Mythified

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To transform a figure or story into one of legendary status through exaggeration or idealization To portray an event or character as possessing mythical attributes that transcend reality To depict a narrative in such a way that elevates it to the realm of mythic significance
2. To elevate a person or story by attributing to it qualities or elements typical of traditional myths
3. To represent real or imagined events or characters as belonging to the realm of myth and legend

Etymology: "Mythified" is the past tense and past participle of "mythify," so it describes something that has already been turned into legend. The verb is built from "myth," borrowed from Greek "mythos," meaning a story or speech, plus the suffix "-ify," which comes from Latin "-ificare" and forms verbs meaning "to make into" something. Put together, the sense is simply "to make into a myth." The suffix does the work here. Verbs such as "glorify," "simplify" and "purify" follow the same pattern, turning a noun or adjective into an action of making something that state. "Mythify" applies that pattern to a story that has grown beyond its historical facts until people treat it as legend, so a figure who was once an ordinary person can come to be "mythified" over the generations.

Synonyms: mythologized, legendary