This is tangential to the point that you are making, but it never fails to irk me whenever I see the term legendary used to describe anyone who lived in the las

This is tangential to the point that you are making, but it never fails to irk me whenever I see the term legendary used to describe anyone who lived in the last 100 years. I accept that the term now has a secondary meaning for someone who is highly regarded or significant in their field, but I can’t help but see this as an artifact of marketing speak that’s ingrained itself in our culture. I think what’s lost is the sense of weight or gravitas that is implicit in the original meaning. The idea of a myth that is larger than any individual and now represents some manner of archetypal story that endures across the ages because it resonates deeply with our human nature. The modern usage cheapens the special significance implicit in the original meaning. It piggybacks on the original’s import and drains it’s luster for it’s own short-term gain.