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What is Myth?
“a Depew / Fontanarosa joint”
What is “Myth”?
DEFINITION:
The word “myth” comes from the Greek word, “mythos”, which means, “a spoken or written story.”
The modern definition includes:The ancient stories themselves
The overall belief-system (i.e. religion) of the people/culture who originated these stories
What is Myth?
PURPOSE:
Myths were developed so people could make sense of the world around them.
This is why every society has its own collections of myths-its “mythology”
What is Myth?
PURPOSE:
Myths try to explain the way the world is.
Their explanations are often dependent on relationships between humans and the gods and goddesses who made humans
What is Myth?
PURPOSE:
Myths answer unanswerable questions, like:“Who made the universe?”
“What causes a storm?”
“Why are humans different from animals?”
Myths usually play an important part in religion.
Myths answer primitive people’s fears about science
Myths make nature seem less chaotic
NATURE: (origin myths)Where did the Earth come from?
Heavens- sun moon stars, etc.
Seasons- climate, rain, fertility
Geography – oceans, mountains, forests
Myths attempt to explain:
What is Myth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crnpS1HoDQw
Myths attempt to explain:
MAN Where did man come from?
His life cycle-birth, growth…
His victories
Glories in war and love
Defeats in war, love, misfortunes
His end/death-glories and weaknesses
What is Myth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anB1BgtwCpkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccKhLrKhiOo
GODSWhere did the gods come from?
Number of gods
Polytheism vs. Monotheism
Responsibilities / duties of gods
Roles of gods – their powers and weaknesses
Myths attempt to explain:
What is Myth?
What is Myth?
TEXTS:
Oral Tradition:Most myths were passed down orally
They were permanently recorded in rhyming poems that were publicly recited or sung.
He longest of these are known as “epics”Iliad AeneidOdyssey
What is Myth?
TEXTS:
They were also recorded in:Plays
Architecture
Sculpture
Mosaics
Ceramics
Frescoes and Murals
Carvings
Textiles
Other assorted human artifacts…
What is Myth?
PlaysParticularly, those of four Greek playwrights who lived near Athens around 500 – 400 BC
• Aeschylus
• Euripides
• Sophocles
• Aristophanes
TEXTS
What is Myth?Architecture
TEXTS
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3289/2801135531_5d9887020d_z.jpg
What is Myth? TEXTS
Architecture
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2145/2314582176_a673e26fd2_z.jpg
What is Myth? TEXTS
Architecture
http://www.shunya.net/Pictures/Greece/Athens/ParthenonFrieze.jpg
What is Myth? TEXTS
http://http://www.tammyjerome.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/DisneyStudios3.jpg
Architecture
What is Myth?Sculpture
TEXTS
What is Myth?Sculpture
TEXTS
What is Myth?Sculpture
TEXTS
http://www.hellenicaworld.com/Greece/Mythology/Sculpture/HerculesMaucher.jpg
What is Myth?
Mosaics
TEXTS
http://farm2.staticflickr.com/1084/5161815327_614d454406_z.jpg
What is Myth?
Mosaics
TEXTS
What is Myth?
Mosaics
TEXTS
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/20/2d/
a0/202da0d0d112d441e0105025f7348d7b.jpg
What is Myth?
Ceramics
TEXTS
http://www.workofartists.com/images/art/ceramicscirclefriends.jpg
What is Myth?
Ceramics
TEXTS
male effigy vessels, called "Jivitonuu" and female effigy vessels called "Jivitovaa".
Hiwi pottery
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__N5hDcfFbvk/S5vfw8Yqh9I/AAAAAAAAA9g/7L9qfm9vWaU/s400/Jivi-Guajibo-Hiwi-Ceramica.JPG
What is Myth?
Ceramics
TEXTS
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3483/3707761638_6bcc2a82f6_z.jpg?zz=1
What is Myth?
