On August 1st, the movie “D-WAR” was released in Korea, which was made by a Korean director. The subject matter of the movie was about the Korean legend ‘Lee Mu-gi’. Before its first showing, many cinema audiences, even people who live abroad, had expected a lot from the movie. Eight million people saw “D-WAR.” It is going to be released overseas. At this point in time, people usually perceive legends easily no matter where legends come from. Also, they feel sympathy for even tragic legends of foreign countries, because every country has their legends, which help them understand others.
- New Zealand: The “Lake Wakatipu” Legend
The legend of Lake Wakatipu has been handed down from generation to generation in New Zealand. A long time ago, there was a Kitahu tribe called Wakatipua. There was a giant hole near the village, and it looked like a place where a giant had squatted down.
The legend says that there was a giant called ‘Matauta’, who loved a girl named ‘Manata’, and he ran away with her. Her boy friend ‘Matacauri’ looked for her, eventually he found her tied-up by an invisible rope, naked. The rope snapped when Manata’s tears touch them, and they could run away. However, her boy friend ‘Matacauri’ came back to the hole with fire and put it on the sleeping giant’s body. When the giant noticed the fire, he could not endure the pain and he squatted himself down. Since then, people have said that the hole looks like a giant, who is crushed. The strong heat from the fire melted the mountain top’s snow, which made a lake, and the giant’s stooped legs formed the curious shapes along the lakes edges.
After that, people have thought that the giant left his heart under the lake, because according to this legend, Lake Wakatiqu rises and falls everyday with the heart pulsations of the giant, Matau. We do not know if this phenomenon is made by the legend or from wind pressure which is a scientist’s opinion. To believe in this legend gives us a beautiful story including courageous people, who show a bonded and tied relationship.
- Republic of the Philippines: The “Puente Del Diablo” Legend
Pilapila is a small town in Binangonan. In the town, there are many bridges, but one is called ‘Puente Del Diablo’, which has been the center of many stories to tell.
One of the legends tells of how the bridge was built. A long time ago, a beautiful woman ‘Isabelle’ lived in Pilapila. A lot of men proposed to her, but she hesitated to decide. Nevertheless, a lot of men continuously proposed to her. One day, she hit upon a bright idea to refuse flatly all her suitors. The next morning, she called the men together and she said, “If one of you can make a bridge for me in one night, I will marry him.” Most of suitors went back home and nobody made a bridge during the night. However, one man did not leave that place and told her “I am one of your suitors; I will try to do what you suggest.” That night, the village people were surprised by the horrible noise, which was the result of building a bridge. On the other hand, Isabelle was surprised by this situation. At first, she did not know exactly, who the last guy was. However, she perceived finally that the suitor must be evil, so she immediately asked her retainer to ring the bell to make an announcement to the people. She went to the evil man and the bridge with the Holy Cross, which repulsed it. However, this is not completely a legend, because there is an exact bridge existing today. Since then, the village people have called this talus ‘Puente Del Diablo’ in Spanish. In English, it means ‘a bridge of evil’.
- Legend of Golden Land ‘the El Dorado’
In 1969, two farmers found a small cave in a mountain located in Colombia. Surprisingly, there was a raft made of pure gold. The find was a surprise and revised old legends about gold and ‘El Dorado’. ‘El Dorado’ not only means golden land, but also golden man. This mysterious raft left people with some questions regarding the legend of ‘El Dorado’. El Dorado has two meanings.
Some people believed that it was made by a chief. This Legendary Chief, who created the pure gold raft, was known to be really good at paddling. It was said that even eight boatmen could not keep up with his fast paddling.
However, there is another legend. Some Indians including the Chief took a mountain of gold on the raft; they propelled the raft with oars to find their god at a lake in Guatabita. In the middle of the lake, the chief threw the treasures in the lake. Then he washed his body with water from the lake. The word ‘El Dorado’ might be derived from him and the abandoned treasure. Up to the present, we do not know the meaning of the Legend of El Dorado. What’s clear is that many people have been trying to find the true meaning behind the legend of El Dorado.
Legends often hold historical fact that many people believe. It can also include exact phenomenon that actually occurs. However, we have to consider that the truth of the legend, and distinguish it from objective history. Consequently, legends have some level of fiction and suppositions.
Nowadays, the word legend is used when referring to humans more than areas, animals and so on. Like a sports legend such as Michael Jordon. From now on, how about becoming a specialist who is also a ‘legend’ in a specific field?