about him and his adventures began to appear in the fourteenth century, but the facts behind the legend are uncertain. One writer thinks Robin was born in 1160, at a time when there were many robbers living in the woods, stealing from the rich but only killing in self - defence.
Everyone knows that Robin Hood robbed the rich to give to the poor. He chose to be an outlaw, that is, someone who lives 'outside the law', but he had his own ideas of right and wrong. He fought against injustice, and tried ordinary people a share of the riches owned by people in authority and the Church. He had many qualities - he was very good sportsman, a brave fighter, and was very good with his bow and arrow.
He dressed in green, lived in the forest with his wife, Maid Marion, and his men, among them Friar Tuck, Allen a Dale, Will Scarlet, and little John. For food, they killed the King's deer, and many days were spent eating, drinking, and playing games. He robbed the rich by capturing them as they travelled through the forest and inviting them to eat with him. During the supper, someone looked in their bags to see how much money they had. When it was finished, Robin asked them to pay for the meal, and of course, he knew how much to ask for!
His main enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham, who was always trying to capture Robin but never managed to do it. Some stories say that he killed Robin by poisoning him. In his doing moments, he shot a final arrow from his famous bow, and asked little John to bury him where the arrow landed.
King Arthur – a legendary hero
2. The legends of King Arthur began to appear in the twelfth century, and it is possible that they are based on a Celtic leader in the fifth or sixth century who defended his country against Saxon invasion. King Arthur was the son of Pendragon, and was born in Tintagel in Cornwall. He was brought by Merlin, an old Celtic magician, and became king of Britain when he was fifteen. He proved his right to be king when he managed to pull a sword from a rock. He had to fight many lords, and when, with Merlin's help, he defeated them, he received the magic sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. He married Guinevere and lived in a castle at Camelot. His knights sad at a round table so that they were all equal - nobody was sitting at the head of the table. Many of the stories in the legends are about the adventures of the knights, among them Lancelot, Perceval, Gawain, and Galahad. They spent their time hunting wild pigs, having feasts, and singing ballads. They often had to kill dragons and giants. At all time they behaved very correctly, with respect, honour, and compassion.
Arthur went to Rome to fight the emperor, Lucius , and he left his kingdom in the hands of his nephew, Modred . As he was entering Rome, Arthur learned that Modred had taken control of the kingdom and had captured Guinevere. He came back to England and defeated his nephew, but in the battle was seriously wounded. Arthur told Sir Belvedere, the last surviving knight, to throw Excalibur into the water of the lake. He did this, and the sword was caught by a hand which came out of the water and then took the sword below the surface.
Arthur was then taken to the Isle of Avalon to get better. We understand that he did not die, but lives on and will return when his country needs him The legend says that the following verse is written on his tomb:
HIC LACET ARTHURUS,
REX QUONDAM
REXQUE FUTURUS
(HERE LIES ARTHUR, THE ONCE AND FUTURE KING.)
The legend about Lady Godiva
3. Another famous English legend is about Lady Godiva from the town of Coventry.
Many hundred years ago, in 1040, every city and town of England had its lord. The
Lord Leofric was lord of the town of Coventry. He was a very bad man and the people of Coventry had to pay him very much money. Lord Leofric had a wife, Lady Godiva, a kind and beautiful woman. She always spoke kindly to the people and the people loved her.
Lady Godiva often asked her husband not to take so much money from the people, but he only laughed at her. But she asked him again and again and at last he said:
"All right, I'll do it, but for this you must ride naked on horseback through the streets of the town."
"She won't do it", he said to himself. But she did.
There are two stories about how she did it. The first says that she rode on horseback and that her hair was so long that it covered her naked body. The other story says that the kind people of Coventr y did not come out of their houses that day, and did not look out of their windows, till she finished her ride. Only one young man, whose name was Tom, looked out. He saw the naked woman and become blind.
There is a statue to Lady Godiva on horseback in the centre of the Coventry.
An old Indian legend about Dagomba
4. There is an example of an old Indian legend called "The Fire Festival".
Long, long ago the chief of the Dagomba people had a son. He loved the boy so much that he could not sleep if the boy was not near him at night. One evening the chief sat under a big tree near his house. Some Dagombas sat around him. That night was warm and there was no rain. One could hear the tom-tom of the drums. Children sang and danced near them
"Life is good," the chief said. And the people clapped their hands. The Dagomba people always clap their hands when they agree with somebody or something.
