Myths and Mythology An Introduction

Myths tell us about … Our relationships with each other Our relations with the natural world Our relationship with the cosmos, god or gods

What is a myth? A myth is a story with a purpose. It tries to explain something that appears unexplainable.

“Myth” – the word can offend Many people hear “myth” and they think “an old fictional story.” When we use the word “myth” in class, we mean a story that has relevance for a people trying to explain an aspect of their world. If a story within your religious belief system is called a “myth” you should not be offended in our class.

Why do zebras have stripes?

Why is there thunder after lightning?

Why did our crops fail this year?

How was man created?

Myths have a purpose Even though the events in a myth are usually impossible, they try to send a message that has an important social or religious meaning.

Religious meaning: God sent a flood … to cleanse the earth.

Why were myths created? People have always tried to figure out common questions like who made the universe or questions like what causes a storm. Religion, gods, and myths were created when people tried to make sense out of these questions.

How is a myth like science? For early people myths were like science because they explained how things work. They also explained other questions that are now answered through modern science. (For example, now we know the scientific explanation for why you get a sunburn – it’s not because the sun god is angry with you.)

Who has myths? Myths exist in almost every ancient culture. You can find myths not only from Ancient Greece and Rome, but from Africa, Indians of North America, Egypt, Japan, China, and many more cultures. (Maori, Aborigine, etc.)

Greek example The Ancient Greeks had to face many forces of nature. In their effort to understand nature, they invented stories to account for the things that went on in their lives. MYTHS, or stories, about gods and goddesses were made up to help them understand the world around them.

Other examples FROM LATIN AMERICA: The Aztecs were great farmers, so the success of their harvests depended on the weather. They had to create ways to explain why weather was good, giving a bountiful harvest, vs. why weather ruined their harvest FROM NORTH AMERICA: The Grand Canyon is such a tremendous gash in the earth that Native Americans tried to explain it with stories about how it came into existence.