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Comic Book
Accounts vary widely as to exactly what transpired that day in Dawson City.
Metal fatigue! That's how they explained it later. Those smokestacks must have had weak spots in their bases! Both of them.
It was a bit more difficult to explain what caused the concert grand piano to go sailing through the imported stained-glass window.
But it wasn't too hard to account for the fire that broke out! What else would one expect when a cast-iron stove crashes through three bulkheads?
Some said Slick's riverboat was demolished by a freak tidal wave from the Bering Sea — twelve hundred miles downriver!
The whole incident was probably exaggerated in the many retellings that followed. Possibly, it didn't actually happen at all!
But this was the era of the birth of legends, and the non-stop life of Dawson paused that day to watch a new character enter the story-books alongside Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill...
Scrooge McDuck, the King of the Klondike!
Metal fatigue! That's how they explained it later. Those smokestacks must have had weak spots in their bases! Both of them.
It was a bit more difficult to explain what caused the concert grand piano to go sailing through the imported stained-glass window.
But it wasn't too hard to account for the fire that broke out! What else would one expect when a cast-iron stove crashes through three bulkheads?
Some said Slick's riverboat was demolished by a freak tidal wave from the Bering Sea — twelve hundred miles downriver!
The whole incident was probably exaggerated in the many retellings that followed. Possibly, it didn't actually happen at all!
But this was the era of the birth of legends, and the non-stop life of Dawson paused that day to watch a new character enter the story-books alongside Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill...
Scrooge McDuck, the King of the Klondike!
— The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, "King of the Klondike"
Fan Works
"She saved our Princess Natira singlehandedly. She fought off a dozen men with her bare hands."
Fyn felt herself blush. "It was six men and I had four knives, a sword, and lute. But thank you."
Fyn felt herself blush. "It was six men and I had four knives, a sword, and lute. But thank you."
"I have heard," said Cohollo as they headed to the khal's great tent, "that the Golden Ram has wiped out a khalasar."
Drogo glanced at his bloodrider. "I have heard that he has merely blooded some scouting parties, that he has wiped out those scouting parties, that he has wiped out several khalasars, that he has perished, that he has perished and come back from the dead, that he is in fact a living god, and that he is in fact a woman." He frowned. "We hear much of the Golden Ram these days. Little of it can be verified. Much of it is nonsense."
Drogo glanced at his bloodrider. "I have heard that he has merely blooded some scouting parties, that he has wiped out those scouting parties, that he has wiped out several khalasars, that he has perished, that he has perished and come back from the dead, that he is in fact a living god, and that he is in fact a woman." He frowned. "We hear much of the Golden Ram these days. Little of it can be verified. Much of it is nonsense."
—The King Nobody Wanted, Chapter 96
"Very well. You will retain this dream, Kara Zor-El. In all its particulars. But you must be very circumspect as to whom you share it with. Some things should be kept in the realm of legend, for thereby they gather power. And if the legend of Prez Rickard should gather power in your world...well, there are worse alternatives that could be dreamed. Once every ten years, you may pass on the dream to one you believe worthy. You may not reveal the fate of Prez Rickard to anyone else. What they do with their dream afterward is up to them. As with King Arthur, and the squire he spared to tell the tale of Camelot. All Truths begin as Dreams."
— Dream of the Endless, The Golden Boys Last Temptation
Soldier: "My favorite story's the time when you challenged that Orc-captain to single combat." [Beren looks blank] "The one they called 'The Butcher'? Gorgol, it was?"
Beren: "Um, no — I shot him from behind. A lot."
Soldier: "But there's a song—"
Beren: "I didn't make it." [pause] "I wouldn't be at all surprised if everything that any of us did was also ascribed to me. That happened to Da when he was alive. And everything that the hidden resistance efforts did as well, they said was me. —Which was their right. I was responsible, after all, being their Lord, for what was done in my will, even if not with my explicit orders, and the blame mine to take for it."
Beren: "Um, no — I shot him from behind. A lot."
