What is Myth/Mythology?

1. What is Myth/Mythology? “Life is not about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself”

2. Let’s take a look at the word… • Mythology  mythos and logia • Logia: knowledge and study • Mythos: story • Greek: mythologia roughly translated to ‘legendary lore’ • But what exactly is a myth?

3. What is a myth? Let’s begin by telling one…

4. What is a myth? • Misuse of the term… • A single definition is not enough

5. What a myth does • Explains how things happen • Explains why things happen • Is the basis of morality, governments, national identity

6. Myth as literature • Myths are the earliest form of literature, most often an oral form

7. Myths today • Stories of the past affect us today • Days of the week • Months • Certain superstitions/beliefs • Myths unite us as a human race

8. Modern example of influence

9. Some general statements • Myths are a constant among all humans in all times • Myths tell of events that happened before written history and give us a glimpse into the future. In short, myth holds our past, present, and future together. • Myths are a type of moral code, a pattern of beliefs

10. Language and Myth • Much of our language comes from myths, especially Roman, Greek, and Norse • Figurative language: chaos, Pandora’s box • Music: “I’m Your Venus,” “Friday, I’m in Love” • Commercial: Nike, Mars (m&m’s)

11. Common Language Museum  muse Europe  Europa Olympics  Mt. Olympus London/Lyons  Lugh Achilles’ heel Athens, Georgia Vocabulary mercurial erotic venereal hell iridescent Language and Myth

12. Qualities of myth • Belief in a higher power • Monotheism vs. Polytheism • Anthropomorphism – The projection of human features or qualities on the divine • “making a god in man’s image” • Personification of abstract concepts • victory, love