Then the chief’s wife came up to the chief and said: "Oh, Chief, it is time for our boy to sleep."
"But he is with you, in the house," the chief said.
"Isn't he here, with you?" the woman asked.
" Woman, I tell you, he is not with me. Go and look for him"
" Oh, my dear Chief," the wife said sadly." He is not in our house."
The chief stood up quickly and cried. "Stop the dance! Let the drummers go and drum asking for my son." In a minute the drums began their talk." The Chief’s child is lost," they said. " Who find the child must bring him to the Chief.
All the people looked and looked for the boy. They were looking for the boy for many hours. Then the man cried out:" Here he it! "The chief came up to the man. There, under a tree of a grass, the boy was sleeping. "Get up, my dear," the chief said to his little son. But the boy did not hear him." Get up," said his father again. Then the boy opened his eyes.
"Farther," he said and got up. And they walked off together. The chief was very happy.
Then the chief looked back angrily at the tree: " Bum that tree! It hid my son from me." And the chief’s servants put their torches to its trunk and branches. The tree began to burn and soon fell on the grass.
At the same time the happy father went home with his son. The people ran after them with songs and dances.
From that day on every year in July, the Dagomba people have their Fire Festival. The chief goes out of their house and the people light their torches. They begin to dance and put their torches to three trunks. But today they bum only two or three brunches, and not the whole tree.
A legend from the USA
5. Another legend is from the United States of America.
Many years ago in the USA, two Indian tribes (the blue tribe and a red tribe ) were living on the opposite sides of a beautiful but dangerous lake. The blue tribe hater the red tribe and the red tribe hated the blue tribe. They were always at war. One day, Black Eagle, a tall young Indian from the blue tribe crossed the lake in his canoe and went into the forest. He was hoping to kill some Indians from the red tribe. He was walking slowly and carefully through the forest when suddenly he saw somebody. He saw an Indian girl from the red tribe. She was washing some clothes in the lake.
Black Eagle wanted to kill her but he couldn't because she was really beautiful. The girl's name was Nakoma . At first she was afraid, but they talked and laughed and walked in the forest, and soon they fell in love. That night they went back to their tribes but before they said good-bye, Black Eagle made a promise to Nakoma . He promised to go back and to see her again. They planned to meet every fool moon. So Black Eagle hid his canoe near the lake and, every month, he crossed the lake to be with Nakoma. They were madly in love.
But one night when he looked for his canoe, it wasn't there. Black Eagle looked everywhere but he couldn't find it.' So, he decided to swim across the lake. The lake was wide and the water was freezing but Black Eagle was young and strong. He swam quickly and soon he could see Nakoma waiting for him on the other side but he was getting tired. He began to swim slowly, until finally he disappeared into the lake and drowned.
Nakoma couldn't do anything to save him But she never forgot the boy who died for her, and she promised never to fall in love again. And the legend is that the Indians named the lake in memory of the pure Indian boy.
Ancient Greece legends
6. There are also many famous legends, which came to us from Ancient Greece. These legends are called myths. Some of them are given below.
Midas and the Golden Touch
Midas was a greedy man who happened to be a king. He ruled over the Land of the Roses. It was called that because so many roses grew there.
One day, King Midas found a man under a rose bush. "Where did you come from?" Midas asked the man. " I was at the party with Bacchus, the god of wine," answered the man. "I must be lost."
King Midas led the man inside. He took care of him for 10 days. Then he sent him back to Bacchus.
The wine god was always happy to get people back. '"Thank you!" he told Midas. "For your trouble, you may make a wish. Wish for anything you want!"
"I want everything I touch to turn to gold," King Midas said.
" It shall be done!" said Bacchus.
King Midas couldn't believe his good luck. How wonderful! All he had to do was touch something and it would turn to gold! Midas looked forward to becoming very rich.
He sat down to eat his dinner. He picked up his fork. As soon as his fingers touched it, it turned to gold. " Who needs silver forks when I can have gold?" Midas laughed.
Then he picked up a piece of bread. It , too, turned to gold. Midas started to put the bread in his mouth. But it was gold. He couldn't eat gold!
He picked up his glass to take a drink. The glass turned to gold. And as soon as the water touched his mouth, it also turned to gold.
