Understanding Oral Myths: Structure, Repetition, and Themes

1. Chapter 2 Ways of Understanding Myth

2. Who Studies Myth? Other than you… Field Interests and Concerns Psychologists Sociologists Anthropologists Folklorists Historians Archeologists Scientists Philosophers Artists The mind and mental processes Origin, development, organization, and functioning of human social relations and human institutions Origins, physical and cultural development, and social customs and beliefs of humans Traditional beliefs, legends, and customs of people Past events Culture of people as revealed by their artifacts, inscriptions, and monuments Physical and material world Principles of being, knowledge, or conduct Production of work according to aesthetic principles

3. How Myths Are structured: Myths are old stories, often from oral cultures told by poets Later myths are often written in the same style as older myths, because the oral style has become the trademark of mythology. Oral myths contain A LOT of repetition and names (people, places, titles)—unlike retellings you are used to (Stupid Edith Hamilton!!) Oral poets made poems up on the spot, they learn a large repertoire of fixed phrases/formulas to build their story on instead of starting from scratch and would repeat them often in the same poem Staled while they thought ahead to where the story would go. Ancient audiences LOVED repetition, like the chorus of a song.

4. Characteristics of Oral Myth 1. Extensive Repetition Example from the Epic of Gilgamesh: Then Siduri said to him, “If you are that Gilgamesh who seized and killed the Bull of Heaven, who killed the watchman of the cedar forest, who overthrew Humbaba that lived in the forest, and killed the lions in the passes of the mountain, why are your cheeks so starved and why is your face so drawn? Why is despair in your heart and your face like the face of one who has made a long journey? Yes, why is your face burned from heat and cold, and why do you come here wandering over the pastures in search of the wind?”

5. Characteristics of Oral Myth Abundance of Names and Titles– Poet’s success depended on their memory. The more names and minute details they could remember, the more it proved they mastered the story, the more impressed the audience was EX: The Illiad Now will I can only tell the lords of the ships, the ships in all their numbers! First came the Boeotian units led by Leitus and Peneleos: Arcesilaus and Prothoënor and Clonius shared command Of the armed men who lived in Hyria, rocky Aulis, Schoenus, Scolus and Eteonus spurred with hills, Thespia and Graea, the dancing rings of Mycalessus, men who lived round Harma, Ilesion and Peteon, Ocalea Medeon's fortress walled and strong, Copae, Eutresis and Thisbe thronged with doves fighters from Coronea, Haliartus deep in meadows, and the men who held Plataea and lived in Glisas ...

6. Characteristics of Oral Myth 3. Paratactic vs. Syntactic Storytelling Example of paratactic storytelling: “I was running through the forrest and I tripped and died” most myths are told this way Logical inconsistencies/ contradictions in story Audience didn’t care Example of syntactic storytelling: When I was running in a dangerous forrest, I tripped over a branch and broke my neck, causing me to die.

7. Examples ofParatactic Storytelling in myth Creation of Pandora in Hesiod does not fit with the story of the Ages of Man. The stories don’t match up as to how man was created, even though it was told my the same author

8. Common themes in myths: • Each cannon of myths in an ancient society contains these themes • Creation • Destruction • Monsters/Grotesque creatures • The Underworld/afterlife • The Hero’s Journey • Gods/Goddesses

9. Myths are not consistent! • These stories have been retold over centuries in different ways • Each author puts their own spin on it, often reflecting their own time • Homer and Burial • Many try to rationalize the myths and make them fit together (Ovid) • Everyone who tells a story changes it and so we have sometimes have two or versions of the same myth • Echo and Pan • Echo and Narcissis • Lets play telephone!