Introduction to Myth
Introduction to Myth:
Mythos – Greek word for story (not necessarily true or false)
Mythology – the study of myths
Primitive people needed to make stories/myths in an effort to understand what was going on in their world. Humans are the only beings with a need to understand things; a dog doesn’t think “why me??”. Primitive people, when scared, hurt, depressed, created myths to explain their pain or discomfort.
All cultures make myths in their early development.
Around 1200 B.C., ancient Greeks began to take written history and to make rational and logical stories. Myth-making came to an end once this began.
Myths “illustrate” the truth, much as Jesus did in his parables. He did not give an exact point, but told a story that showed what he meant. Myths may not tell the literal truth, but they illustrate human nature and human experience.
Theories:
Max Müller – concluded that all ancient myths are about nature and natural phenomenon.
Carl Jung – noted that same kinds of myths turn up in all different cultures, such as each culture having their own version of the Great Flood. He developed his theory of the Collective Unconscious – that all humans are born with these same ideas in their brains, lying deep and unconscious. He said that myths explore these deep ideas of the collective unconscious.
Claude Levi-Strauss – research on human brain, that different sides were responsible for different functions. Noted that the body is binary (2 arms, 2 ears, 2 legs…) and says that we think in pairs with ideas (on & off, right & wrong, good & evil, yes & no). They are pairs of opposites in conflict with each other. Levi-Strauss says that man’s entire experience is based on conflict, and that myths present the conflicts, then resolve them within the story.
The 20th century was in ways spent examining and interpreting the ideas of the 19th century. Despite technological strides, it has been said that no ideas came from the
Mythos – Greek word for story (not necessarily true or false)
Mythology – the study of myths
Primitive people needed to make stories/myths in an effort to understand what was going on in their world. Humans are the only beings with a need to understand things; a dog doesn’t think “why me??”. Primitive people, when scared, hurt, depressed, created myths to explain their pain or discomfort.
All cultures make myths in their early development.
Around 1200 B.C., ancient Greeks began to take written history and to make rational and logical stories. Myth-making came to an end once this began.
Myths “illustrate” the truth, much as Jesus did in his parables. He did not give an exact point, but told a story that showed what he meant. Myths may not tell the literal truth, but they illustrate human nature and human experience.
Theories:
Max Müller – concluded that all ancient myths are about nature and natural phenomenon.
Carl Jung – noted that same kinds of myths turn up in all different cultures, such as each culture having their own version of the Great Flood. He developed his theory of the Collective Unconscious – that all humans are born with these same ideas in their brains, lying deep and unconscious. He said that myths explore these deep ideas of the collective unconscious.
Claude Levi-Strauss – research on human brain, that different sides were responsible for different functions. Noted that the body is binary (2 arms, 2 ears, 2 legs…) and says that we think in pairs with ideas (on & off, right & wrong, good & evil, yes & no). They are pairs of opposites in conflict with each other. Levi-Strauss says that man’s entire experience is based on conflict, and that myths present the conflicts, then resolve them within the story.
The 20th century was in ways spent examining and interpreting the ideas of the 19th century. Despite technological strides, it has been said that no ideas came from the