Post by Indilwen on Jul 14, 2010 15:11:01 GMT 12
Whether we call it myth, science, fiction, or the Bible, explanations for the origin of man and the universe have always been popular.
What is Myth?
While we have a general, shared sense that myths are stories shared by a group that are a part of their cultural identity, there is no completely satisfactory definition of the term myth. People contrast myth with science and religion. Usually, this comparison is unfavorable, with myth relegated to the area of lies.
"Myth is truthful, but figuratively so. It is not historical truth mixed with lies; it is a high philosophical teaching that is entirely true, on the condition that, instead of taking it literally, one sees in it an allegory."
What Is the Difference Between Myth and Science?
Questions closely related to the nature of myth are the existential "what is truth?" and "how do we know anything?" Philosophers and other thinkers have come up with such statements as "Cogito, ergo sum" 'I think, therefore I am', which may reassure us, but don't stipulate a reality that is the same for all of us. (For example, I think, therefore I am, but maybe you don't think or maybe your thinking doesn't count because you're a computer, for all I know.)
If this isn't immediately obvious, consider these questions about truth: Is truth absolute or relative? If absolute, how would you define it? Would everyone agree with you? If relative, wouldn't some say your truth is a falsehood?
It seems fair to say that myth is not the same as scientific fact, but what exactly does even that mean?
Explanations of What Seems Magical or Supernatural
Maybe we should say that myth is like scientific -- not exactly knowledge, but -- theory. That would work for some myth, like the creation of the world out of Chaos. However, it won't work when we examine the supernatural stories, which appear to defy scientific knowledge.
The story of Hercules (Heracles) grappling with the Antaeus, a chthonic giant, is a case in point. Every time Hercules hurled Antaeus to the ground, he became stronger. Clearly this is what we might politely call a tall story. But maybe there is scientific logic behind it. What if Antaeus had some sort of magnet (if you don't like the idea of a magnet, you can invent your own scenario) that made him stronger each time he hit the earth and weaker when held away from his power source? Hercules defeated another giant, Alcyoneus, only by pulling him far from his origin. The magnetic force of the earth was overcome in these examples by pulling far enough in any direction. [See Hercules the Giant-Killer.]
Or how about Cerberus, the 3-headed hell hound? There are two-headed people. We call them Siamese or Conjoined Twins. Why not three-headed beasts?
And, as far as the Underworld goes, some of the stories of the Underworld mention a cave at the western edge of the world that was thought to lead downwards. While there could be some scientific basis for this, even if there isn't, is this story any more a "lie" to be scoffed at than the novel/movie Journey to the Center of the Earth? Yet people dismiss such myths as lies created by primitive people who lack scientific knowledge -- or as lies created by people who haven't found the true religion.
What Is the Difference Between Myth and Religion?
Myth comes from the Greek word "mythos." The Greek Lexicon Liddell and Scott defines "mythos" as:
•word and
•speech.
A synonym from the lexicon is logos. "Logos" appears in the Greek for the Biblical passage "in the beginning was the word." So there appears to be a connection between the world-changing, powerful word "word" (logos) and the often maligned word "myth" (mythos).
The same lexicon search provides other predictable meanings for "mythos," including:
•tale or story
•rumor or saying and
•thing thought.
Like Bible stories, myths are often entertaining, morally instructive, and inspirational. On this site, when I use the word myth as distinct from religion, it is to separate out descriptions of and stories about gods or legendary mortals from explicit tenets of belief, laws, or human actions. This is an ambiguous area:
•If the Son of God, Jesus, turned water into wine, should he be counted a supernatural being and therefore listed in myth?
According to this treatment, yes.
•If the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses, understood the speech of a burning bush, is this not also a supernatural power?
•If Hercules, son of a mortal woman and the god Zeus, strangled snakes with his bare hands when he was newborn, doesn't that put him in the same category?
It is also called a myth if it appears magical to non-believers. On this site, the effects of Moses on the belief system of Ancient Semites are considered non-myth. So also are attempts to draw up a chronology of the events in the life of or acts of Jesus. Almost everything else in this murky area -- like the stories told in the Bible -- is myth(os), but this doesn't mean it's either true or untrue, believable or incredible.
Experts Define Myth
These negative and positive descriptions of the content of myth are not definitions and don't even explain very much. Unfortunately for those who want a simple answer to the question, "What is myth?", there is no completely satisfactory answer. Many have tried, with only limited success. A look at an array of definitions from leading philosophers and other thinkers shows the complexity behind the seemingly simple term:
•Origins - Myths are often stories of origins, how the world and everything in it came to be in illo tempore. - Eliade.
•Dreams - Sometimes myths are public dreams which, like private dreams, emerge from the unconscious mind. - Freud.
•Archetypes - Indeed, myths often reveal the archetypes of the collective unconscious. - Jung.
•Metaphysical - Myths orient people to the metaphysical dimension, explain the origins and nature of the cosmos, validate social issues, and, on the psychological plane, address themselves to the innermost depths of the psyche. - Campbell.
•Proto-Scientific - Some myths are explanatory, being pre-scientific attempts to interpret the natural world. - Frazer.
•Sacred histories - Religious myths are sacred histories. - Eliade.
•Stories - Myths are both individual and social in scope, but they are first and foremost stories. - Kirk.
A Useful Working Definition of Myth
"Myths are stories told by people about people: where they come from, how they handle major disasters, how they cope with what they must and how everything will end. If that isn't everything what else is there?"
Thank you, Robert O'Connell, for this working definition of myth.