Ceramics
TEXTS
http://www.greekpotteryshop.com/images/DSCN6495_500x375.JPG
What is Myth?Frescoes and Murals
TEXTS
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/c8/b4/a2/c8b4a241116aebffb17ad11a6ace50fe.jpg
What is Myth?Frescoes and Murals
TEXTS
http://www.wga.hu/art/r/raphael/5roma/4a/05farnes.jpg
What is Myth?
Frescoes and M
urals
TEXTS
http://www.terminartors.com/files/artworks/4/5/7/45737/Guercino-Aurora-1621-II.jpg
What is Myth?
Carvings
TEXTS
http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/images/mlw_0001_0003_0_img0166.jpg
The carving on this hei tiki jade pendant
is a fertility symbol in the mythology of the Maori people of New
Zealand. The figure represents the first
man, Tiki, in the stories of other
Polynesians.
What is Myth?
Carvings
TEXTS
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cw-P9EkdLQ/TjxQe-3XwHI/
AAAAAAAADac/A7RQlUNH5X8/s400/
IMG_5037.JPG
What is Myth?Carvings
TEXTS
The Exquisite Art of Food Carving
http://arts.cultural-china.com/chinaWH/upload/upfiles/2011-03/02/
the_exquisite_art_of_food_carving05e7ed556a92c6d5cd91.jpg
What is Myth?Textiles
TEXTS
http://www.rugreview.com/orr/or113ke1.jpg
What is Myth?Textiles
TEXTS
http://ololopress.com/amm/images/cattle.jpg
Andean llama god
What is Myth?Textiles
TEXTS
http://blinds-wallpaper.net/wallpaper/images/uploads/tapestries/EUROPEAN/3776tap.jpg
What is Myth?
LEGACY:
Why do myths survive?Myths allow modern people to reflect upon a more simple and genuine time
Myths promote the use of symbols to explain shared patterns of experience
Myths are cool stories that resonate on many different levels.
What is Myth?
Themes, Motifs, SymbolsGood against EvilGods and GoddessesCreation MythsThe First HumansHeroesThe AfterlifeAnimals
What is Myth?Fabulous Beasts/Monsters
What is Myth?
Fabulous Beasts
and Monsters
What is Myth
Sacred PlacesStonehenge
What is MythSacred PlacesOracle at Delphi
LegendsUsually do not have religious or supernatural content
Usually do have historical contentThey give almost-superhuman qualities to historical figures or events
They are more about the “story” than the significance of the story
Purpose = entertainment first, lesson second
Sometimes used for education purposes, as an example
Myth, Legend, and Folklore
Myth, Legend, and FolkloreLegends
They are more about the “story” than the significance of the story
More for entertainment
Sometimes used as educational examples
We might gain some meaning from a legend, but not the archetypal intensity that myths contain
Ex: – Atlantis– Robin Hood– Romulus and Remus– Headless Horseman
– Knights of the Round Table
– Vlad the Impaler
– El Dorado
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend
Atlantis
Legend
http://www.blog.dolorescannon.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/AtlantisTheMyth.jpg
Robin Hood
Legend
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11/118094/2720089-disney_robin_hood_help.jpg
Romulus &Remus
Legend
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zAu0NmcY5UU/TdFAqVzUIjI/AAAAAAAABf0/Yd9uJdTT-EI/s1600/SSRomeBegginingsRomulusRemus.gif
Knights of the Round Table
Legend
http://whatculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/7213.jpg
Knights of the Round Table
Legend
http://fc07.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/085/2/5/knights_of_the_round_table_by_paladin_errant-
d37cg3p.png
Headless Horseman
Legend
http://www.francescofrancavilla.com/gallery/images/headless_horseman_low.jpg
Legend
http://www.lookingland.com/jcarrstudios/vlad.jpg
Vlad the Impaler
El Dorado
Legend
http://www.redicecreations.com/ul_img/24142eldorado_678x320_front.jpg
Myth, Legend, and Folklore
Tall TalesFolktales, known to be fictional
Usually limited to specific regions
Always contain exaggerations
One town, one city, one mountain range Paul Bunyan
Br’er Rabbit
Rip Van Winkle
Tall Tales
Paul Bunyan
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9pSiyDgqz0/T3HPOEuM-6I/AAAAAAAAAOA/
rnSmr4ra7xg/s400/PaulBunyanBabe.jpg
Tall TalesBr’er Rabbit
http://leahstps.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/brer-fox-talking.gif
