と言います vs．と言われています


I'm playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past（ゼルダの伝説：神々のトライフォース）and this
sentence came up (spoken by one of the 7 maidens):

> ハイリアの民は、ふしぎな力を  
>  あやつることが、できたと言います。

I think this means "It is said that the Hylian people could harness/manipulate
a mysterious power.". Why did they use `と言います` instead of `と言われています`? I
thought that's how you'd indicate a myth or some widely-believed story.




The difference is very subtle, but there is a difference. With `と言います`, it
sounds as if the myth is actually true or people somehow believe it. With
`と言われています`, it sounds as if it is an actual myth. There is no rule that says
you must use `と言われています` when indicating a myth.

I've never played the game, but you can probably infer that the maiden
actually believes the myth and she is informing the player about it. That's at
least the impression I get with `と言います`, but again, the difference is very
subtle. It makes sense with either way.




The difference is very subtle, but there is a difference. With `と言います`, it
sounds as if the myth is actually true or people somehow believe it. With
`と言われています`, it sounds as if it is an actual myth. There is no rule that says
you must use `と言われています` when indicating a myth.

I've never played the game, but you can probably infer that the maiden
actually believes the myth and she is informing the player about it. That's at
least the impression I get with `と言います`, but again, the difference is very
subtle. It makes sense with either way.

