A myth is a popular term which is commonly misused by people. Many people have tried to explain what a myth is, but due its fictitious nature it is not easy to explain what it is. The aim of this essay is to discuss this term, myth and investigate it in a deeper sense by revealing the complexity of the term and exploring the different meanings of the word. This will be done by distinguishing the different notions of myths, comparing the different uses of myths by Roland’s use of myths to that of Barthes and concluding by explaining how myths relate to religion and ideology. Examples in this essay will be drawn from the X-Files episode entitled, Quagmire.
Colin Grant in his book, Myths we live by explains that there are two prominent senses of myths. There is the personal sense, and the academic approach. He goes on to define a myth as something that is false, naïve, passé and a matter for the uninformed and gullible. This may be accepted as the academic approach to the definition of myth. On a personal sense, myths can be defined as stories that have been handed down from generation to generation and as a result are believed to be the truth. Grant goes on to add that a myth is a falsehood that is exposed as soon as its mythic nature is recognized.
There are three approaches of myths; a journalistic myth, scholarly myth and a living myth (Preston, 2010). The journalistic approach to myth is that a myth is to be exposed which in turn presumes that we do not notice it or see that it is false (Preston, 2010). Two features of this approach. One is that a journalistic myth ignores the wide influences and allegiances that shape our vision of truth. In the X-Files episode, despite the fact that there are people who actually do believe t...
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...e (Preston, 2010). This definition is similar to that of a myth because myths vary between different groups of people and cultures. Different cultures have different myths that they believe. Isaac Newton depicted the universe as a great machine and when he encountered a problem with his calculations in the observed moments of the planets, he concluded that God steps in from time to time to readjust the orbits to keep things running smoothly (Grant, 1998). Some people, for example scientists believe that the world was created by an explosion while some think that God created the world.
In conclusion, the idea of a myth is really diverse. They can be interpreted according to the three different approaches. Different cultures are accustomed to the myths they grew up with, and naturally it is a continuous chain that is passed down from generation to generation.
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
The earliest myths are found to exist during the archaic period. The Greek word “Mythos” describes words or speech and can also mean a tale or legend. Myths have continually been to be passed down for traditional purposes. Elders would tell these magnificent stories to inspire and teach young children about gods and heroes. Mythology was important
Myth… legend or fable? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a myth as, “A story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence.” Children, often sit around, listening to their elders speak of myths. These myths have existed throughout American culture for many centuries and will continue for many centuries to come. These myths, legends, and fables provide the elders with enjoyment, as they observe the children, listening so intensely, believing every detail, amazed at the unimaginable adventures told in each story. Myths reflect experience but go beyond limitations. Indeed the children enjoy the excitement of the fantasy a myth creates. As we grow, we need to realize that these myths, tell an imaginary story and only contain a kernel of truth. Myths serve as a mental escape, stories with few actual facts embellished with many fantasy details. Although, used to entertain, these myths can hurt or even destroy the individuals that believe them.
Paul Tillich’s description of the original understanding of the word myth as an account of an interaction between the human and the divine are that myths are symbols of faith, which tell stories to portray situations of ultimate concern. Myths may be ‘broken’ or ‘unbroken.’ Unbroken myths are myths which are accepted as literal statements of reality. Broken myths are myths which are interpreted as myths, as symbolic statements of reality.
Foster defines myth as a forming and managing force of a story and its images; our capacity to clarify ourselves; myths are so profoundly instilled our social memory that they both shape our culture and are formed by it.
The writer acquaints the reader with the idea of myth. While recognizing that researchers contrast enormously on the exact definition, Oswalt demands that this should not discourage the single person from looking for a decent meaning of the saying. While trying to help characterize the saying, he records four essential qualities of a myth. These qualities conclude that people have practically zero natural worth, they are relatively absence of enthusiasm toward history, they are fascinated with magic and the occult, and they refuse to acknowledge obligation regarding individual
Sels, Nadia. Myth, Mind, and Metaphor: On the Relation of Mythology and Psychoanalysis. n.p. 2011. Web. 25 Mar 2014.
A mythology is an important feature of many cultures. A myth is a sacred narrative that explains how the world and humankind assumed their present form. In a broad sense, it can refer to any traditional story. A myth’s function is to provide a model for behavior and to provide a religious experience. By reenacting myths societies bring themselves closer to the divine.
Mythology is known as a collection of myths, mainly belonging to a specific religion or cultural tradition. Mythology is known worldwide and is passed down, usually orally, to the youth. Mythology cannot be proven to be completely true, due to the lack of verified written proof. The three in this section include; Hindu, Egypt, and African each has their own way of how the world was created.
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
“A myth is a way of making sense in a senseless world. Myths are narrative patterns that give significance to our existence.” ― Rollo May
Mythology meaning the study of Myths. Myth comes form the Greek word Mythos meaning speech or discourse later meaning fable. Myth is defined as a story of forgotten origin, it is religious or supernatural. It seeks to explain the creation of the universe, everyday phenomena and everything in it. The different regions of the world all have a different story and set of characters they use to explain this. Now that you know what exactly what mythology is we will look at the different categories of mythology.
It is vital to understand what Barthes means by myth. In short, myth is a type of speech chosen by history; a type of communication that can be interpreted by a combination of signs. Barthes’ research on languages enabled him to conclude to semiological science, his theory of signs. There are three parts to a myth: the signifier, the signified, and a cross of the two, the sign. Barthes also refers to myth as depolitized speech in that an object, or signifier, is automatically linked to the individual thought, or signified, which differs with each culture or foundation of the individual. That being said, myth is not restricted to oral speech. It also includes written text or visual images, like an advertisement. The interpretation of this speech or these texts or images, are culturally determined, and more specifically, by the economics of culture. Myth often twists the truth of the m...
Myths are the creative answers to questions humans fail to answer any other way. Modern humans are as superstitious today as they were in the cave. Humans want to know who they are, where they came from, and why they are here so badly they will invent their own answers. Humans are also clever enough to figure out that veiling their myth as fact can give their human recipients the illusion of knowing without the struggle of study. Humans are inherently skilled at developing detailed narratives. Our ancestors attempted to quell their insatiable curiosity with stories that matched their philosophical notions. Each culture and age develops the myths and stories passed on to them by the preceding generation. The first myths centered on the natural world, including the sun, moon, stars and whatever materials provided sustenance to humans, including rain, fire, vegetation and animals. As entirely oral traditions, these myths underwent constant revision and were sometimes short lived. The stories shared by a community were among the most precious information held by the community after where to hunt and gather food or find shelter. These myths were the core of a community’s identity and were often the first knowledge to be preserved by the written word. For millennia, myths permeated knowledge bases so thoroughly that carving them out of farming, trade, astronomy, biology or other texts would leave little remaining. Reading and writing were very specialized skills limited to a select few. Not surprisingly, it was not long before a society’s most trusted members, such as monks, shaman and priests, were entrusted with the myths. In many cases, these trusties were the only people in a community with the ability to read, let alone interpret a...