myth

noun

• 1a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
• traditional stories or legends collectively:the heroes of Greek myth

• 2a widely held but false belief or idea:he wants to dispel the myth that sea kayaking is too risky or too strenuous there is a popular myth that corporations are big people with lots of money
• a misrepresentation of the truth:attacking the party’s irresponsible myths about privatization
• a fictitious or imaginary person or thing.
• an exaggerated or idealized conception of a person or thing:the book is a scholarly study of the Churchill myth