Foundations Of Mythology
Foundations of Mythology
J Lacy Parson
HUM/105
22 DEC 2014
Randall Allison
Foundations of Mythology
Foundations
I think that the word myth gets used quite a bit these days, and in the wrong context. You often hear people say “it’s a myth” to refer to something that is too good to be true. Or some outlandish story such as a big fish story. Traditionally, a myth is a story that offers an explanation to something such as “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 & McClure, 2004) In an academic context, according to the text, a myth is “the study of myth is a field of inquiry that ranges from the earliest known history of humanity up to and including contemporary cultures and societies and even our own individual senses of self in the world.” (Leonard & McClure, 2004) My interpretation of the definition is that they are stories that have been passed around for years about and forming our culture and beliefs.
Commonalities
“Some of the recurring themes include a Golden Age, a fall from a heavenly state, resurrections from death, virgin births, worldwide floods, creation stories in which "one becomes two," and a future apocalypse.”("Analyzing Mythology", n.d.). Many different cultures have some of the same stories with different details or characters. Usually they have the same outcome though. These myths help form the society and culture that they live in. It is they view certain things. According to Rosenberg, “In their theory, innate psychological characteristics, common to all human beings, determine how people throughout the world and throughout history experience and respond to the process of living. The
J Lacy Parson
HUM/105
22 DEC 2014
Randall Allison
Foundations of Mythology
Foundations
I think that the word myth gets used quite a bit these days, and in the wrong context. You often hear people say “it’s a myth” to refer to something that is too good to be true. Or some outlandish story such as a big fish story. Traditionally, a myth is a story that offers an explanation to something such as “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 & McClure, 2004) In an academic context, according to the text, a myth is “the study of myth is a field of inquiry that ranges from the earliest known history of humanity up to and including contemporary cultures and societies and even our own individual senses of self in the world.” (Leonard & McClure, 2004) My interpretation of the definition is that they are stories that have been passed around for years about and forming our culture and beliefs.
Commonalities
“Some of the recurring themes include a Golden Age, a fall from a heavenly state, resurrections from death, virgin births, worldwide floods, creation stories in which "one becomes two," and a future apocalypse.”("Analyzing Mythology", n.d.). Many different cultures have some of the same stories with different details or characters. Usually they have the same outcome though. These myths help form the society and culture that they live in. It is they view certain things. According to Rosenberg, “In their theory, innate psychological characteristics, common to all human beings, determine how people throughout the world and throughout history experience and respond to the process of living. The
References: Leonard, S., & McClure, M. (2004). Myth & knowing: An introduction to world mythology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Rosenberg, D. (2006). World mythology: An anthology of great myths and epics (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: McGraw Hill. Analyzing Mythology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mythome.org/mythII.html