Mythology
Spoon 2010/11/19 03:54
Spoon 2010/11/19 03:54
The term mythology can refer to either the study of myths, or to a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story, but academic use of the term generally does not pass judgment on truth or falsity. In the study of folklore, a myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world and humankind came to be in their present form. Many scholars in other fields use the term "myth" in somewhat different ways. In a very broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story.
Spoon 2010/11/19 04:27
Joseph Campbell believed that there were two different orders of mythology: that there are myths that, "are metaphorical of spiritual potentiality in the human being", and that there are myths, "that have to do with specific societies".
Claude Lévi-Strauss believed that myths reflect patterns in the mind and interpreted those patterns more as fixed mental structures — specifically, pairs of opposites (i.e. good/evil, compassionate/callous) — than as unconscious feelings or urges.
In his appendix to Myths, Dreams and Mysteries, and in The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mircea Eliade attributed modern man’s anxieties to his rejection of myths and the sense of the sacred.
In the 1950s, Roland Barthes published a series of essays examining modern myths and the process of their creation in his book Mythologies.
Joseph Campbell believed that there were two different orders of mythology: that there are myths that, "are metaphorical of spiritual potentiality in the human being", and that there are myths, "that have to do with specific societies".
Claude Lévi-Strauss believed that myths reflect patterns in the mind and interpreted those patterns more as fixed mental structures — specifically, pairs of opposites (i.e. good/evil, compassionate/callous) — than as unconscious feelings or urges.
In his appendix to Myths, Dreams and Mysteries, and in The Myth of the Eternal Return, Mircea Eliade attributed modern man’s anxieties to his rejection of myths and the sense of the sacred.
In the 1950s, Roland Barthes published a series of essays examining modern myths and the process of their creation in his book Mythologies.
Spoon 2010/11/19 04:30
Comparative Mythology:
Comparative mythology is the systematic comparison of myths from different cultures. It seeks to discover underlying themes that are common to the myths of multiple cultures. In some cases, comparative mythologists use the similarities between different mythologies to argue that those mythologies have a common source. This common source may be a common source of inspiration (e.g. a certain natural phenomenon that inspired similar myths in different cultures) or a common "protomythology" that diverged into the various mythologies we see today.
Comparative Mythology:
Comparative mythology is the systematic comparison of myths from different cultures. It seeks to discover underlying themes that are common to the myths of multiple cultures. In some cases, comparative mythologists use the similarities between different mythologies to argue that those mythologies have a common source. This common source may be a common source of inspiration (e.g. a certain natural phenomenon that inspired similar myths in different cultures) or a common "protomythology" that diverged into the various mythologies we see today.
Spoon 2010/11/19 04:31
Nineteenth-century interpretations of myth were often highly comparative, seeking a common origin for all myths. However, modern-day scholars tend to be more suspicious of comparative approaches, avoiding overly general or universal statements about mythology. One exception to this modern trend is Joseph Campbell's book The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), which claims that all hero myths follow the same underlying pattern. This theory of a "monomyth" is out of favor with the mainstream study of mythology
Nineteenth-century interpretations of myth were often highly comparative, seeking a common origin for all myths. However, modern-day scholars tend to be more suspicious of comparative approaches, avoiding overly general or universal statements about mythology. One exception to this modern trend is Joseph Campbell's book The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), which claims that all hero myths follow the same underlying pattern. This theory of a "monomyth" is out of favor with the mainstream study of mythology
Dashman 2010/11/20 02:28
U write whole history of mythology..... Wat is mystory behind dat ...
gd stuff hr
U write whole history of mythology..... Wat is mystory behind dat ...
gd stuff hr
6Mike9 2010/12/10 13:52
CORRECT!
They r DISTORTED ACOUNTS of historical events.
Like theory of wind-god who thaught his ppl to use sails to interpret d winds.
a flying-goddess wil b showing off her skills flying off skyscraper.
jokes aside.
dont try that when drunk.
Spoon: Origins of Myth:
Euhemerism
(One theory claims that myths are distorted accounts of real historical events.) According to this theory, storytellers repeatedly elaborated upon historical accounts until the figures in those accounts gained the status of gods. For example, one might argue that the myth of the wind-god Aeolus evolved from a historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret the winds. Herodotus (5th century BC) and Prodicus made claims of this kind. This theory is named "euhemerism" after the mythologist Euhemerus (c.320 BC), who suggested that the Greek gods developed from legends about human beings
Euhemerism
(One theory claims that myths are distorted accounts of real historical events.) According to this theory, storytellers repeatedly elaborated upon historical accounts until the figures in those accounts gained the status of gods. For example, one might argue that the myth of the wind-god Aeolus evolved from a historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret the winds. Herodotus (5th century BC) and Prodicus made claims of this kind. This theory is named "euhemerism" after the mythologist Euhemerus (c.320 BC), who suggested that the Greek gods developed from legends about human beings
CORRECT!
They r DISTORTED ACOUNTS of historical events.
Like theory of wind-god who thaught his ppl to use sails to interpret d winds.
a flying-goddess wil b showing off her skills flying off skyscraper.
jokes aside.
dont try that when drunk.
Spoon 2010/12/10 22:20
6Mike9:
CORRECT!
They r DISTORTED ACOUNTS of historical events.
Like theory of wind-god who thaught his ppl to use sails to interpret d winds.
a flying-goddess wil b showing off her skills flying off skyscraper.
jokes aside.
dont try that when drunk.
i guess u didnt read it properly or only took in the bits u wanted to, as i have put in the very first post myths r tradittional stories, and they cover many things. the bible and book of Allah r also traditional stories and also change at times, australian dreamtime for the aboriginals r true stories for them that have bn passed on thru generations yet there isnt a book for them to follow, just as egyptian/kemetic have hieroglyphics to tell there stories so do the aboriginals. Just because they aint written in writting as we know today doesnt make them any less true to objects like the bible and other religious books
CORRECT!
They r DISTORTED ACOUNTS of historical events.
Like theory of wind-god who thaught his ppl to use sails to interpret d winds.
a flying-goddess wil b showing off her skills flying off skyscraper.
jokes aside.
dont try that when drunk.
Niksbits 2012/02/21 15:20
Hi spoon I believe bats are mystic animals I would like to know your thoughts if you wouldn't mind sharing with me x cheers nik
Hi spoon I believe bats are mystic animals I would like to know your thoughts if you wouldn't mind sharing with me x cheers nik
aprillia 2012/04/03 19:33
have a lot of mythology in my country n now to b come story telling.
n i like to listen that 4m my mam.
have a lot of mythology in my country n now to b come story telling.
n i like to listen that 4m my mam.
Replies: 38
#34 Myth&Mystery
For discussion of mythologies, ancient cultures, the supernatural, mysticism and folklore. Explore the darker mysteries of life here.