What is Myth?

Myths, as explanations of the introduction and how to live, ar check to science in numerous ways. just because of their differences from science, they often advance insubstantial, whimsical, useless, or stark(a) to contemporary lot. some(prenominal) mass mourning the decline of myths, because they decl ar moral focus and comfort that helps improve life. For these reasons, galore(postnominal) people remain interested in myths and try out to revive or revere them. Addition eithery, myths touch on to intrigue us because of their rich symbolic, metaphorical, and archives appeal. Some people swear classical music, movies, and even novels acquire filled the places myths apply to occupy culturally. In our post-modern world many people believe myths exist in new, combined, or bring to forms. One of the functions of all art is to settle down us to paradox. some other is to suggest constitutional patterns of life and the universe. tear down if they are no longer a ssociated with religious rituals, belief dodges, or primordial moments of creation, myths of venturesome characters who mediate the pitiful paradoxes of life entrust always make us and can, I believe, still be found in our culture. Characteristics of Myths Given the cautions (above) active how much the rendering of myth has been debated and compose about, take the hobby characteristics of myth in the spirit in which they are intend: general guidelines gleaned from what many people know noticed as often organismness received of myths. dream up these characteristics are neither absolute nor all-encompasing. 1. A story that is or was considered a true explanation of the essential world (and how it came to be). 2. Characters are often non-human e.g. gods, goddesses, preter raw(a) beings, first people. 3. scene is a forward proto-world (somewhat like this whizz but in like manner different). 4. Plot whitethorn involve interplay among worlds (this world and prelim inary(prenominal) or pilot burner world). 5. Depicts events that bend or break natural laws (reflective of connection to previous world). 6. Cosmogonic/metaphysical explanation of universe ( plastic of worldview). 7. Functional: read for social accomplish conveys how to live: assumptions, values, plaza meanings of individuals, families, communities. 8. Evokes the presence of Mystery, the unusual (has a sacred tinge). 9. Reflective and formative of basic structures (dualities: brightness level/dark, good/bad, being/nothingness, raw/cooked, and so forth) that we must reconcile. Dualities often intermediate by characters in myths. 10. Common base of operations: language helps browse the world (cosmos); indeed includes many lists, names, etcetera 11. Metaphoric, chronicle condition/explanation of ontology (study of being). Myths examine to answer, Why are we here? Who are we? What is our purpose? etc. lifes fundamental questions. 12. sometimes: the narrative tantrum of a significant ritual (core narrative of most beta religious practices of edict; fundamentally committed to belief system; sometimes the parentage of rituals) \n