Legends are much more than just popular stories passed down from one generation to another. These are narratives that reflect the life of a society, alluding to its worldview, its ideals, beliefs and deepest fears, but also to its dreams, hopes and desires. Undoubtedly, an ideal resource to awaken in children their interest in other cultures, teach them to have a much more open mind and encourage their imagination in a fun way. Here is a selection of some perfect short legends to share with the little ones at home.

Five short legends to read to children

1. The legend of the sun and the moon

A long time ago, in a remote place far from the reach of any human being, the most beautiful and strongest love that had ever been contemplated blossomed: the romance between the sun and the moon. They loved each other so much that they were always together and never separated.

However, one day Princess Aphrodite, jealous and proud, wanted to ruin their love story by seducing the sun. Showing off all her beauty, she appeared before the star king to seduce him. The sun praised her incredible beauty but told her that her love for the moon was more precious than her great good looks or anything else she could offer him.

As punishment, Aphrodite separated them forever, condemning the sun to rise during the day and the moon to rise at night. So sad and desolate were they, that the father of all the gods, Zeus, took pity on them and told the sun that if he made every effort he could illuminate the face of his beloved moon with its rays.

For this reason, sometimes at dusk or early at dawn, it is possible to see the two together, in a desperate attempt by the sun to illuminate his always beloved moon so that he can see her.

2. Thor’s hammer

Legend has it that one day upon waking up, Thor realized that his hammer had been stolen, he quickly thought that Loki had something to do with it and after questioning him, Thor suggested that he go where the giants were, that they would surely know what had happened. happened with his gun. Without thinking twice, he flew off to the realm of the giants, where he found the hammer. It turns out that Thrym, king of the giants, had stolen his hammer and as a ransom he asked for the hand of the goddess Freya.

Loki, cunning and suspicious as ever, came up with a plan that consisted of dressing up Thor in Freya’s clothes and necklace. After covering his face with a veil he left for the land of the giants. Once there, Thrym gave a banquet in honor of his wedding, and upon sealing the marriage with the hammer, Thor shed his disguise and quickly took up the hammer. Thrym begged for mercy, but it was too late, the hall was filled with thunder and lightning and with his hammer he killed Thrym and all the giants.

3. Legend of the Ceibo flower

Anahí was a young Guarani who lived on the banks of the Paraná. The young woman did not have a very graceful appearance, but instead she had a beautiful song that captivated everyone who listened to her. When the conquerors arrived at her town, a confrontation occurred and Anahí was taken prisoner along with the rest of the survivors. However, one night she managed to escape from her. Before she could get very far from her, a sentinel discovered her and she murdered him. Upon being caught again, she was sentenced to death.

They tied her to a tree to burn her at the stake. When the fire began to burn, she herself looked like a red flame. But at that moment Anahí began to sing. When the fire finished consuming itself, in the morning, instead of the body of the young woman there was a bunch of red flowers, which today is the ceibo flower, the Argentine national flower.

4. Lovers of Teruel

To the east of Spain, in the community of Aragón, is the city of Teruel. One of the most representative churches of this town was reformed in the 16th century. During its remodeling, two mummified bodies were found, accompanied by a document that described, in the words of Judge Domingo de Celada, the following: the bodies belonged to Isabel Segura and Juan Diego de Marcilla, whose infatuation had been prevented by their families.

Legend has it that both were very much in love, but because they belonged to different social classes, Isabel’s family set a condition for Diego de Marcilla to be with his beloved: he had to go out in search of fortune. Thus, Diego set out to make money and then be able to return for Isabel. However, Isabel’s father did not keep her promise and found another husband for her daughter, with whom he married her the same year that Diego de Marcilla returned.

The impact of the latter was so great that he fell dead upon hearing the news. At her funeral, Isabel gave her one last kiss, as a sign of guilt and reconciliation. By doing this, she fell dead on Juan Diego’s corpse. To their surprise, the relatives decided to bury them together as a symbol of late approval of their love.

5. Atalanta and Hipómenes

Once upon a time on Skyros, an island in the Aegean Sea, there was a king named Skaneus whose daughter, Atalanta, had been brought up in a very permissive and capricious environment. Young Atalanta liked activities of all kinds, and among them was the activity of hunting. She spent whole days with her arrow looking for animals to catch. Such was her hobby and her mastery that not even the centaurs of the place could match her skill.

However, that harsh hobby took its toll on him, hardening his heart. A heart that did not soften with anyone, not even with the friendly gaze of his many suitors, among whom was the brave Hippomenes. The young man went tired to Olympus to tell the gods about his love affair with the young Atalanta, and Venus, compassionate, decided to give him three golden apples from the Garden of the Hesperides, recommending that he intelligently participate in an upcoming race in which he would also participate. the young woman

On the day of the famous race, when the starting signal was given, the young Atalanta departed with lightning speed, leaving all the suitors who had come behind. However, Hippomenes had dropped his three apples on the ground at different distances, so Atalanta’s hunting instinct could not be contained and she stopped along the run just to pick them up. Taking advantage of this advantage, Hippomenes was able to reach the goal first, thus obtaining the attention and, later, the love, of the young Atalanta, who was captivated by such an effort.