Lost Legends

Often old legends are used as a literary device, background or inspiration in a number of creative mediums. Recent examples can be found in shows like The Flash, Xena and American Gods.

The sources for theses tales often derive from mythologies, religious texts and fairy tales. The most popular topics from these sources in western film and television are: Greek/Roman mythology; the Bible and Grimm’s Brothers tales.

The motivations for the popular use of these topics can range from the success and popularity of previous endeavours or simply from the creators love of that particular tale.
Often however the truth of these legends and tales can often be lost in the creative liberties made by the creator and mistaken for fact by those unfamiliar. An example would be Disney’s interpretations of fairy-tales making them soft and more child friendly instead of the darkly twisted tale of caution the story was intended to be.