legendary figures
Storied historical characters
Legendary figures are people—real, mythical, or somewhere in between—whose stories have been passed down and often embellished over time.
They may be historical figures like King Arthur or Robin Hood whose actual lives have been obscured by folklore, or purely mythological beings like Hercules.
The phrase also applies loosely to anyone whose reputation has grown larger than life: Babe Ruth remains a legendary figure in baseball.
Such figures typically embody cultural values or serve as symbols of particular virtues or ideals.
- AmaterasuShinto sun deity
- Robin HoodLegendary forest-dwelling archer
- folk heroesAdmired figures from tradition
- AnansiWest African spider deity
- QuetzalcoatlAztec feathered serpent god
Sherlock Holmes · Thor · Sedna · Maui · Zeus · Vishnu · Beowulf · King Arthur · Baba Yaga · old wives' tales · campfire stories · Osiris · ancient gods · El Cid · Joan of Arc · Rama · Saladin · founding fathers
- heroeshero, heroes, heroine, heroines, superhero
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folk tale
- legendsKing Arthur, Robin Hood, Hercules, Merlin, Excalibur
- Folklore Artmythical creatures, folk stories, traditional tales, storytelling art, narrative art
- heroic literatureepic poetry, epics, mythic heroes, sagas, Iliad
legendary figuresnobodies
Unimportant, unknown persons
unknowns · nonentities · average Joes · unknown quantities · small fry
legendary figuresordinary people
Everyday individuals, unremarkable
common folk · everyday people · mere mortals · common people · plain folk