I can't understand the meaning. Is it "He was a mythical person" or "He was a myth that became a man"?
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I would think the second option applies, similar to "the tooth-fairy made flesh", "the devil incarnate". Perhaps you could add more context?– donothingsuccessfullyFeb 15, 2013 at 7:49
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Maybe you are referring to the oft-quoted phrase that Steve Jobs was "a myth made man." I think the meaning becomes clear in this tribute in which that phrase was originally used (and quoted extensively) after Job's death: gizmodo.com.au/2011/10/steve-jobs-is-dead/#more-483185– JLGFeb 15, 2013 at 14:24
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1 Answer
It's the second: a myth who has become a man.
Independent, 9 October 1996, reprint from February 1990:
Nelson Mandela, the myth finally made man, walked out of prison yesterday with a smile on his face, but iron in his soul. He immediately delivered a solemn warning to President F W de Klerk that while he wants peaceful negotiations with the government, he will not cede an inch in the struggle he has been waging for half a century, in the name of the African National Congress, against white-minority rule.
In this case, Mandela had been incarcerated for so long that during that time had gained an almost mythical status. When he materialised in public life, the myth was made a man.
answered Feb 15, 2013 at 7:52
