Legendematige

Legendematige is a Dutch adjective used to describe something that relates to legends or possesses the qualities typically attributed to legends. In practice, the term can refer to figures, objects, narratives, or motifs that belong to a legendary tradition rather than to verifiable history.

Etymology and form: The word draws on legenda or legende (legend) with the suffix -matig, which in Dutch can convey the sense of “having the character of.” In contemporary usage, legendematige is relatively rare and more commonly found in literary or scholarly writing. It is distinct from, though related to, legendarisch (legendary in the sense of famous or mythic) and mythologisch (mythological).

Usage and nuance: The term is typically employed in literary analysis, folklore studies, and certain kinds of historical fiction to mark a distinction between mythic or legendary content and historically verifiable fact. A legendematige figuur or object is one that appears in legends or has symbolic, miraculous, or etiological functions within a narrative tradition. The usage often carries an evaluative tone, signaling emphasis on storytelling or symbolic value rather than documentary evidence.

Relation to other terms: While related to legendarisch and mythologisch, legendematige stresses the connection to legend as a tradition or corpus of stories, rather than merely fame or mythic elements. It can be used to describe motifs, settings, or artifacts that function within a legendary framework. See also legende, legendarisch, mythologisch.