What is Myth?

Definition A myth is a story handed down through history, often through oral tradition, that explains or gives value to the unknown Myths are often stories told by a particular people such as Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and others. They are especially linked to religious beliefs and rituals, believed to invoke a type of magic that would aid the growth of crops, insure success in war, help achieve prosperity or make choices and promote stability in the land. If nothing else, when people thought that the gods favored a venture, they approached it with a positive attitude that in itself sometimes insured success. Songs, poems, and stories help to explain how people acquired basic things like simple speech, fire, grain, wine, oil, honey, agriculture, metalwork, and other skills and arts.

Definition In the absence of scientific information of any kind, long ago societies all over the world devised creation myths, resurrection myths, and complex systems of supernatural beings, each with specific powers, and stories about their actions. Since people were often isolated from each other, most myths evolved independently, but the various myths are surprisingly similar, in particular creation myths.

Defintion So the need for myth is a universal need. Over time, one version of a myth would become the accepted standard that was passed down to succeeding generations, first through story-telling, and then, much later, set down in written form. Inevitably myths became part of systems of religion, and were integrated into rituals and ceremonies, which included music, dancing and magic.

Definition The second function of myth is to justify an existing social system and to account for its rites and customs. One constant rule of mythology is whatever happens among the gods reflects events on earth. In this way, events such as invasions and radical social changes became incorporated into myths. Some myths, especially those from the Greco-Roman and medieval periods, also serve to illustrate moral principles, frequently through feats of heroism performed by mortals.

Definition Myths, then, are stories about certain characters -- gods, goddesses, men, women, and, especially, heroes. The stories of their adventures, whether triumphs or tragedies, tales of honor or tales of vengeance, were passed down by storytellers from generation to generation. In this oral tradition, stories often became distorted so that, in reading mythologies today, there are often variations in the same story. The moral however remains the same.

Definition Myths continue to be told today. George Washington was mythologized by Parson Weems in the story of the cherry tree, an event that never actually happened but was used to illustrate a moral truth about young George's character. Stories are told about other famous Americans, such as Ben Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, making them larger than life and heroes in our minds. Other American myths include the stories of Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and "The Little Engine That Could," which demonstrate that great things can be accomplished through self-confidence.

Definition In the ancient myths the gods are immortal -- they never die. The gods reach out and touch the lives of mortal humans, sometimes threatening them, punishing them or helping them. The stories are topics for great art, literature and music. One finds them used in advertisements, in political cartoons, even names of organizations or businesses. Look in the phone book to find Pegasus as a company name sometime. Knowing the ancient myths makes a study of art and literature more interesting ---and FUN!

Mythology in Modern Culture Greek mythology is present in our everyday lives whether we know it or not. It is deeply embedded into our everyday culture, and a lot of the movies we see, books we read, music we hear, and yes – even products we buy – are deeply influenced by the Ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks had many different gods and goddesses – hundreds of them – and they are reflected through us through our language on an everyday basis. Let’s take a look at several companies that use the ancient Greek mythology as their business name and logo.

Tennessee Titans You might not think that a professional football team would be considered a company – well that is exactly what it is! The titans were what were around before the Greek gods and goddesses, and are where the likes of Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon come from.

Nike Most people have heard of the gigantic shoe and sportswear company (hopefully), but did you know that the Nike is the Greek goddess of victory? It only makes sense to name a sports shoe company after the goddess of victory.

Amazon The web site is (at the time of this being written) currently ranked as the fourteenth most visited site in the US in named after a race of warrior women.

Pandora There are many different companies out there that hold the business name of Pandora. Pandora Jewelry – and more recently Pandora radio are just a few of many out there. Pandora was the first woman in Greek mythology and her name means “all gifted.” “Pandora’s box” is a box that contained all of the evils of the world, and when she opened it, all of the evils were released into the world and the only thing that remained inside of the box was hope.

Saturn Apart from being one of the planets in our system, Saturn – which is the name of a car company in today’s world – was the Roman name for Cronus, who was the father of Zeus.

Trident The trident was the three pronged spear of the god of the sea Poseidon. Trident gum is a popular gum and Trident actually literally translates into “three toothed.”

Venus Venus is another name that got changed (from Aphrodite) once the Romans took over the Greek mythology. Today, Venus is a very popular and famous beauty product for women.

Starbucks The woman in the Starbucks logo is a Siren. In Greek mythology, the Sirens are creatures with the head of a female and the body of a bird. Later in history, Sirens appeared as half female and half fish. They lived on an island (Sirenum scopuli; three small rocky islands) and “with the irresistible charm of their song they lured mariners to their destruction on the rocks surrounding their island (Virgil V, 846; Ovid XIV, 88).” The Starbuck’s Siren is drawn as half female and half fish because she represents the company’s hometown, the coast of Seattle, Washington. The irresistible smell of coffee aroma lures customers to Starbuck’s doors.

FTD This flower delivery company uses Hermes, the god who wears winged sandals and winged cap, in their logo. Hermes, the son of Zeus, is the messenger of the gods. The winged apparel worn by Hermes makes him quick and vigorous. FTD believed the attributes associated with Hermes would perfectly symbolize speedy floral deliveries.

Mars Bars The popular candy bar Mars is named after the Roman god of war.

Ajax The bathroom cleaning product known for fighting grease and grime was named after the Greek warrior Ajax. In spite of his small stature, he held his own amongst the other heroes. He was known for his superior strength, power, and swiftness. The cleaning product introduced in 1947 wanted to prove that small entities can be victorious in even the largest of battles..

Oracle “Oracle's business is information—how to manage it, use it, share it, protect it” (www.oracle.com). In Greek mythology, oracles were places where human beings could consult the gods for information, usually a prediction of the future. The word oracle refers to both the message given as well as the place or a person who provided the information.