Myth is the imaginative
fiction of the minds of the ancient
natives of a country who believed
that there were some kind of
nature gods who were involved
in the creation, maintenance and
destruction of the world, and in
some way they also influenced
the social life of the people.
Characteristics of a Myth
1. A myth is a story that is, or was
considered, a true explanation of
the natural world and how it came to
be.
2. Characters are often non-human
and are typically gods, goddesses,
supernatural beings or mystical fist
people.
3. Setting is typically ancient, or
prior to the time when actual
records were kept. Myths are
typically set in a world very similar
to our own, but with supernatural
monsters or areas.
4. The plot of a myth may take place
between a supernatural world and
our present day world. Myths do this
to highlight the basic human
behaviors that are essential in any
setting.
5. Myths possess events that bend
or break natural laws. This is often
done to magnify the super-
naturalness of the mythical world.
6. Promotes Social Actionmyths
try to tell people how to act and live.
Core values such as individualism,
family and community are often
instilled in mythical heroes
7. Myths have sense of mystery, or
the unknown.
8. Dualities (or complete opposites
such as night/day, good/evil) often
play important roles in the plot of a
myth.
9. Myths often have an emphasis
on language Mythical heroes are
often sophisticated storytellers.
(1) They have no philosophy of any
kind. (2) They have no exact time of
the births of gods. It means they
have no real history of their
imagined gods. (3) They have no
scientific description of any kind
regarding the creation and When children from Athens were
destruction of the world, or birth of
souls and their karmas etc. (4) The
number of their gods and
goddesses is flexible. It means that
during various periods of time new
gods and goddesses have been
created and added to the
mythology. (5) There is no definite
place or dimension for their gods to
live in. Just some vague
imaginations like the Greek gods
are supposed to live on Mount
Olympus in Greece. (6) There is
absolutely no description of the
Divineness of gods. (7) Their gods
and goddesses are filled with
human weaknesses like lust, greed,
jealously and anger etc., and (8)
their gods and goddesses have
never been visualized in actual life
because they are just the fiction
stories of primitive minds.
Difference Between Myth and
Legend
There is much overlap between
stories that can be considered
myths and those that are legends.
The main distinction is that a legend
is a semi-true story that is based at
least partially in real historical
events. Legends are passed down
from generation to generation, and,
in the process, events may become
distorted, exaggerated, and/or
made supernatural. Myths are
similar in that they are passed down
from one generation to the next, but
are not necessarily based in
historical events. In a myth, the
symbolism of the events in the story
is more important than the events
themselves.
Example of Myths
Myth of Pandora's Box
According to myth, Pandora was a
tempter of mankind. She was given
a box as a gift but told not to open
it. When she disobeyed, all of the
evil in all of the world was released
to harm humans.
Myth of Theseus
Theseus was said to be the founder
of Athens, the capital city of Greece.
being sacrificed to a beast called a
Minotaur, Theseus offered to go
into the beast's lair (known as the
Labyrinth) to slay the Minotaur and
rescue the children.
Myth of Prometheus
In this famous Greek Myth,
Prometheus, a powerful deity
known as a Titan, decided to give
the gift of fire to mankind. Zeus
punished him, forcing him to be
tortured for the rest of eternity!
(Beowulf, translated by Seamus
Heaney)
The Old English poem Beowulf
mixes the Biblical story of Cain and
Abel with a modern present danger
for the people who were listening to
and telling the store of Grendel.
Grendel is a mythological creature,
a fiend out of Hell, who terrorizes
the Anglo-Saxons in what is
present-day Scandinavia. This is an
interesting myth example that
combines a much older story with a
newer (at the time) mythological
being.
Romulus and Remus
In Roman mythology, Romulus and
Remus are twin brothers, whose
story tells the events that led to the
founding of the city of Rome and the
Roman Kingdom by Romulus. The
killing of Remus by his brother, and
other tales from their story, have
inspired artists throughout the ages.
Since ancient times, the image of
the twins being suckled by a she-
wolf has been a symbol of the city
of Rome and the Roman people.