...Foundations of Mythology Short Answers HUM/105 Professor * How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, “It’s a myth” mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the things in the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. The word myth is used in stories told people don’t know if the stories told are true or not. My personal belief is that a myths can be both true and not true tales. My reason for this because things in the area that happened more than fifty years ago or longer could be turned into false information after the years and years of being restated, no one knows because this area has happened so long ago in time. Myths are stories that were passed on from one generation to the next one its fiction and non -fiction. Myth is used in academic context as being an explanatory narrative, & illustrates how people should act and the existing social order. They are collectively authored and are created by people traditions and oral traditions are told and retold over time. My definition of myth is something that has reason for it could be true or untrue depending on the topic; you just have to use logic to determine the truth of the quote or statement. * Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind...
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...Foundations of Mythology Dayana H Febres Aponte World Mythology HUM105 08/12/2015 Prof. Lester Lopez Nieves Foundations of Mythology Mythology is in my opinion if not a well-known subject it is by far a very much talked about subject. Everyone I know I know always has different type of opinion or ways of seeing what exactly mythology is. Well, know I get the chance to further my knowledge and understand a little more about what mythology is exactly and have my own opinion about it. After reading the chapters and analyzing them the word myth is defined in my words as some type a story, maybe even a special story that concerns early history of some people or some type of explaining of a social or natural phenomenon. In my opinion it involves supernatural things or events. So, the statement "It's a myth" can mean different things to different people. To me it means something that is maybe unexplainable or not real, but to other it may mean some type of historic event that were told when they were children and to this day believe it is true. If I were to describe "myths" in my own words I will say that myths is something that we grow up with. Where I am from they taught me about "El chupacabra", this in Puerto Rico means some kind of animal that lives in the woods and eats cows. In some other understanding I will say it sometimes means history of our ancestors that many times we find them hard to believe. In the world we live in today...
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...Foundations of Mythology Short Answers Tracey Walker HUM/105- WK1- World Mythology June 5, 2014 Sharon Worley A myth is used popularly when it is used in a story or a fact is a legend. Something that is factually true. A myth "Does my butt look big in these?"( Stan Rogal 2006). The word myth can be used to dismiss another culture or belief if it is truer than another’s. It’s a myth means that, something that people believe to be true but isn’t. Something that people will say when telling and explaining something to you wanting you to believe them and think that it is a true fact. A myth is sometimes used as an explanatory narrative to describe how things mysteriously happen in stories and religions. It somehow explains how the world is how it is. The word myth is used in the academic context in a variety of academic setting; its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a true fact and over time has been changed within the society. A definition of myth in my own words would be made up stories that explain the existence of different cultures with different religious beliefs from people. Some myths can be legendary stories or just traditional about an event or super hero. I believe different cultures address similar themes as a way to explain a culture's origin and history. For decades myths have been passed on and have become an integral part of many...
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...Foundations of Mythology Mythology can have different meaning to individuals or groups. It has been this way throughout the ages. Myths can be common across different cultures and places in the world. Myths have a place in religion, knowledge and beliefs and in contemporary society. The word myth is used popularly in stories that have been told over time that are not true, but are told in a way to be believed as true (White Hat, 2014). Today the phrase “It’s a myth” is just another way of saying a story that is told is not true but is said to be true. An example would be the story about my Uncle Kennard Freeman. He died November 21, 1966 in the house I grew up in and still live in today. The story or myth was that he had a heart attack while sitting on the toilet, collapsed and cracked his head open on the old porcelain tub. My sister, myself, several cousins were all told this and believed it for a long time until discussing it with my father and my uncle did have a heart attack but was in his bedroom. The story sort of became an urban legend in our family. In contrast, in academic context, myths are ancient narratives that try to satisfy the persistent and essential questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles are as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What our values should be? How should we behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving...
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...Foundations of Mythology Hum/105 World Mythology Frank Pisano March 21, 2015 James Mackey How is the word myth used popularly? For a long time I avoided using the word myth because it means so many different things to different people. Academic experts on myth debate heatedly about what a myth is and how it functions in human life. In fact, with so many conflicting meanings and so much debate, some scholars have declared the word meaningless and abandoned it altogether. (Word press 2014) For example, what does the statement, "It's a myth" mean? “Myth” is derived from the Greek word mythos, which can mean tale, or story, and that is essentially what a myth is: a story. For many, such a general definition proves to be of no real service, and some would add the qualification that a myth must be a “traditional” tale or story, one that has proved of so lasting a value that it is continually retold, through whatever medium the artist/storyteller chooses to employ. In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? Myth is used in many ways and is something to keep you thinking and on your toes. It’s used to look at things different ways like the most recent dress that was going on line, is the dress blue and black or white and gold? Just from asking most of my friends and family it was just about 50/50. Now you have to ask yourself what is the real color. After considering the definition in your...