Soldier: "But there's a song—"
Beren: "I didn't make it." [pause] "I wouldn't be at all surprised if everything that any of us did was also ascribed to me. That happened to Da when he was alive. And everything that the hidden resistance efforts did as well, they said was me. —Which was their right. I was responsible, after all, being their Lord, for what was done in my will, even if not with my explicit orders, and the blame mine to take for it."
Film — Animation
The Red Bull? I've heard too many tales, to tell you the truth. I've heard that the Bull is real, that the Bull is a ghost... I've heard that the Bull protects Haggard, or that it keeps him a prisoner in his own castle, there are so many stories...
— Shmendrick, The Last Unicorn
Film — Live-Action
People are always asking: Did I know about Tyler Durden?
Janis Ian: Regina George... how do I begin to explain Regina George?
Emma Gerber: Regina George is flawless.
Lea Edwards: She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus.
Tim Pak: I hear her hair's insured for ten thousand dollars.
Amber D'Alessio: I hear she does car commercials — in Japan.
Kristen Hadley: Her favourite movie is Varsity Blues.
Short Girl: One time she met John Stamos on a plane...
Jessica Lopez: And he told her she was pretty.
Bethany Byrd: One time she punched me in the face... It was awesome!
Emma Gerber: Regina George is flawless.
Lea Edwards: She has two Fendi purses and a silver Lexus.
Tim Pak: I hear her hair's insured for ten thousand dollars.
Amber D'Alessio: I hear she does car commercials — in Japan.
Kristen Hadley: Her favourite movie is Varsity Blues.
Short Girl: One time she met John Stamos on a plane...
Jessica Lopez: And he told her she was pretty.
Bethany Byrd: One time she punched me in the face... It was awesome!
Literature
Linda's medical data winked on a display along with the entire Spartan roster: a long list of every Spartan's current operational status. Only a handful was left, almost every one of them listed as Wounded In Action or Missing In Action.
"No KIAs?" Dr. Halsey murmured. She touched SPARTAN-034's entry. "Sam is listed as missing in action. Why would that be? He died in 2525."
"ONI Section Two Directive Nine-Three-Zero," Cortana replied. "When ONI went public with the SPARTAN-II program, it was decided that the reports of Spartan losses could cause a crippling loss of morale. Consequently, any Spartan casualties are listed as MIA or WIA, in order to maintain the illusion that Spartans do not die."
"Spartans never die?" she whispered. Dr. Halsey swiveled out of the contoured chair and pushed the monitors out of her way with a sudden violence. "If only that were true."
"No KIAs?" Dr. Halsey murmured. She touched SPARTAN-034's entry. "Sam is listed as missing in action. Why would that be? He died in 2525."
"ONI Section Two Directive Nine-Three-Zero," Cortana replied. "When ONI went public with the SPARTAN-II program, it was decided that the reports of Spartan losses could cause a crippling loss of morale. Consequently, any Spartan casualties are listed as MIA or WIA, in order to maintain the illusion that Spartans do not die."
"Spartans never die?" she whispered. Dr. Halsey swiveled out of the contoured chair and pushed the monitors out of her way with a sudden violence. "If only that were true."
"They called me the Flower of Arizona. A name like that, it never dies. It just keeps moving forward, into legend. If you're lucky, it'll take you along."
— Frances Brown, InCryptid
Zakath: The Grolims inform me that you are a hundred feet tall, perhaps two hundred, and have horns and a tail.
Belgarath: I am in disguise.
Belgarath: I am in disguise.
"Of this Kothian wizard dark tales were told; tousle-headed women in northern and western villages frightened children with his name, and rebellious slaves were brought to abased submission quicker than by the lash, with threat of being sold to him. Men said that he had a whole library of dark works bound in skin flayed from living human victims, and that in nameless pits below the hill whereon his palace sat, he trafficked with the powers of darkness, trading screaming girl slaves for unholy secrets."