To help define myth, people often compare myth with science and religion. Usually myth is relegated to the area of lies.
What is Myth?
While we have a general, shared sense that myths are stories shared by a group that are a part of their cultural identity, there is no completely satisfactory definition of the term myth. People contrast myth with science and religion. Usually, this comparison is unfavorable, with myth relegated to the area of lies.
"Myth is truthful, but figuratively so. It is not historical truth mixed with lies; it is a high philosophical teaching that is entirely true, on the condition that, instead of taking it literally, one sees in it an allegory."
What Is the Difference Between Myth and Science?
Questions closely related to the nature of myth are the existential "what is truth?" and "how do we know anything?" Philosophers and other thinkers have come up with such statements as "Cogito, ergo sum" 'I think, therefore I am', which may reassure us, but don't stipulate a reality that is the same for all of us. (For example, I think, therefore I am, but maybe you don't think or maybe your thinking doesn't count because you're a computer, for all I know.)
If this isn't immediately obvious, consider these questions about truth: Is truth absolute or relative? If absolute, how would you define it? Would everyone agree with you? If relative, wouldn't some say your truth is a falsehood?
It seems fair to say that myth is not the same as scientific fact, but what exactly does even that mean?
Explanations of What Seems Magical or Supernatural
Maybe we should say that myth is like scientific -- not exactly knowledge, but -- theory. That would work for some myth, like the creation of the world out of Chaos. However, it won't work when we examine the supernatural stories, which appear to defy scientific knowledge.
The story of Hercules (Heracles) grappling with the Antaeus, a chthonic giant, is a case in point. Every time Hercules hurled Antaeus to the ground, he became stronger. Clearly this is what we might politely call a tall story. But maybe there is scientific logic behind it. What if Antaeus had some sort of magnet (if you don't like the idea of a magnet, you can invent your own scenario) that made him stronger each time he hit the earth and weaker when held away from his power source? Hercules defeated another giant, Alcyoneus, only by pulling him far from his origin. The magnetic force of the earth was overcome in these examples by pulling far enough in any direction. [See Hercules the Giant-Killer.]
Or how about Cerberus, the 3-headed hell hound? There are two-headed people. We call them Siamese or Conjoined Twins. Why not three-headed beasts?
And, as far as the Underworld goes, some of the stories of the Underworld mention a cave at the western edge of the world that was thought to lead downwards. While there could be some scientific basis for this, even if there isn't, is this story any more a "lie" to be scoffed at than the novel/movie Journey to the Center of the Earth? Yet people dismiss such myths as lies created by primitive people who lack scientific knowledge -- or as lies created by people who haven't found the true religion.
What Is the Difference Between Myth and Religion?
Myth comes from the Greek word "mythos." The Greek Lexicon Liddell and Scott defines "mythos" as:
•word and
•speech.
A synonym from the lexicon is logos. "Logos" appears in the Greek for the Biblical passage "in the beginning was the word." So there appears to be a connection between the world-changing, powerful word "word" (logos) and the often maligned word "myth" (mythos).
The same lexicon search provides other predictable meanings for "mythos," including:
•tale or story
•rumor or saying and
•thing thought.
Like Bible stories, myths are often entertaining, morally instructive, and inspirational. On this site, when I use the word myth as distinct from religion, it is to separate out descriptions of and stories about gods or legendary mortals from explicit tenets of belief, laws, or human actions. This is an ambiguous area:
•If the Son of God, Jesus, turned water into wine, should he be counted a supernatural being and therefore listed in myth?
According to this treatment, yes.
•If the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter, Moses, understood the speech of a burning bush, is this not also a supernatural power?
•If Hercules, son of a mortal woman and the god Zeus, strangled snakes with his bare hands when he was newborn, doesn't that put him in the same category?
It is also called a myth if it appears magical to non-believers. On this site, the effects of Moses on the belief system of Ancient Semites are considered non-myth. So also are attempts to draw up a chronology of the events in the life of or acts of Jesus. Almost everything else in this murky area -- like the stories told in the Bible -- is myth(os), but this doesn't mean it's either true or untrue, believable or incredible.
Experts Define Myth
These negative and positive descriptions of the content of myth are not definitions and don't even explain very much. Unfortunately for those who want a simple answer to the question, "What is myth?", there is no completely satisfactory answer. Many have tried, with only limited success. A look at an array of definitions from leading philosophers and other thinkers shows the complexity behind the seemingly simple term:
•Origins - Myths are often stories of origins, how the world and everything in it came to be in illo tempore. - Eliade.
•Dreams - Sometimes myths are public dreams which, like private dreams, emerge from the unconscious mind. - Freud.
•Archetypes - Indeed, myths often reveal the archetypes of the collective unconscious. - Jung.
•Metaphysical - Myths orient people to the metaphysical dimension, explain the origins and nature of the cosmos, validate social issues, and, on the psychological plane, address themselves to the innermost depths of the psyche. - Campbell.
•Proto-Scientific - Some myths are explanatory, being pre-scientific attempts to interpret the natural world. - Frazer.
•Sacred histories - Religious myths are sacred histories. - Eliade.
•Stories - Myths are both individual and social in scope, but they are first and foremost stories. - Kirk.
A Useful Working Definition of Myth
"Myths are stories told by people about people: where they come from, how they handle major disasters, how they cope with what they must and how everything will end. If that isn't everything what else is there?"
Thank you, Robert O'Connell, for this working definition of myth.
To help define myth, people often compare myth with science and religion. Usually myth is relegated to the area of lies.