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...MYTHS The word myth was derived from the Greek word mythos. In English this means word or story. In an academic context, a myth is a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation. A myth is any invented story. Myths are ideas or stories believed by many people but is not true, also stories told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, natural occurrence, or some belief. A myth is used a lot in short stories or folktales that have been told through so many generations that are sometimes not so true. These stories are told in a way that the people listening to them actually believe parts of it to be true. I believe there are so so many common mythological themes across different cultures. They are so many that you would take all day to list them. I know I have learned in school that the Thais, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans share the myth about the rabbit in the moon. The Thais believe it is dehusking rice. The Chinese believe it is pounding medicine. The Japanese and the Koreans believe it is making rice cakes. They all differ by what the rabbit is doing. These places are not far from each other but differ in these ways they believe. Belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion all go together in a way that people think or go by. Belief is what someone thinks is true and they know no other way to think. Knowledge is having that belief and knowing what you think is true. Mythology...
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...I think that the word “myth” means something legendary or traditional. Some people say “it’s a myth” because they don’t think that it is true. According to www.dictionary.reference.com, it states that “a myth is something that is a traditional or legendary story that is told to others”. Myths are also things that people don’t think that is true or real and want to prove it. To me, I think that the word “myth” means something legendary as I explained in the beginning. Some things that people claim to be a myth goes as following: the Greek Gods, the loch ness monster, and La Llorona. Myths come in all different types of cultures because it depends on what you believe. Some of the most common mythological themes that come across the different cultures would be: Arabian, Armenian, Celtic, Christian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Hindu, Islamic, Japanese, and many more. According to www.bibliotecapleyades.net, it states “there are more than just two types of cultures. There are many more than you can imagine”. People just think there are only a few types of mythology, when different types of cultures have their own style. The relationship between belief, knowledge, mythology, and religion is somewhat tied together. Knowledge is something that consists of acquired information, such as facts, truths, stories, etc. Belief is the assertion that something is true without having necessary proof, evidence, or facts to back it up. A myth is a fictional story, usually with a hero or an event, often...
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...Foundations of Mythology Oatis Henry HUM 105 April 9, 2015 DR. Sigrid Koepke-Fruend Popularly the word “myth is used to describe urban legends or stories that are not true but told by someone to as if they were true. Academically, the word myth is used to describe ancient narratives that tries to answer human questions such as how the world was created or how the human race what created. The word mythology comes from Greek words such as mythos and logos. Mythology can be described as logical thinking. I would describe myths as an unexplainable or unknown actual event created by individuals to make sense of the unknown such as creation of the universe. Cultures around the world have different myths that all share the basic human desire to understand life and its meaning. Creation is one of the most popular myths that these cultures share. The cultures utilize their surroundings and cultural backgrounds to help the citizens understand the unknown since we all have different backgrounds, it makes sense the stories would differ however, the premise of the story will remain the same. The most unusual creation myth I have come across is the Chinese legend of Pan Gu, Nü Wa and the cosmic egg. While the story is odd for me, it has the overall same purpose as the "big bang theory" or "God created the world in seven days" theory. They all share the same desire to explain the unexplainable. Belief, religion, knowledge, and mythology differ however, they have overlapping characteristics...
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...always completely understand where these stories are coming from, and we simply watch them for the entertainment. With Greek mythology not being as viewer friendly for young children, Disney had to change some details from the original myth of Heracles. With changes in stories comes changes in outcome. So how did these changes in the Disney version of Hercules impact our view of Heracles? While both the Greek and Disney version present Heracles in different ways, we see that it is the changes that Disney has made makes the character of Heracles to be more relatable. The biggest change in the story may be Heracles birth parents. In the film Hercules we see that Hera is Hercules’ mother. Anyone who has read the myth would be able to tell you that this was not the case. In fact, Hera hated Heracles for Zeus cheated on Hera with a mortal women named Alcmene who birthed Heracles. In the myth Zeus gives Heracles his name to honor Hera because of its meaning, Glory of Hera. The significance of Hera despising Heracles shows in Greek mythology the nature of the Gods. It shows us how Hera reacted when she was jealous or enraged with Zeus for having a child with another women. In Disney though, the significance of changing was to show that Zeus was not promiscuous and remained loyal to his wife which is the opposite of what he is presented as in Greek mythology. As well as, Disney presenting a positive mother figure for it’s young audience. In the film, Hercules is born a god making...
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...Foundations of Mythology Shannon A. Colon Lampley HUM/105 World Mythology Prof. Lester Lopez-Nieves Mythology is an old study, that goes back time and time before, but mythology is not only an old practice, it also shows you a cultural purpose, most about religion or beliefs, that shows a moral and practical lesson. Mythology came to the interpretations of actual historical events, and other different retellings. There are five types of myths, one being theological, another being physical, which is the base of natural laws, animastic that is most defined by concerning soul, material and finally mixed. There are two types of theories, the first being the pre-modern theory and the other being the modern theory, the difference between both theories being that the pre-modern theory is the events of actual historical events, and the modern theory can be founded now in day in video games, movies, and books. In modern day using the term “myth” is becoming more common known more for being more of a lie or truth. The term “it is just a myth” now in days can be related to a fairy tale, folk story or an old wives tale. For example when younger, parents once told the children that when their tooth fell off, it was needed to be put underneath the pillow for that the tooth fairy can take it and leave the child a quarter. In a young age when one is naïve, one tends to believe in those myths, but when older myths tend to be more about storytelling to the younger generation...