Tall Tales
Rip Van Winkle
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AWV4hGqqnZ0/TY07sBA2pEI/
AAAAAAAAALc/9ZO3ub-FIgw/s1600/Rip-Van-Winkle.jpg
Fables:Short stories to entertain (and teach) kids
Emphasize the moral (lesson)
Characters are often animals (or other non-humans)
Plot is a metaphor for a human behavior that must be clarified or modified
Examples include Aesop’s fablesThe Tortoise and the Hare
Ants and the Grasshopper
Fox and the Crow
Fairy Tale:A fictional story set in a magical version of the real world
Characters are archetypesSpecifically, there is usually a “Hero”
Characters’ actions teach a lessonFairy Tales teach lessons like fables teach morals
Magical Beasts / Talking Animals are often present in fairy tales
Magic is often used to move the plot
Examples:Cinderella
Pinocchio
Rumplestiltskin
Puss in Boots
Folklore (or Lore)consists of :
– legends,
– music,
– oral history,
– proverbs,
– tall tales, and
– customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group.
It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared.
– jokes,
– popular beliefs,
– fairy tales,
– stories,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore
Myth, Legend, and Folklore
Folklore (or Lore)Study of folklore (by Folklorists)
looks at four general (non-literary) media:
• Artifacts
• Oral Tradition
• Culture, and
• Behavior / Rituals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore
Myth, Legend, and Folklore
Types of Myths
Primitive MythsOriginally stories told about nature
Pagan MythsWhich were like the Greek and Roman stories of the interplay between humans and deities
List from In the Global Myths, by Alexander Eliot
Types of Myths
Sacred MythsAs in the stories from current Eastern and Western religions such as Christianity and Hinduism
Scientific MythsStories which support natural laws
Types of Myths
Cosmic MythsStories which detail the creation and end of the world
Place and Object MythsDescribing places such as Camelot, or objects such as the Golden Fleece
Types of Myths
Theistic MythsDetail events involving the deities
Hero MythsStories about characters including Heracles,
Moses, Odysseus, and Achilles
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
Myths grant continuity and stability in culture
They strengthen and maintain a shared set of values, ideals, and history
Holidays, calendars, morals, laws traditions, rituals…
Myths present guidelines for living
Ex. PHILEMON & BAUKIS
When myths tell about the activities and attitudes of deities, the moral tone of the story implies the expectations of society for our own behaviors and standards
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
Myths justify a culture’s activities
as well as technical tips for hunting, warfare, farming, etc.
Myths establish a culture’s customs, rituals, religious tenets, laws, social structure, arts and crafts, holidays and traditions,
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
If we believe that humans can interact with gods, then we obviously must have some part in their grand scheme
We are suffering for a bigger cause rather than being battered about randomly
We believe all of our problems have meaning
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
Myths explain the unexplained
– The Story of Hades and Persephone
Ex. Why do have seasons?
They reveal our fate after death, the reasons for miracles or disasters, and other riddles of life
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
Myths offer role models
If they can do it, why can’t we?
We can find strength in the exploits of the deities and heroes’ courage and strength
Why Do Humans Need Myths?
As a part of Chuck Norris in Greek Mythology Week, the Austin Sketch Squad came up with these two wonderful illustrations. Walker: Texas Centaur …
http://geekadelphia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/walker_texas_centaur.jpg
…and Chuck Norris kicking Medusa…
http://geekadelphia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/pottery_shard_chuck_norris.jpg