" Daughter! Daughter!" he called to his dear child. "Help me! Everything I touch turns to gold!"
He reached out to the young girl. Sure enough, she turned to gold. She froze in place. She couldn't move. It was as if she were dead.
"Oh, dear!" cried Midas. "Now I've really done it." He looked up to the sky. 'Please, oh please, Bacchus! Take my wish away! I am hungry and thirsty! I have lost my daughter! I don't want everything to turn to gold!"
Bacchus heard Midas crying. "Go down to the river," said Bacchus. "Wash yourself in the clear water. Your wish will wash away. Then pour the water of the river on your daughter. You will have her back."
Midas did as Bacchus told him. When he touched the grass by the river, it did not turned to gold. It stayed as green as grass should be. The terrible wish was gone! But for years after, people found gold near the river where Midas had washed.
Narcissus and Echo
Echo was a young woman who talked all the time. Zeus's wife, Hera couldn't stand to hear Echo talking so much. So she put a spell on her "You will never be able to speak first," Hera told Echo. "You will only be able to repeat what is said to you."
This was very hard on a person who loved to talk. Echo would open her mouth, but nothing would come out. However, when some one finished speaking, she would repeat what was said.
Now, all the young women were in love with a young man named Narcissus. To be sure, he had a beautiful face. However, Narcissus had a cold heart. The women all run after him, but he never even looked at them. He just run away.
Echo, too, fell in love with Narcissus. With Hera's spell on her, she could not speak first. One day she followed him through the woods. Narcissus heard her behind him. He turned around. He saw no one. "Is someone here?" he called.
"Here," answered Echo, who could only repeat what hi said.
"What do you want if I find you?" asked Narcissus.
"You," answered Echo.
" I will die before I love you," warned Narcissus.
" I love you," answered Echo.
This went on and on until Narcissus had had enough. He went along his way and left Echo behind.
Echo felt very sad. Like all the other women, she could not catch Narcissus. She went off to a cave and melted away. Only her voice was left. You can still hear her if you call.
The gods on Mount Olympus saw what had happened. They decided it was time for Narcissus to learn a lesson about love. He would find out how it felt to love someone without return.
Here is how it happened. Narcissus bent down to take a drink of water from a pond. As good-looking as hi was, this was the first time he had ever seen himself. "Look at that beautiful face!" he cried to the face in the pond. His cold heart melted. He tried to touch the face in water. But when he did, the water moved and the face went away.
Time and time again, Narcissus tried to get close to the face in water. Time and time again, it went away without a word.
" Now I know the young women felt when I ran away from them," said Narcissus.
He was so sad. He never felt that spot by the pound. Narcissus was in love. He began to waste away. As he was dying, he called out " Good-bye" to the face in water. "Good-bye", came the sound of Echo from the cave.
The next spring, there was nothing left of Narcissus. But on the spot where he has sat grew a new, white flower. These flowers still grow today. They are named after Narcissus.
Pandora's Box
At one time, there were men on earth but no women. Zeus asked for the gods' help in making the first woman. The son of Zeus took some clay and gave the woman shape. The Four Wizards blew life into her. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, gave the woman soft skin and a pretty smell and filled her with love. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gave the woman a strong mind. Hera, the queen of the gods, made her curious. The woman would always want to know about things.
The first woman have everything. The gods named her Pandora, this means "the gift of all." Then they gave her to a mortal named Epimetheus, to be his wife. Along with Pandora came a box. It was a gift to her new husband from the gods. They did not tell Pandora what was inside.
Epimetheus and Pandora fell very much in love. "Why should I be so lucky?" Epimetheus wondered. "Why should the gods such a perfect woman?"
"Please don't ask such questions," said Pandora. "Just open the box. I want to see my gift to you. "
"No," said Epimetheus. "I don't trust the gods. We must never open the box. It may be a trick."
So the box stayed closed.
But Pandora grew more and more curious as to what was inside it. One day Epimetheus was away. "I must see what in the box," Pandora said to herself. "I will only look inside. I will not touch a thing."
She slowly lifted the lid of the box. Out flew all sorts of ugly monsters. Sickness, Sadness, and Hate flew out of the box and into the world. Pandora banged down the lid as fast as she could. But all the bad things were already loose. Now the world would just have to live with them.
