“Mythology” is a study that contains a wide variety of subject matter. Mainly, it is the study of stories that have been told over and over since ancient times. In contrast with the actual meaning, the word “myth”, when used in a sentence today leads people to believe something is untrue. For example, my grandmother always said that adding salt to water makes it boil faster, and my mother would laugh at her and say “That’s just an old myth”. Although today the word “myth” is used more to discredit things than anything else; there is a lot more to the word, and the world of mythology than silly tricks that people believe are false. Mythology incorporates a lot of the ancient world’s stories, but these were much more than stories to the people of the ancient world. Through these tales of mythological kings, queens, and heroes we learn a lot about the ancient society. …show more content…
Regardless of their validity, these stories of the ancient world tell tales of great adventures and lessons learned, and had an enormous impact on the lives of people thousands of years ago. Some myths contained heroes and heroines, who travel on great adventures, and teach the readers that hard work and perseverance pays off. Others validate certain religious beliefs of what happens after death, as a way of reassuring people. In the past, there were also an abundance of myths explaining natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. Others taught timeless life lessons, such as patience, respect for yourself, and about relationships with people and nature. Just as they did with children in the ancient world, they teach about responsibility, and growing
Even in the face of adversity, people can feel a connection to their ancestry and cultural traditions through the telling of myths. The narratives and characters found in myths frequently offer illustrations of fortitude and tenacity in the face of adversity, encouraging people to overcome their own obstacles. In addition, the spiritual components of myths can foster a sense of kinship with the natural world, animals, and the spiritual realm, enabling people to feel grounded and comforted despite loss. Myths can help First Nations people feel that their traditions and beliefs will endure even in the face of change or hardship by giving a sense of continuity and cultural
Anthony Pellegrino Professor Schoolcraft LIT-229 World Mythology 30 July 2023 Milestone Three There are many theories on how myths spread and preserve their cultural significance throughout generations, two examples of these theories are dispersion theory and the theory of collective unconscious. Dispersion theory is a belief that some of the original themes and archetypes of myths were made by one culture an incredibly long time ago and was spread as the culture emigrated throughout generations. Collective unconscious is a theory that states there is a segment of the unconscious mind within all humanity that shares ancestral memories and experiences. Both theories can be applied to give us a further understanding of myths. Dispersion
Through the ages, grandiose tales of monsters and heroes have been told and retold either by oral tradition or written for future generations to learn from those who have come before them. To the Greek culture, these stories represent what it means to be a man, a patriarch, and the hero that can accomplish anything with a little help from the gods. In both, the Odyssey and Medea, the heroes have accomplished extraordinary feats that sets them on a path to a better future, not just for them, but for their children as well. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus has taken a long journey to come home to his Greek wife, in contrast, in Euripides’ Medea, Jason takes a journey with his Colchian wife to settle in a new home in Greece. In the end, Odysseus is able to accomplish great feats of bravery and enjoy the remainder of his life, but Jason fails at his attempt to forge a life beyond his great feats of bravery.
reality VS myths make us conscious The hero's journey is the most important part of a myth. It is a cycle where someone left their house and everything when he was a kid; left for an adventure or a mysterious event. Pass through many fight, have power or treasure, in some cases the foundation of a city. After it, have a fight to death with their enemies.
Today, we have knowledge about different types of mythology from different regions of the world. However, when comparing these mythologies, it is noticeable that they are more similar than different. An example of this is that both Greek mythology and Norse mythology present struggle between the gods and the titans, in Greek mythology the fight is represented by Zeus against Cronos, in the Nordic the fight is represented by Odin against Ymir. Another example of this is that in mythologies, overall, there are presence of supernatural characters, some examples of it are the gods and creatures that appear in these mythologies. The final example of this similarity is the creation myths, which generally presents the creation performed by god and
Mythology is the collection of myths that denotes commonly cultural and religious beliefs of ancient human beings. The elements of it were usually the involvement of god, goddess and heroes. In addition, it was based on a man’s desire, beliefs and ideas. It also told the natural occurrence and its main purpose was to teach people moral lessons. One of the example of Greek mythology is the divine hero of ancient Greece his name was Heracles, but people knew him as Hercules.
