Myth is a word with many varied meanings depending upon the audience it is working with. Popularly when someone states that something is a “myth,” they are usually making an assertion that the statement in question is untrue, a falsity, or an invention of the mind. Merriam-Webster defines a myth as “an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true.” They go on to further expound that myths were often stories told to explain a natural occurrence, belief, or practice in ancient culture (Merriam-Webster, 2013). An academic context myth can be taken to reflect a belief held by a group but that is not true, no branch of academics is free from its own myths both past and present. I define a myth as an explanation of events or beliefs believed by a group but is not necessarily true be it in popular culture or academics, an illustration of this can be seen in creationistic thinking when attempting to explain human evolution.
Discussion
Myths often transcend both cultural and time boundaries in the issues with which they address. Myths yield a user-friendly explanation for physical occurrences that cannot yet be explained by critical thought and in doing so yield order in an otherwise chaotic and frightening world. Certain universal themes can be seen in myths ranging from good and evil, life, and death, to the origins of our creation. These myths are considered universal and are often shaped by the culture they serve but still hold true to their universality. Creation myths are a wonderful example of universal myths as they attempt to answer the question of who and why we have come to be. Some cultures invoke a single deity to achieve this while others invoke multiple deities working in congress. Punishment i...
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...n and the Olympians. Consumer culture also bears the names of mythological figures, such as Nike the Greek goddess of victory as used by the sports apparel company of the same name. The arts frequently invoke mythological figures as subject matter as can be seen from Roman statue of Dionysus to paintings of Medusa by Leonardo da Vinci and Icarus by Draper (Wikipedia, 2013).
Conclusion
Mythology has shaped the beliefs of man since he first cast his eyes to the heavens and attempted to explain the world in front of him. It is not a system of beliefs held by an ancient people who no longer bears weight on present-day society. Mythology can be seen in the walls of our religious institutions, in our art, our literature, our entertainment, and our consumable goods. To ignore the presence and importance of mythology is to ignore the cultural evolution of man.
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.
From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.
Mythology is the study of a compiled group of stories that describe the culture’s practices and past experiences. Mythology is a valuable aspect of every culture. It communicates the culture’s truthful everyday experiences or fabricated details of past events, roles, and traditions such as family, sexuality, art, religion, philosophy, laws and marriage. A culture’s collective group of stories help communicate loyalty, ethical and rational teachings, and social models. Ancient Greece and Egypt are two cultures that we’ve studied in this course so far that I will discuss the Creation Myth associated with each culture.
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
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.
Creation stories have profound effects on humans. Those associated with ancient cultures/civilizations aim to ensure the successful survival or well-being of themselves and that particular culture/civilization of their association, but not all are beneficial, prosperous, or fortunate. Mesopotamia’s “The Gilgamesh Epic”, Egypt’s “Hymn to the Nile-Documents”, and Mesoamerica’s Mayan and Aztec creation stories/religion are influential to establishing significant relationships within society, whether that is between humans and nature or humans and their “god(s).”
Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).
Throughout the history of the world there have been a number of civilizations which have had a longstanding influence not only their own people and culture, but also on various other societies and civilizations. The Greek and Roman civilizations are two such civilizations. Both Greek and Roman influences have permeated societies and cultures besides their own. While there are many notable similarities between ancient Greek and Roman mythology and religion, there are likely also many differences in their origins, beliefs, and practices. Still, ancient Greek and Roman mythology and culture have influenced people of the world from the medieval ages up to the present. Indeed, ancient Greek and Roman mythology and culture have influenced world theology through the ages.
Through studies such as comparative mythology, researchers and philosophers have discover hundreds of parallels between the myths that make up every culture, including their creation myths. As most are deeply rooted in religion, comparisons based on geographic area, themes, and similar story lines emerge as religions form and migrate. Campbell recognized these similarities an...
The myths which prove the contradictory behavior of the gods, acting as both benefactors and tormentors of man, can readily be explained when viewed in light of the prime directive for man, to worship the gods and not “overstep,” and the ensuing “Deus ex Mahina” which served to coerce man to fulfill his destiny as evidenced by the myths: “Pandora,” “Arachne, and “Odysseus.” Humankind and it’s range of vision over the gods beauty and power portrayed them to be benefactors but unseemingly it depicted their affliction towards humans.
“Myths continue to fascinate us” (Kromholz and McCarter 1). In every new generation, many children are intrigued when they read Greek Mythology, which makes it valuable teaching tool in high school literature. This beneficial teaching device should have the priority in the on-going debate about the implementation of Greek Mythology. Implementing fundamental morals of life, providing interpretations to unexplained phenomena of the world, and stimulating the minds of students to extrapolate the content, the analysis of Greek Mythology should remain as part of high school standards, despite possible contrariety with a student's religion, or set of beliefs.
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
Thury, Eva and Margaret K. Devinney. “Theory: Man and His Symbols.” Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. 519-537. Print.
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.
Throughout studying many myths, I came up with many new observations. Many questions came into my mind about these myths. Greek mythology takes us back to a time when people had a connection with nature and when nature played a major role in people’s lives. The religious beliefs of the people who wrote the myths are found in the background of these myths; however, they are not to be read like religious texts. The myths try to offer explanations of “how”, which makes us think deeply about the purpose of these myths and the questions they draw to our minds. According to the myths we studied in class, the world created the gods, not the other way around. The gods were always created in the image of man, which shows how much men were important in their society. Furthermore, many of these Greek myths show us the difference between the views of the Greek then and our view towards many aspects of the society, including nature. Monsters appear in Greek myths and have different representations and roles. Greek mythology reflects a view of the Greeks towards the world and how certain aspects of their lives are similar and different to modern society.