When Epimetheus got home, Pandora told him what she had done. He was very sad to her news. He went over to the box "Listen" he said. "I hear a noise. Something else is still in there. Go ahead and lift the lid again. Surely, nothing could be worse than what already flew out."
Pandora lifted the lid. There, at the bottom, was Hope. It, too, flew out of the box and into the world.
This was just what the world needed. The people would have many bad things to deal with. But now, no matter what happened, there would always be Hope.
Flying to the Sun
Deadalus was a bright man. He was full of ideas on how to build and make new things. His king asked him to build a life-sized maze. The king put people inside the maze, hoping they would never find their way out.
But some people did find their way out of the maze. The King believed that Deadalus had told them how. So he put Deadalus and his son Icarus into the maze to see if they could find their way out.
The father and son walked and walked in the maze. Before long they hit a dead end.
They tried again, and again they hit a dead end.
"Are we stuck in here for the rest of our lives?" cried Icarus.
Deadalus raised his eyes to the blue sky above. "I am thinking of a way to escape," he said. "We might be stopped by land or water. But the air and the sky are free. They only way out of here is up. Son, we must fly out!"
"But we are not birds," said Icarus. "How we can fly?"
Deadalus worked out a plan . Each day, they caught a bird. They took two feathers from each bird. That way, the bird could still fly. Day by day, the pile of feathers grew.
Together the father and son used the feathers to make wings. They got some wax from the bees that made their home in the maze. They stuck the wings together with the wax. Soon, they tried out their new wings.
"This is great!" called the boy as he flew low to the ground. "We are liked the birds!"
"Be careful!" called back Daedalus to his son. "We can't fly too close to the sun. The heart from the sun will melt the wax, and our wings will fall apart."
But, like many young people, Icarus did not listen to his father. Each day he flew a little higher. The wings stayed in place. "See, Father!" laughed Icarus. "I am flying close to sun, and everything is fine!"
At last, the day came to fly out of the maze and away to a safe place.
"I warn you!" said Deadalus as they rose toward the sky. "Do not fly so dose to the sun!"
But Icarus only flew closer that ever to the sun and its heat. As he did, the wax began to melt. One by one, the feathers fell off. Before long, his wings fell apart.
Icarus fell down, down, down. Deadalus could not help his son. Icarus dropped into the sea. The water covered him, and he was gone.
Deadalus flew on. He made it to safe land where he lived for many years. But he was sad for the rest of his days.
The Legend about the Cherokee Rose
7.There is a legend from Europe, which is called "The Legend of the Cherokee Rose".
The Old Ones say that long, long ago in the Year of the big Harvest, the land of t he Cherokee was becoming too densely populated and they realized they must spread out into neighboring lands in order to grow and prosper. The Place Chief sent out a party of the leading men of the Nation to talk with the neighboring Creeks, who claimed vast areas of land which would be suitable. The Creeks were not as strong as the Cherokees; they had been at war for a long time.
The Cherokees set in Council with the Creeks to arrange the terms of the exchange of territory. This Council lasted for many amenities to be observed. It is polite to sit in complete silence at the beginning. First the Medicine Man must enact the lengthy Invocation; then the Peace Pipe Ceremony must be performed. The Pipe is passed leisurely around to each member in turn. Some elaborate speeches of greeting and the presentation of gift must express the good will of the visitors. These must be answered by the hosts. All this must not be hurried, lest it appear that they were eager to get the business over with and go on home. At the end of each day, the Creeks prepared an elaborate feast which was served by the young maidens. The most beautiful maiden of them was the Daughter of the Chief.
In the ranks of the Cherokee group was Little Hawk, nephew heir of one of the powerful Red Chiefs. The first night he seat long around the campfire composing a love song. The next afternoon he did not appear at the Council meeting. He was playing a new song on his flute near the lodge of the Chief of the Creeks.
They met in secret and enjoyed the thrill of a forbidden adventure. They gathered wild-flowers; they waded barefoot across the stream following after the shill cry of the blue jay. He told her of the land of his people, where the son is always shining and the cold winds never blow. He knew he was expected to choose a wife from the proper Clan of an important Cherokee Village, thus increasing the power and solidarity of the Nation. But the Redbird Spirit of Love pays no heed to the notions of nations at the breast of the young Muskokee maiden, the Daughter of the Chief.