You may have also gotten the idea that I'm describing someone who's more legend than man, and I would have to agree that there's some truth to that. To us long-timers who knew Andy over a space of years, there was an element of fantasy to him, a sense, almost, of myth-magic, if you know what I mean. That story I passed on about Andy refusing to give Bogs Diamond a head-job is part of that myth, and how he kept on fighting the Sisters is part of it, and how he got the library job is part of it, too... but with one important difference: I was there and I saw what happened, and I swear on my mother's name that it's all true. The oath of a convicted murderer may not be worth much, but believe this: I don't lie.
Tatiana is the daughter of a man who is too important to exist. He controls the whole of Russia, but he does not exist. When people arrest Tatiana, her father arranges for her to be freed. He does not exist, but everyone is afraid of him.
While there were volumes of legends about Arguleon Veq, his greatest foe - the Last - is ever mysterious. Some say there were once many, and that all but one were swallowed when Chaos first bled through the Maelstrom into realspace, leaving the Last as the sole vengeful survivor of its race. Others say that it was, in itself, a creature of Chaos, a daemon who refused to accept the yoke of a god, a creature that in its madness desired the symbolic world of Torvendis for itself. Both scholars and liars claim many other things besides - that the Last was from another time, or a vast alien creature that became trapped in the Maelstrom like a fly in tree sap, or a sentient war engine from the insane times of the Dark Age of Technology.
— Warhammer 40,000: Daemonworld
Live-Action TV
Prof. Walsh: So... The Slayer.
Buffy: That's me.
Riley: We thought you were a myth.
Buffy: Well... you were myth-taken.
Buffy: That's me.
Riley: We thought you were a myth.
Buffy: Well... you were myth-taken.
— Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "A New Man"
Borlik: You know, I heard he destroyed a Peacekeeper Gammak Base, murdered an entire Nebari battalion, even laid waste to a Shadow Depository. The guy was a devil: he raped and pillaged, he popped eyeballs-
Crichton: Whoa-whoa! Where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off, there was no raping, very little pillaging, and Frau Blucher popped all the eyeballs.
Crichton: Whoa-whoa! Where do they get these stories? Let's set the facts straight. First off, there was no raping, very little pillaging, and Frau Blucher popped all the eyeballs.
— Farscape, "Suns And Lovers"
Some say that he knows two facts about ducks and both of them are wrong. And that 61 years ago he accidentally introduced Her Majesty The Queen to a Greek racialist. All we know is that I'm going to the tower now to have my head cut off, and he is called the Stig.
— Jeremy Clarkson, Top Gear (UK)
Video Games
Last night at chow, Angseth starts talking about some bounty hunter and how she blew up a planet full of Space Pirates. I told her I didn't believe in fairy tales like that, and she took it personal. I just find it hard to believe that one person took out an entire Space Pirate base, that's all. But if she wants to believe in this Samus, or Bigfoot, or Santa Claus, she can.
— Personal log of PFC Crany, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
In a hushed voice, one bearded miner relays legends he heard from a travelling merchant. Rumours of an immortal who roams the skies, restless, indefatigable; a captain who can neither die nor be killed.
This immortality, the miner insists, was a curse bestowed by the Devil for crimes in the dark. One listener objects; he's heard the same stories, and in those, the immortal captain is a saviour, come to deliver us from the Empress' tyranny! A scuffle breaks out, and the rest of the tale is lost.
This immortality, the miner insists, was a curse bestowed by the Devil for crimes in the dark. One listener objects; he's heard the same stories, and in those, the immortal captain is a saviour, come to deliver us from the Empress' tyranny! A scuffle breaks out, and the rest of the tale is lost.
— Sunless Skies, after completing the Martyr-King's Cup Ambition
Canna: Has anyone heard from Neem? His clan was on its way to our Vessel, but they never arrived, and he hasn't sent any messages. I'm beginning to worry.
Bromi: That is unsettling. It reminds me of that old myth my grandfather used to tell, the Disappearance of Escall.
Clem: I remember hearing that story as a child! One day, Escall's Vessel simply stopped responding. The other clans searched and searched, but found no trace. It was as if their missing friends had warped out of existence.
Hyssop: That's no myth, friends; Escall's clan existed, and their story was real.
