This week, we will begin to explore what myth is, no easy question to answer, and also look at some of the ways humans have developed and used their myths. We might discover as we go that the stories and mythological images of our ancestors speak to us today in more relevant and meaningful ways than we thought possible.<\/p>\n
First we need to try to define myth. One textbook offers a simple definition at the beginning of the introduction, \u201cMyths symbolize human experience and embody the spiritual values of a culture.\u201d (Rosenberg xiii) The problem with this definition is the phrase \u201csymbolize human experience.\u201d Just what does that mean? It is what myths do, but it doesn\u2019t really give us much in the way of definition.<\/p>\n
Joseph Campbell<\/a>, another somewhat famous scholar and mythologist<\/a> who we\u2019ll be using often this term, defined myth as follows, \u201cA whole mythology is an organization of symbolic images and narratives, metaphorical of the possibilities of human experience and the fulfillment of a given culture at a given time.\u201d<\/p>\n You will soon see that although most scholars of mythology agree that it is a foundational component of how any society, culture, and individual define themselves, none can agree absolutely on how to define it. But this isn\u2019t really a problem. They may all be right, given the aspects of myth they are emphasizing in their different definitions. Cosmological\u2014Its cosmological function<\/a> is to describe the \u201cshape\u201d of the cosmos, the universe, our total world, so that the cosmos and all contained within it become vivid and alive Joseph Campbell adds that all living myth must serve four primary functions:<\/p>\n Cosmological\u2014Its cosmological function is to describe the \u201cshape\u201d of the cosmos, the universe, our total world, so that the cosmos and all contained within it become vivid and alive for us, infused with meaning and significance; every corner, every rock, hill, stone, and flower has its place and its meaning in the cosmological scheme which the myth provides.<\/p>\n
\nThat is why I encourage you to define myth for yourselves during your readings and ponderings.
\nFrom the many definitions of myth in books and on the web, we can see that myths have four basic attributes in common:<\/p>\n\n
\nWhat is Mythology?<\/p>\n\n