Conclusion
Myths and Legends are the universal language of people. We need to hear, to tell, to retell, and to create these stories. They help us understand the unexplainable, to explain the unknowable, and to caution others about the unimaginable.
They help us understand the unexplainable: Why does the earth sometimes move and shake and cause great damage? (an angry god, a dreaming monster, perhaps an upset "Mother Earth")
They help to explain the unknowable: Where did people come from? Why do bad things happen to good people? How can evil become good?
They help to caution others about the unimaginable: Don't go walking alone, late at night or the boogie man will get you. Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. A word once said can not be unsaid. For the lack of a pencil, the war was lost.
Hopefully you will continue to explore stories in all their forms. Read. Read. READ. Read by yourself. Read to others. Read from magazines. Read online. Just READ and enjoy.
Stories you should read if you have not already:
Aesop's Fables, Hans Christian Anderson's Fairy Tales, Ruyard Kipling's Just So stories, and any and all Greek mythology. Of course there are also great American "tall tales" such as Paul Buyan, John Henry, the mighty Casey, and Johnny Appleseed.