The young lovers finely agreed that when the Council was ended, and his people went on their way, he would come for her. They planned that if he should be detained, she would hide in the thicket at the bend of the river, and he would come for her there.
The Creeks agreed to move back past the blank of the Chattahoochee to allow for the expansion of the Cherokee Nation. Some of the Creek Warriors objected to the trading away of their lands and wanted to fight for it, but the Chief could see that there was no chance of saving the land. He argued that it was better to trade it away then to lose it, along with many lives. So when the Cherokees had left, and the Daughter of the Chief was missing, the Creek Warrior joined in the search for her. Unfortunately, they were the first to find her hiding place.
When the Little Hawk arrived, he found her – dead. He buried her there, and rejoining his own group, started the long journey homeward. He returned the next Spring and found among the bright green leaves that grew over the mound the tender white petals of the wild rose. He knelt beside it and called it THE ROSE OF THE CHEROKEE, for he had claimed her for his own. He carried it back to his home and planted it. But long before the long winter was over he grew eager to see the blossoms again; so he went back to her grave and waited until death came.
The flowers spread throughout the land of the Cherokees and to this day, the CHEROKEE rose is the first flower to bloom – her eager face opening early in Spring to welcome the return of her loved one.
PART 2
But not all legends are ancient. There are modern legends too. A number of legends tell about the Loch Ness monster, a sea serpent in Scotland and the abominate snowman a hairy least of the Himalayas. Some people believe that these creatures actually exist. From time to time the various expeditions have tried to find both of them.
Loch Ness from Scotland
1. In Scotland there is a popular legend about the monster from a lake called Loch Ness, near the town of Inverness. Loch Ness is 32 km long, 5 km wide, and very, very deep. The monster's name is Nessie. People say that she is very big, and that she has got a long neck, like a snake.
But does Nessie really exist? Some people say yes, some say no. Scientists are exploring the lake with cameras and sound equipment. Sometimes they see something and sometimes they hear something, but they do not understand the mystery of Loch Ness.
The legend of the monster is very famous, and millions of tourists from all over the world come to Loch Ness. Everybody wants to be the first person to see Nessie. Come to Scotland and Loch Ness - that person may be you!
The Yeti from the United States and Canada
2. In the United States and Canada, there is a popular legend about a monster. People say that it is very big and that it has a lot of hair. It's name is Bigfoot, because there are big footprints in the snow. The footprints are 60 cms long and 20 cms wide. The encyclopedia "Guide to British and American Culture" says; "Bigfoot, also called Sasquatch, is a large hairy creature like a human with big feet and long arms that is
believed by some people to live in the north-west mountains of North America. Although reports than such a creature has been seen appear occasionally in popular newspapers, most people regard them as a joke. But does Bigfoot really exist? We don't know!
Bigfoot from the Himalayas
3. In Himalayas there is a country called Tibet. People who live
there say there is a monster in the mountains. They call it the Yeti. There
are large footprints in the snow and sometimes people hear and see
something. But is it monster, or is it bear? We don't really know.
The crocodiles under New York
4.Modem legends are often called urban legends, because the
stories happened in modem cities. Ten years ago there was a rumour that
there were crocodiles under New York. The rumour was soon a
newspaper story, and the newspaper story was soon a legend. So, today,
many people in New York believe that there are crocodiles under the
ground there.
The Legend of the Vampire
5.Another legend is about the Vampire.
One night in January 1973 John Pyle, a young British police officer, was called to investigate a death. Within an hour what had seemed like a routine mission turned into one of the strangest cases any policeman can have encountered. Police Constable Pyle found the dead man's room plunger in darkness. The man had apparently been so terrified of electricity that there were no light bulbs in his room But gradually the beam from the policeman's flashlight revealed an extraordinary scene. P.C. Pyle was looking at a fortress prepared against an attack by vampires. Salt was scattered around the room and sprinkled over the blankets. A bag of salt rested by the dead man's face, and another was laid between his legs. The man had mixed salt with his urine in various containers. Outside on the window ledge he had placed an inverted bowl that covered a mixture of human excreta and garlic.
