Symbol vs. Legend — What's the Difference?

A symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences.

A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions perceived or believed both by teller and listeners to have taken place within human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude.

A mark or character used as a conventional representation of an object, function, or process, e.g. the letter or letters standing for a chemical element or a character in musical notation

An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

A thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract

A body or collection of such stories.

Symbolize.

See urban legend.

Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible

One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame

An instance that typifies a broader pattern or situation

An inscription or title on an object, such as a coin.

A printed or written sign used to represent an operation, element, quantity, quality, or relation, as in mathematics or music.

An explanatory caption accompanying an illustration.

(Psychology) An object or image that an individual unconsciously uses to represent repressed thoughts, feelings, or impulses

An explanatory table or list of the symbols appearing on a map or chart.

A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object.

An unrealistic story depicting past events.

A thing considered the embodiment of a concept or object.

A story of unknown origin describing plausible but extraordinary past events.

(linguistics) A type of noun whereby the form refers to the same entity independently of the context; a symbol arbitrarily denotes a referent. See also icon and index.

A plausible story set in the historical past, but whose historicity is uncertain.

A summary of a dogmatic statement of faith.

A story in which a kernel of truth is embellished to an unlikely degree.

(crystallography) The numerical expression which defines a plane's position relative to the assumed axes.

A fabricated backstory for a spy, with associated documents and records.

(obsolete) That which is thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or accustomed duty.

A person related to a legend or legends.

(obsolete) Share; allotment.

A leading protagonist in a historical legend.

(programming) An internal identifier used by a debugger to relate parts of the compiled program to the corresponding names in the source code.

A person with legend-like qualities, such as extraordinary accomplishment.

(telecommunications) A signalling event on a communications channel; a signal that cannot be further divided into meaningful information.

A key to the symbols and color codes on a map, chart, etc.

To symbolize.

An inscription, motto, or title, especially one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon a heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

A visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an idea or quality, or another thing, as by resemblance or by convention; an emblem; a representation; a type; a figure; as, the lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience.

A musical composition set to a poetical story.

Any character used to represent a quantity, an operation, a relation, or an abbreviation.

(naval) The design and specification of a vessel.

An abstract or compendium of faith or doctrine; a creed, or a summary of the articles of religion.

To tell or narrate; to recount.

That which is thrown into a common fund; hence, an appointed or accustomed duty.

That which is appointed to be read; especially, a chronicle or register of the lives of saints, formerly read at matins, and in the refectories of religious houses.

Share; allotment.

A story respecting saints; especially, one of a marvelous nature.

An abbreviation standing for the name of an element and consisting of the initial letter of the Latin or New Latin name, or sometimes of the initial letter with a following one; as, C for carbon, Na for sodium (Natrium), Fe for iron (Ferrum), Sn for tin (Stannum), Sb for antimony (Stibium), etc. See the list of names and symbols under Element.

Any wonderful story coming down from the past, but not verifiable by historical record; a myth; a fable.

To symbolize.

An inscription, motto, or title, esp. one surrounding the field in a medal or coin, or placed upon an heraldic shield or beneath an engraving or illustration.

An arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance

To tell or narrate, as a legend.

Something visible that by association or convention represents something else that is invisible;

A story about mythical or supernatural beings or events

Brief description accompanying an illustration