Myths are traditional stories occurring in a timeless past.

They involve supernatural elements and are beyond the frontiers of

logic. Long ago, when our ancestors heard the sounds of thunder and saw lightning, they were ofthen frightened because they
could not understand why these things happened. In order to understand these and other natural events, they created stories. The
stories were handed down from generation to generation all around the world.
Although myths are not based on objective truth, they reflect both universal worries and the worries of specific cultures.
The presence of the sun in the sky was a mystery in different parts of the world. In the cold northen countries, where the sun
disappears almost completely during the winter, great fires were lit in midwinter to help the sun to reborn.
The ancien Greeks tell a myth in which Prometheus stole fire from Zeus, the chief god, and gave it to humans so that they
could keep themselves warm. To punish him, Zeus chained Prometheus to a rock where his liver was eaten by an eagle every day
but grew again every night.

Legends, however, are stories about real people who are famous for doing something brave or extraordinary. Every time the
story was told, it became more exaggerated and so it is now difficult to tell hoe much of the story is really true.
One of the greatest legendary figures in Britain is King Arthur. He was the son of King Uther Pendragon, a Celtic King.
King Uther gave his child to Merlin the wizard. Merlin taught Arthur everythink he knew so that he could become a great king.
When King Uther died, Merlin stuck a sword into a rock and said, " This sword is the stone by magic. Only the true king will be
able to pull it out". Many men tried but none succeded. When Arthur tried, the sword slipped out easily. Arthur eas made king.
He went on to found the Round Table, an order of knights who became famous for fithink the wicked and helping the poor.