The dead man was Demetrious Myiciura, a Polish immigrant who had left his country for Britain 25 years earlier. He had worked as a potter in Stoke-on-Trent I n the heart of England's pottery district. That is where he met his bizarre death. It would certainly be hard to imagine a place more
remote from the traditionally vampire-haunted forest of Transylvania in Romania . Stoke-on-Trent is an industrial town, set in a landscape mutilated by factory chimneys and slag heaps. The streets of little houses are uniformly black and narrow. It is all the more surprising, therefore, to come across the line of large old-fashioned dwellings where Myiciura had made his home. His houses look gloomy and somehow eerie. They are called, simply, "The Villas," and it was at number 3 that Myiciura met his death.
The body was removed for examination. At the inquest the pathologist reported that Myiciura had choked to death on a pickled onion. The coroner thought this unusual, but commented that it was not unknown for people "to bolt their food and die". Meanwhile the young policeman could not forget what he had see. He had gone to the Public Library and read the Natural History of the Vampire by Anthony Masters. His suspicions were confirmed: salt and garlic are traditional vampire r epellants, and the mixture on Myiciura's window ledge was intended to attract the vampires who would then be poisoned by the garlic. When told of this, the coroner ordered a reexamination of the picked onion. It was found to be a clove of garlic. As a final desperate measure to ward off the vampires, this wretched man had slept with a clove of garlic in his mouth, and the garlic had crocked him to death. So in a roundabout way, the vampires did get him in the end.
What, then, are these vampires that literally scared Myiciura to death? Vampires are corpses, neither dead nor alive, that rise from the grave at night and suck the blood of the living. They gradually drain the blood of their victims, who must then become vampires in turn. The legendary home of the vampires is in Eastern Europe, notably Romania. It was there, in the province of Transylvania, that British author Bram Stoker set his famous story of Dracula.
His Count Dracula, with arched nostrils, blooded lips, and long sharp teeth, has come to typify our image of a vampire.
But like the legendary vampires, Dracula could readily change into an animal such as a wolf or a bat. A vampire might even become a vapor to filter around the window frames in search of his or her chosen victim. When their gruesome feast of blood is over, the vampires crawl back into their coffin, where they can easily be recognized by the excellent state of preservation of their body. No matter how long vampires have been buried, it is said, they look as if they were still alive. Garlic, salt, or a crucifix may drive them off, but they only way to destroy them is to plunge a stake through their heart – at which time they give a horrible death shriek. They may need to be beheaded and burned as well.
A primitive superstition? Perhaps. Nevertlieless, Myiciura believed it. He was convinced that vampires exist - and not just in the faraway forest of Transylvania. Demitriors Myiciura believed that he was being threatened by vampires in a British city in the 1970s.
But are these stories true? The answer is: we do not know. That is the secret of a good legend. We do not know if the stories are true.
CONCLUSION
The subject of my work was legends from different countries. I have chosen this topic, because I am interested in history and I am collecting the legends from different countries of ancient civilization as well as modem ones, which have been translated into English. I believe it is rather an interesting topic and I am convinced that the subject of the work will be of great interest for students and English teachers.
A short definition of the term "legend" is the following: " A legend is a popular story which is perhaps true and perhaps not."
I analyzed many legends from ancient civilizations to nowadays.
The ancient stories are often about great events and great people and about the origins of the world. There are also many stories about powerful gods and about important people such as kings and queens.
Modem legends are mainly about magic and about animals and monsters. Modem legends are often called the urban legends, because the stories happened in modem cities.
The key questions of any legend are: " Is the story true? Did the legendary heroes really exist?". The answers are: "We do not know!" That is the secret of a good legend and many people for a long time try to guess it.
ЛІТЕРАТУРА
1. Guide to British and American Culture. - Oxford University Press
2. Flying to the Sun.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №14
3. John and Liz Soars. Headway. - Oxford University Press
4. Midas and t he Golden Touch.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. -№14
5. Myth and Legends - Москва: Просвещение 1978
6. Narcissus and Echo.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №8.
7. Norman Whitney. Open Doors. – Oxford Univesity Press
8. Pandora's Box.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №8.
9. Robin Hood. - Bucharest: Ion Creanda Publishing House, 1989.
10. The Legend of the Cherokee Rose.// English Learner's
Digest. - 1997. - №9.
11.The Legend of the Vampire.// English Learner's Digest. -1997. -№10
12.The New Penguin Encyclopedia. – Penguin Books, 2003
13.Казки та легенди Індії. - Київ: Освіта, 1991
14.Кун М.А. Легенди і міфи Древньої Греціїї. - Київ: Академія, 2002
15.Мифы народов мира. Энциклопедия, т.III. -Киев Л 982
16. Сказки и легенды Африки. - Москва: Просвещение,
1987.
