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Theories of Myth

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Theories of Myth
Stephanie Gonsalves
University of Phoenix
HUM/105
Liz Labby
March 29, 2011

Theories of Myth

Myth is defined as a sacred narrative. The word myth means story or word. According to M. Magoulick, What is myth, “myths articulate how characters undergo an ordered sequence of events. The term myth has come to refer to a certain genre or category of stories that share characteristics that make this genre distinctly different from other genres of oral narratives, such as legends and folktales. Many definitions of myth repeat similar general aspects of the genre and may be summarized thus: Myths are symbolic tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), maybe connected to belief systems or rituals, and may serve to direct social action and values” (Magoulick, 2000). A myth refers to stories that tell about the beginning of humans and the cosmos. In most cultures a myth is a strong belief. Some take it as a source of spiritual growth, while others don’t believe in myths at all. In most cultures the people see in myth the distinct character of their culture, while others only see patterns repeating. Some believe myths to be real and contemporary, while others think of it as far gone and over with. I believe myths to be a legend of ancestry that has both true and false facts to the narrative and in most cases myths are only believed to be true in a certain culture or religion. Take the creation of earth from Genesis, many Christians believe in this myth, there has to be some type of explanation to how humans and earth were created. The only stories of how men were created came from the Bible a book that was written by man. So no one really knows how we were created, we only know by the ancient book that was found with passages from other humans that existed centuries ago. Myth Theories There are many myth theories; some of these theories are the basic four theories, written by a teacher name Plato. The first one is psychological myth theory, which states that myths are based on human emotion and that they come from the human subconscious mind. Cultures all around the world had similar fears, questions and wishes which, to them were unexplainable. That is the reason psychological myths were made and that is why there are archetypes shared between cultures. The second is the Structural theory, which states myths were patterned after human nature and the human mind. According to Joseph, Ramblings of an Illiterate, “These myths show the two sides of the human mind; the good and the bad. They show the divided self and the duality of human nature. The third is the Functional myth theory which was created as a type of social control and served the function of ensuring stability in a society. It also talks about how myths were used to teach mortality and social behavior. It states that myths told about what types of things should and should not be done, and the consequences for those wrong doings. The fourth is the rational myth theory; the rational myth theory says that myths were made to better understand natural events and forces that occurred in people’s everyday lives. This theory explains that the happenings of nature are controlled by the gods and goddesses” (Joseph, 1996). It seems as if man created myth for a few reasons, like explaining the unknown and natural forces, to show the duality of the human nature and the human mind. Also to maintain order in society, for them to remain stable, and I’m sure for many others reasons remain unmentioned.

Creation Myths Creation myths are myths from different cultures and are great examples of rational myths. Creation myths usually explain how the gods and goddesses created man, and what types of actions it took to create humans. These myths tell us what things were used in order for man to exist. The existence of humans is a natural event but creation myths have other explanations (Joseph, 1996). A great example of a creation myth is from the book of Genesis: “The creation Account” this passage story talks about how the world was created, and how our lord God created Plants, animals, Adam and Eve, and all living creatures. God created everything pure and free of Knowledge of good and evil that was until Eve had Adam eat from the tree of good and evil, when everything became un-pure. Another good example is the story “The creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra” the creation story from Iraq. This story talks about how the Gods created man as slaves to up keep the gardening and build temples so they don’t have to do the work. According to L. Murtagh, Common Elements in Creation Myth, “it is the nature of humans about the unknown and search for answers. At the foundation of nearly every culture is a creation myth that explains how the wonders of the earth came to be. These myths have an immense influence on people's frame of reference. They influence the way people think about the world and their place in relation to their surroundings. Despite being separated by numerous geographical barriers many cultures have developed creation myths with the same basic elements” (Murtagh, 1993).

References
Magoulick, M. (2000). What is Myth? Retrieved March 29, 2011, from Faculty.edu: http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~mmagouli/defmyth.htm

Murtagh, L. (1993). Common Elements in Creation Myths. Retrieved March 29, 2011, from cs.Wliilams.edu: http://www.cs.williams.edu/~lindsey/myths/myths.html

Joseph. (1996). Ramblings of an Illiterate. Plagiarist , 18-24.

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