Myths in education history are origin stories, some even call them 'narratives' because they are often repeated, in ways which give rise to different ideas and motifs about education and upbringing and additional dimensions of meaning and charge to the concept of education itself. Jessen (2004) has characterised a pattern of interpretation that has been described time and again for the history of German education (Bollenbeck, 1994), in which a special form of intertwining of national and educational semantics as cultural semantics took place. In the 19th century, it guided perceptions, prompted institutionalisation, and also motivated the behaviour of an elite of humanities-based educationalists, even if other ideas were ultimately used to counteract it, such as the educational value of science and the natural sciences (see, for example, Brüggemann, 1967; Daum, 1998 on the debate about the 'educational value' of natural science). Myths in education, in the sense that they are used here, consist of various elements, images and other set pieces that are repeatedly invoked and put into circulation in connection with the concept of education and upbringing, as they have developed over the last 250 years or so, particularly in Europe, in connection with the emergence of educational systems. For example, the idea of a legitimate, comprehensive educational claim to educate all people, an education for all, has such myth-making potential and includes stories of the educational heroes who campaign for it, of teachers and school politicians who try to enforce this claim in one way or another. Another one of these stories is the one of the poor, socially disadvantaged child who is interested in education but has no access to it and who, ultimately, still finds access to this education. Counter-narratives to this revolve around the idea of a free path for the capable (freie Bahn dem Tüchtigen) or that of the highly gifted child (hochbegabtes Kind). The idea of a beautiful childhood (schöne Kindheit) also has a myth-making power with various elements - such as free and unsupervised access to nature - and can serve as an educational myth. As such, these myths have a connecting and orientating effect on the actions of actors and the work of institutions in the educational field, both within organisations themselves, in its discourses, in self-portrayals and in education policy. In different time periods and in specific contexts, objections and contradictions, struggles and disputes about educational myths, about their interpretation and individual appropriation can be observed in the educational field.