I'm writing a scientific paper (on an unrelated subject), and the need arose to refer to Robin Hood stories in film, literature and folk culture in general. I would like to use the expression "the Robin Hood mythos", but was advised to consider using "the Robin Hood lore" instead.
I've always thought that "lore" refers to common wisdom, things that are actually "known". It makes me slightly uncomfortable to use the word in relation to legends and (probably) fictional stories.
Is "lore" correct here, or should I stick to "mythos"? Or would yet a third alternative be even better?
Edit: As requested, here's a bit more context:
"As written, the case text is notably terse in describing the full complexities of Robin’s situation. However, the Robin Hood mythos has been thoroughly explored in literature and film, resulting in an extensive shared mental model. This mental model was used to construct an imaginary Robin Hood and Merry Men. These constructs were then interviewed in order to complement the information presented in the case. Although the answers supplied were naturally ultimately made up, it was fairly easy to remain faithful to both the mythos and the case text."
Best Answer
According to Collins (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/lore):
Also, according to Collins (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/mythos):
And from Collins also (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/myth#myth_1)
After reading the edited question: I think that the best fit in this case would be lore if you want to express the culture or collective knowledge about Robin Hood, while if you want to make reference to the tale or the character itself, mythos would make more sense