Bromi: What a curious event to have passed into myth! Our ancestors' ancestors were told that story when they were young. Are you sure it's true, Hyssop?
Hyssop: It was a very long time ago, but yes. My clan's ancestors searched for Escall's clan for a long time, but in the end, none of them were ever seen again. (It's the only time in our history a Vessel has ever disappeared this way.)
Neem: Hyssop, I hope you aren't comparing Escall's story to my clan's Vessel!
Bromi: That is unsettling. It reminds me of that old myth my grandfather used to tell, the Disappearance of Escall.
Clem: I remember hearing that story as a child! One day, Escall's Vessel simply stopped responding. The other clans searched and searched, but found no trace. It was as if their missing friends had warped out of existence.
Hyssop: That's no myth, friends; Escall's clan existed, and their story was real.
Bromi: What a curious event to have passed into myth! Our ancestors' ancestors were told that story when they were young. Are you sure it's true, Hyssop?
Hyssop: It was a very long time ago, but yes. My clan's ancestors searched for Escall's clan for a long time, but in the end, none of them were ever seen again. (It's the only time in our history a Vessel has ever disappeared this way.)
Neem: Hyssop, I hope you aren't comparing Escall's story to my clan's Vessel!
Webcomics
"Any crazy stories you've heard about him are probably true. He breaks bricks with his bare hands. He can leap 30 feet in the air when he chooses not to fly. Some even claim that he's not a Toad at all - that he's somethin' else, somethin' from beyond."
Priestess: Sebastian is six foot three, and could kill a dragon with his bare hands! He carries a magical sword that can cut through anything, his companions support him with powerful magic and unmatched strength, he can look into your eyes and destroy the sin in your soul with nothing more than a thought!
Sebastian: ...That's very flattering.
Priestess: So you see, you can't be Sebastian.
Sebastian: ...That's very flattering.
Priestess: So you see, you can't be Sebastian.
Klaus: ... And what [are they saying in town] about me?
Phil: You're sick. You're dying. You're dead. You're going to destroy the Castle. You're going to marry the Heterodyne. ... She's your daughter. ... You built her. You're here to support her. You're here to kill her. You're here to turn over the empire. You're actually Barry Heterodyne. You're a construct. You're the Other.
Klaus: sigh.
Phil: You're bankrolling one of the Heterodyne girls. You're bankrolling both of the Heterodyne girls. You want them to fight. The winner will marry your son. You really like waffles. You —
Klaus: Breathe IN.
Phil: GAAASP! hah. Thank you, Herr Baron.
Phil: You're sick. You're dying. You're dead. You're going to destroy the Castle. You're going to marry the Heterodyne. ... She's your daughter. ... You built her. You're here to support her. You're here to kill her. You're here to turn over the empire. You're actually Barry Heterodyne. You're a construct. You're the Other.
Klaus: sigh.
Phil: You're bankrolling one of the Heterodyne girls. You're bankrolling both of the Heterodyne girls. You want them to fight. The winner will marry your son. You really like waffles. You —
Klaus: Breathe IN.
Phil: GAAASP! hah. Thank you, Herr Baron.
— Girl Genius (Vol. 11 p. 81
).
). Web Original
Friend #2: You don't know Chief Crazy Horse?
Friend #1: Oh, he was the greatest Indian of them all!
Friend #2: He was the Indian of Indians, man.
Friend #1: Skin red like fire...
Friend #2: ...his hair down to his ankles...
Friend #1: Blacker than you!
Friend #2: His penis was about six feet long, they say.
Friend #1: Oh, he was the greatest Indian of them all!
Friend #2: He was the Indian of Indians, man.
Friend #1: Skin red like fire...
Friend #2: ...his hair down to his ankles...
Friend #1: Blacker than you!
Friend #2: His penis was about six feet long, they say.
Western Animation
Spider-Man: It's Captain America. The guy once punched a tank unconscious.
Captain America: Actually, that's a myth.
Spider-Man: No, I'm pretty sure that's true.
Captain America: Actually, that's a myth.
Spider-Man: No, I'm pretty sure that's true.