The body was removed for examination. At the inquest the pathologist reported that Myiciura had choked to death on a pickled onion. The coroner thought this unusual, but commented that it was not unknown for people "to bolt their food and die". Meanwhile the young policeman could not forget what he had see. He had gone to the Public Library and read the Natural History of the Vampire by Anthony Masters. His suspicions were confirmed: salt and garlic are traditional vampire r epellants, and the mixture on Myiciura's window ledge was intended to attract the vampires who would then be poisoned by the garlic. When told of this, the coroner ordered a reexamination of the picked onion. It was found to be a clove of garlic. As a final desperate measure to ward off the vampires, this wretched man had slept with a clove of garlic in his mouth, and the garlic had crocked him to death. So in a roundabout way, the vampires did get him in the end.
What, then, are these vampires that literally scared Myiciura to death? Vampires are corpses, neither dead nor alive, that rise from the grave at night and suck the blood of the living. They gradually drain the blood of their victims, who must then become vampires in turn. The legendary home of the vampires is in Eastern Europe, notably Romania. It was there, in the province of Transylvania, that British author Bram Stoker set his famous story of Dracula.
His Count Dracula, with arched nostrils, blooded lips, and long sharp teeth, has come to typify our image of a vampire.
But like the legendary vampires, Dracula could readily change into an animal such as a wolf or a bat. A vampire might even become a vapor to filter around the window frames in search of his or her chosen victim. When their gruesome feast of blood is over, the vampires crawl back into their coffin, where they can easily be recognized by the excellent state of preservation of their body. No matter how long vampires have been buried, it is said, they look as if they were still alive. Garlic, salt, or a crucifix may drive them off, but they only way to destroy them is to plunge a stake through their heart – at which time they give a horrible death shriek. They may need to be beheaded and burned as well.
A primitive superstition? Perhaps. Nevertlieless, Myiciura believed it. He was convinced that vampires exist - and not just in the faraway forest of Transylvania. Demitriors Myiciura believed that he was being threatened by vampires in a British city in the 1970s.
But are these stories true? The answer is: we do not know. That is the secret of a good legend. We do not know if the stories are true.
CONCLUSION
The subject of my work was legends from different countries. I have chosen this topic, because I am interested in history and I am collecting the legends from different countries of ancient civilization as well as modem ones, which have been translated into English. I believe it is rather an interesting topic and I am convinced that the subject of the work will be of great interest for students and English teachers.
A short definition of the term "legend" is the following: " A legend is a popular story which is perhaps true and perhaps not."
I analyzed many legends from ancient civilizations to nowadays.
The ancient stories are often about great events and great people and about the origins of the world. There are also many stories about powerful gods and about important people such as kings and queens.
Modem legends are mainly about magic and about animals and monsters. Modem legends are often called the urban legends, because the stories happened in modem cities.
The key questions of any legend are: " Is the story true? Did the legendary heroes really exist?". The answers are: "We do not know!" That is the secret of a good legend and many people for a long time try to guess it.
ЛІТЕРАТУРА
1. Guide to British and American Culture. - Oxford University Press
2. Flying to the Sun.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №14
3. John and Liz Soars. Headway. - Oxford University Press
4. Midas and t he Golden Touch.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. -№14
5. Myth and Legends - Москва: Просвещение 1978
6. Narcissus and Echo.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №8.
7. Norman Whitney. Open Doors. – Oxford Univesity Press
8. Pandora's Box.// English Learner's Digest. - 1998. - №8.
9. Robin Hood. - Bucharest: Ion Creanda Publishing House, 1989.
10. The Legend of the Cherokee Rose.// English Learner's
Digest. - 1997. - №9.
11.The Legend of the Vampire.// English Learner's Digest. -1997. -№10
12.The New Penguin Encyclopedia. – Penguin Books, 2003
13.Казки та легенди Індії. - Київ: Освіта, 1991
14.Кун М.А. Легенди і міфи Древньої Греціїї. - Київ: Академія, 2002
15.Мифы народов мира. Энциклопедия, т.III. -Киев Л 982
16. Сказки и легенды Африки. - Москва: Просвещение,
1987.
