- [countable, uncountable]
a story from ancient times about people and events, that may or may not be true; this type of story 传说；传奇故事 The film is based on the legend of Robin Hood. 这部电影是根据罗宾汉的传奇故事改编的。 the heroes of Greek legend 希腊传说中的英雄 Legend has it that the lake was formed by the tears of a god. 据传说这个湖是一位神仙的眼泪积聚而成的。
Culture Arthurian legendArthurian legendThe legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are familiar to many British people. They are the subject of several poems and stories of the Middle Ages (11th-15th centuries), as well as of later novels, musical plays and films, and are a central part of British tradition and folklore. The most important Arthurian works include Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur, a set of long prose romances (= stories of love and adventure) written in the 15th century, Alfred Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King, a series of twelve poems dating from the 19th century and T H White's novel The Once and Future King (1958). The legends continue to be told in new ways, for instance in the musical Camelot (1960) and the films The Sword in the Stone and King Arthur (2004).The real King Arthur lived in the late 5th and early 6th century. He was a warrior chief who fought against the Anglo-Saxons and probably defeated them at the Battle of Badon. He is said to have died in the battle of Camlan. Stories about him were collected in the 12th century by the historian Geoffrey of Monmouth. They were added to and developed by French writers such as Chrétien de Troyes, who wrote during the period 1170-90, and also became the centre of a group of legends in Germany. As a result, other characters such as Lancelot, Tristram (Tristan) and Perceval (Parzival) became associated with Arthur and were included by Malory in Le Morte D'Arthur, the version of the legends which became most widely known in Britain.The stories of Arthur and his knights celebrate the age of chivalry, when knights aimed to live according to the highest Christian principles. Their character and courage are tested by meetings with giants, dragons and sorcerers, and by their own human weakness, such as pride or forbidden love. The love affairs of Tristram and Isoud (Iseult) and Sir Lancelot and Guinevere are part of the tradition of courtly love which was a central theme in European poetry of the Middle Ages.According to legend, Arthur was born at Tintagel in Cornwall, the son of Uther Pendragon, King of all England. One version says that at a young age he was put under a spell by the magician Merlin so that he grew up not knowing he was heir to the English throne. He became King at the age of 15 after he pulled the magic sword Excalibur out of a stone when all the other knights had failed to do so. Another version of the legend says that he received the sword from the Lady of the Lake, and this fits in with the story that, as he was dying, he ordered the sword to be thrown back into the lake and it was caught by a hand that rose from the water. Arthur gathered round him the best knights in the land, including Sir Lancelot , Lancelot's son Sir Galahad, Sir Bedivere and Sir Gawain, and established his court at Camelot. On Arthur's orders the knights all sat at the Round Table, so nobody could sit at the head of the table and claim to be more important than the rest.Arthur won many victories in battle and married the beautiful Guinevere. Later, Arthur's half-sister, the sorceress Morgan le Fay, attempted to kill him, and Arthur's discovery of a love affair between his wife and Sir Lancelot further threatened his court. The knights went off in search of the Holy Grail. Lancelot saw but failed to obtain it because he was not pure enough, and it was eventually found by Sir Galahad. Arthur went to fight against Rome with Sir Gawain but while he was abroad, his sister's son Mordred took power and made Guinevere his prisoner. Arthur returned to England to defeat and kill Mordred at the battle of Camlan, but was himself seriously wounded. Morgan le Fay then appeared in a boat to take Arthur to Avalon, the paradise of the Celts. According to some versions Arthur and his knights now lie asleep underground, waiting for the day they are needed to wake and save England from danger.Many people now visit Tintagel Castle high above the sea, the place where Arthur was born and later the home of Mark, the husband of Iseult, Tristram's lover. Several attempts have been made to identify where Arthur's Camelot was. Suggested sites include Caerleon in South Wales, Camelford and South Cadbury, both in Somerset, and Winchester. Glastonbury is said to be Avalon because in the 12th century some monks there claimed to have found the graves of Arthur and Guinevere.Extra ExamplesTopics Literature and writingb2He told us the legend of the ghostly horseman. 他给我们讲幽灵骑士的传说。 Legend has it that the Bridge of Sighs got its name from the cries of prisoners being led across it. 传说叹息桥的名字源于囚犯过桥时发出的叹息声。 Legend says that the forest is cursed. 传说那是一片受了诅咒的森林。 The island has long been the subject of legend. 这座岛屿长期以来一直是传说的主题。 The legend of his supernatural origins lives on. 他不是肉体凡胎的传说仍在流传。 The story is part of the ancient legend of King Arthur. 这个故事是亚瑟王的古老传说的一部份。 The story of how she was rescued has already passed into legend. 她被救的经历已经成了传奇故事。 There have always been stories of human giants in Celtic legend and mythology. 凯尔特神话传说中一直都有巨人的故事。 legends about the Vikings 关于维京人的传说 the myths and legends of Mexico 墨西哥神话传说
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- ancient
- old
- Greek
- …
- become
- pass into
- tell (somebody)
- …
- live on
- say something
- according to legend
- in (a/the) legend
- legend about
- …
- legend has it that…
- myths and legends
- the subject of legend
- …
- [countable]
a very famous person, especially in a particular field, who is admired by other people （尤指某领域中的）传奇人物 a jazz/screen/sporting legend 爵士乐/荧屏/体育传奇 She was a legend in her own lifetime. 她在世的时候就是一个传奇人物。 Many of golf's living legends were playing. 当时有许多当世高尔夫球传奇选手在打球。 a legend in the world of music 音乐界的传奇 movie stars who become living legends 成为活传奇的影星
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- living
- basketball
- music
- …
- [countable] (specialist)
the explanation of a map or a diagram in a book （地图或书中图表的）图例，说明，解释 - [countable] (formal)
a piece of writing on a sign, a label, a coin, etc. （标志、徽记、硬币等物品上的）刻印文字，铭文
Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘story of a saint's life’): from Old French legende, from medieval Latin legenda ‘things to be read’, from Latin legere ‘read’. Sense (1) dates from the early 17th cent.