Greek Mythology and its Influences on Modern Society By Jenna Marie A. Macalawa, Lyceum of the Philippines University – Cavite Campus 2014 Myths are not dissimilar to fairy tales, legends, and sagas, but its period is distinctly different from usual existential time. It is considered as an expression of childhood experiences, and it also explains the origin and meaning of the world. According to Long (1994), “The term mythology may describe a certain body of myths, for example, Greek, African, or Scandinavian, or it may refer to the study of myths” (p.694). These collections of narratives are superior when it comes to influencing different areas of knowledge. There are numerous types of mythology, but Ancient Greece is the one that has given an immense influence on modern society.
Mythologies, although depicted in different ways, are a part of every culture. Every mythology has stories of their heroes and how they came to be. Usually heroes come into this world unnaturally and strangely. Heroes have their tales of incredible quests they are sent on, like fighting horrific monsters and solving complex puzzles. Eventually heroes die, whether out of heroism or stupidity.
The most important way to think about myths is that they are symbolic stories that attempt to answer difficult human questions about the universe. For instance, where did we and the world come from? And what is the meaning of life?. “We all want to know where we came from, but because our earliest beginnings are lost in the mists of prehistory, we have created myths about our forefathers that are not historical but help to explain current attitudes about our environment, neighbors and customs” (6). Myth functions as a guidance that explains everything that we come into contact with in the universe.
Myths are known across the globe and within different cultures. The cultures have their own myths on creation, creatures, or the humans on earth. These myths are told to tell how the land and creatures were created. Today two myths from a different culture will be viewed while answering some questions and describing the myths of those cultures. The myths that will be looked at are The Creation of the Titans and the Gods from Greece and Rome and The Aboriginal Creation from Australia.
Greek mythology can be viewed as a mirror to the ancient Greek civilization. Ancient Greek myths and legends often reflected how the Greeks saw themselves. Myths were used by Greeks to make justifications of every existing aspect of earth as well as their own society. In myths, Greek gods & heroes often represented key aspects of the human civilization. From Greek mythology, we can learn about the favorable characteristics of humans, such as their behavior and valuable skills that were approved of by the ancient Greek society.
A myth is a false belief or idea. It is usually held within an old traditional story or it is a way to explain a natural or social phenomenon, typically involving supernatural creatures or events. Myths are stories of transformation. Many people are surprised to learn that ancient myth was often at least as violent, if not more so, than the mayhem of our modern fantasies. For example, The Godfather, and its companion, Godfather II, have been justly praised for excellence in such technical matters as acting and direction; their popularity is enhanced by less pleasant preoccupations: a lust for violence accentuated in recent years; an obsession with the details of organized crime; a cynical belief that only small distinctions separate lawless behavior from ordinary business practice.
Greek mythology has been one of the most complicated subjects in the field of religion and mythology. This is due to the complex relations and interactions which exists in the history of Greek gods and the humans who lived in ancient Greece. Different versions of the existence and the establishment of the superior beings were developed, which at times created suspense for readers through their interactions. The various tales which exist explain the various connections between different gods, how they relate to one another, the ideological order in which they came into existence as well as the interactions they had with humans. These tales form the basis of various religious beliefs and practices since it is perceived that it is through the interactions of the gods that humans came into existence, a situation which created the dependent relationship between mortals and gods.
These stories had great important meaning. They believe the tale of Gods and Goddesses were mythopoetic base on myths that spread through book and poetry. 2. What does it mean to say that a culture is “mythopoetic”? What was the cultural significance of the ‘Tales” of Homer and Hesiod?
“Why do myths, works of art and literature, history and artwork about Greek heroes and heroines furnish such a great opportunity to engage with all the major questions of life and society? Give details.” Often, myths, works of art and literature, history and artwork about Greek heroes and heroines relates to the creation of the world and at times it destruction in future. A myth is a story with great significance to species or culture. It addresses important but difficult questions than man tend to ask like who am I, what is my origin, why am I existing, how do I need to live, what is wrong and what is right and what is the universe and who created.