伝説

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 伝説 is read でんせつ and means a story passed down among people or an episode regarded as legendary.
• Basic usage: It can describe a village's dragon story or a sporting comeback that people continue to talk about.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Tone in different contexts
  • The dragon story belongs to a tradition of storytelling, while the sporting comeback is an outstanding event elevated to legendary status.
• Role of として
  • 伝説として語られる means that an event is told as a legend. The focus is on how people present it, rather than on deciding whether it is factual.