Mythology An Introduction

What comes to mind when you hear the word “mythology”? For Mrs. Westra… Gods and goddesses Greece Disney Creatures and monsters Special powers How something came to be

Why do we enjoy mythology? “Human beings have always been myth makers.” Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth, 2005. “Strong myths never die…. Myth precedes literature. The oldest stories were passed from mouth to ear to mouth long before they traveled from hand to page.” Margaret Atwood, “The Myth Series & Me,” 2005

Connection to you… When do you tell stories? How do you tell stories? Do you ever exaggerate? Why do you enjoy telling stories?

Myths have been described in many ways: stories of forgotten origin stories that involve supernatural beings and activities stories that explain some aspect of human nature or of the world stories that may describe some historical event (with embellishment) stories that have no one single author, but came into existence through oral tradition (therefore, there are many versions)

Characteristics and a Definition Myth is a Greek word meaning “story” Myths usually involve gods or heroes Myths are often so old that their origins are unknown

Myths had many uses for ancient peoples: to explain the world around them to teach history to understand human nature and behaviour to teach morality and ethics

To Explain the World… Because ancient peoples couldn’t explain many aspects of natural science, they used myth to help comprehend their world: Zeus, the father-god, does not just live in the sky, but is the sky Mount Etna in Sicily is an active Volcano because Typhon is buried beneath it

To Teach History In many ancient cultures, few could read or write (and they didn’t have textbooks yet); consequently, myths were used to teach and remember history: Archaeologists have proven that the city of Troy actually existed and that there was a great battle there

To Understand Human Nature & Behaviour… Myths were also used to help understand human behaviour. In a way, they are humanity’s first attempt at practising psychology. Cronos being killed by his son Zeus depicts the situation faced by ancient Kings

To Teach Morality & Ethics Myths were also a way to teach morality and ethics: Many gods and heroes have admirable qualities…we can learn to be like them Many have negative qualities…we can learn from their mistakes Cupid and Psyche = Love and Soul

Why study mythology? To understand the people who were here before us To understand what it means to be human To gain insight into the mysteries of the world To learn the origins of some words, stories, allusions, lessons, etc. To read a different genre