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...Foundations of Mythology Jovon Laurent HUM/105 Feb 2, 2015 Marianne Murawski Foundations of Mythology Merriam-Webster online dictionary (Merriam-Webster mobile search, n.d.) , describes a myth as, “a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon”. A myth is perceived very differently depending on where a person lives their culture, values and lifestyle. In Western society today the word is popularly used to describe a story or tale that has no authenticity or is not true. Academically, a myth is an effort to answer the questions of human existence (Rosenberg, 2006). Personally speaking, the word myth means an exaggerated story that has been told from generation to generation with no truth to it, but often times sends a very meaningful message or moral that can be used in life. There are many mythological themes that span from culture to culture, but the most common theme is the plot of good versus evil. Different cultures may have different characters, but the plot of the story is always the "good guy" struggling to overcome some kind of obstacle, that will eventually make him a better person, while at the same time fighting against the "bad guy". In the end, the story delivers a message or moral to the readers about life. Across the different cultures, the storyline and the characters may be different, but there is always a moral or...
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...Foundations of Mythology Michael C. Moore World Mythology/105 February-11-2013 Greg Underwood Foundations of Mythology Myth usually defined as a story that may be traditional or legendary that usually references some supernatural event and in most cases the story will be fiction and non-fiction. The word “myth” comes from mythology, which means in itself a fable or story but most likely the word “myth” in today’s society is known as an untruth or not real. When a person uses this word after a statement has been said the person is basically saying that the statement, which was stated is untrue or false claiming that the statement has no validity to it. In the academic world the word “myth” is thought in the terms of studying what myths are in relations to history of humanity, and in most cases the researching of the myth’s story and how it is within human society. A myth is a combination of fiction and non-fiction built into the society to make the story both interesting and amazing, although some of the information may be unbelievable it will still hold interest in the real world. Many of these myths or stories try very hard to provide a lesson for society to enhance itself and overcome obstacles while struggling with humanity’s issues. In general Myths have the same themes or seem to address the same questions because society needs to have answers to what simply cannot be answered. In most cases society tends to be afraid of...
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...Week One Individual Assignment Individual Assignment: Foundations of Mythology Short Answers Write 150- to 200-word responses to each of the following: * How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, “It’s a myth” mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. The word myth is used in popularly when someone is telling or speaking of something or someone that is not real or is not telling the truth. It does not matter if it is only a little or a lot. Stories that seem to be too be true. For example my mom used to tell me that I had it good. Back when she was growing up in South Philly, she had to walk 20 miles to school (10miles each way)in snow that came up to her chest with her big brother shoes with no hat or gloves. When she left out it was dark and when by time she got home it was dark. When I would complain about having to walk to the bus stop in the winter time, or how cold it was at the time. * Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. Myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes because believe it or not everyone around the world goes thru some of the same things. They may be on different levels some more serious than others...
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...Luis R. Vazquez Jr. World Mythology HUM/105 1. How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, “It’s a myth” mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words. Well, the word myth brings to my mind fantasy tale of good and evil and how good wins over evil. I was reading the material’s for the class but however it has brought me to a new form of thinking. For me it was like playing in the woods as a child with my older brother and younger sister they would say to me to the boogey scare, I would hurry and run home scared out my mind, crying to my mother to help me and she would tell me that “it’s just a myth”, there is no boogey man. So then I learned that a myth was what I would say people who tell lies. I live in this world of 2013, which knowing the facts are a way better of understanding the differences of a myths and the facts are the truth. Seems like if a story is recorded on film and in the least a scientist can have fun in explaining of the unexplained in the stories told. I think the best way to look at the stories of myths is to have an open mind and not a close one (naïve’) so to speak. 2. Why do myths from different cultures around the world address such similar or universal themes? Think about how myths explain the unknown and the tribulations of mankind. By reading the textbook, I...
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...Foundations of Mythology HUM105 Foundations of Mythology In the popular context, the word “myth” is generally used to describe urban legends. Urban legends are false stories, told as if they were true, and passed on to others. Myth, in this context, is defined as stories that undergo a series of events sharing characteristics of legends and folktales. These stories, present themselves in our everyday lives through fictional characters, such as Tooth Fairy or Cupid. In an academic setting, the word “myth” is used to describe ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions such as creation (Leonard & McClure, p. 1, 2004). The word mythology is derived from both Greek words mythos and logos. The academic study of mythology could be described as the logical thinking used to produce mythical thinking; hence mythos forms the structure in which logos is employed. I would describe myths as an unexplainable or unknown actual event created by individuals to make sense of the unknown. Creation is a perfect example of this. Cultures around the world have different Myths. They all share the basic human desire to understand life and its meaning. Claude Lévi-Strauss expresses similar sentiments about myth’s functions when he postulates that myths serve to mediate conflicting or dualistic elements of society and life and conflicting nature of human beings are same around the world. (Leonard & McClure, p. 18, 2004). ...
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