Myth

Myth is a special kind of story that is part of folklore. These stories are very important to a society, even though they may not always be true in the way we think of truth today. Myths are different from everyday tales because they help explain how things came to be or why certain traditions exist.

Many myths are supported by both religious and non-religious leaders. They can be about natural things or about magical, otherworldly events. In many cultures, myths, legends, and history are all mixed together, with people believing that myths really happened long ago. For example, creation myths tell us about how the world began, while origin myths explain why a group's customs, rules, and beliefs started.

National myths are stories about a country's past that show what the country values. There is also a close link between telling these myths and performing special ceremonies or rituals.

Etymology

The word myth comes from Ancient Greek μῦθος (mȳthos), meaning 'speech', 'narrative', or 'fiction'. Over time, this idea was used to describe traditional stories, often about the early history of a people or explaining natural or social events, and these stories usually include supernatural beings or events.

The term traveled through different languages. It entered Late Latin and was used by writers like Fabius Planciades Fulgentius. Eventually, it made its way into English, where it has been used to talk about collections of traditional stories from many cultures.

Protagonists and structure

The main characters in myths are often not human. They can be gods, demigods, or other supernatural beings. Sometimes myths also include animals or special humans, but stories about regular people are usually called legends instead of myths. Myths are different from legends because they focus on gods, often have no real historical basis, and take place in a very old and different world from today.

Definitions

Definitions of myth can vary among scholars. One widely-used definition describes myths as stories about gods or important events that explain how the world, nature, and culture began. These stories help teach important values and provide examples of good behavior. They often include rituals and special traditions that people believe are important.

Scholars use the word myth in different ways. Sometimes it refers to any traditional story or common belief, even if it is not true. Myths are usually not seen as the same as legends or fairy tales because myths often involve gods or supernatural beings, while legends focus more on human heroes. Over time, myths can change and blend with other stories from different cultures.

The term mythology refers to the collection of myths from a particular group of people, such as Greek mythology or Norse Mythology. Studying myths is called mythography. Famous mythographers include writers like Ovid and Snorri Sturluson, who wrote down many important myths for future generations.

Interpretations

Comparative mythology

Comparative mythology is a way of comparing stories from different cultures to find common themes. Scholars look at how similar myths are across various places and suggest these similarities might come from a shared original story.

Functionalism

Some believe that myths help shape how societies behave. They can offer models for actions and create a sense of connection to important values. For example, by sharing or acting out myths, people in traditional societies feel linked to important times or events.

Euhemerism

Main article: Euhemerism

See also: Herodotus

One idea is that myths start from real historical events that get changed over time. For instance, a story about a leader who helped people understand the wind might later become a tale about a god of the wind. Ancient writers like Herodotus and Prodicus talked about this, and the idea is named after Euhemerus, who thought Greek gods came from human legends.

Allegory

Some think myths began as ways to describe natural things or ideas. For example, the sun might be represented by a god like Apollo, or wise judgment by a goddess like Athena. Over time, these descriptions were taken literally, turning poetic ideas into stories of gods.

Personification

See also: Mythopoeic thought

Others suggest that myths come from giving human qualities to objects and forces. Ancient people might have seen fire or wind as powerful beings rather than just things, leading them to create stories about gods controlling these forces.

Ritualism

See also: Myth and ritual

Some believe that myths and rituals are closely linked. One idea is that people first performed rituals for one reason, then later created myths to explain what the rituals meant. As beliefs changed, these rituals were seen as ways to honor gods, with myths explaining why the rituals were performed.

Academic discipline history

Many important thinkers have studied myths throughout history. These include Vico, Schelling, Schiller, Jung, Freud, Lévy-Bruhl, Lévi-Strauss, Frye, the Soviet school, and the Myth and Ritual School.

The study of myths began in ancient Greece with the Presocratics. Euhemerus was a key figure who saw myths as distorted memories of real events. Later, writers like Plutarch, Porphyry, Proclus, Olympiodorus, and Damascius explored the deeper meanings behind myths.

During the Renaissance, interest in old stories about gods grew again. The 19th century brought new ways to understand myths, influenced by ideas about how cultures and languages change over time.

In the 20th century, psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Jung looked at myths through the lens of the human mind. Others, like Lévi-Strauss, saw myths as patterns that show basic ideas all humans share. Still more recent studies see myths as stories that help shape societies and cultures.

Today, scholars recognize that myths change and adapt, existing in many forms beyond just written words. They continue to explore how these stories connect us to our past and shape our understanding of the world.

Modernity

People who study culture look at how myths are used today. Because of the internet and other digital tools, myths can now reach many more people than before. We see myths in many places, like on television, in cinema, and in video games.

Movies have made it easier for myths to be shared with big groups of people. In a type of psychology called Jungian psychology, myths show what a culture or society wants, fears, hopes, and dreams.

Many modern stories, especially in movies, are based on old myths. Big movie studios, like The Walt Disney Company, are known for turning old stories into films for children. Even if a movie doesn’t look like a fairy tale, it might still use ideas from myths, such as warnings about using technology badly, battles between powerful beings, or stories about how worlds were created. These ideas appear in many types of films, including cyberpunk, action films, fantasy, dramas, and apocalyptic stories.

Recent movies from the 2000s, like Clash of the Titans, Immortals, and Thor, keep this tradition alive by using old myths in new plots. Writers also use myths in their books. For example, Rick Riordan wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, where Greek deities are part of the modern world.