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Notes in Myth

Mythology encompasses a collection of myths tied to specific cultures and religions, while folklore consists of traditional beliefs and stories passed down through generations. The document outlines various types of myths, including creation myths, legends, and fairy tales, and highlights significant sources of mythology such as Aesop's Fables and The Great Epics of the World. It also discusses major themes found in myths, including creation, gods and goddesses, heroic figures, and concepts of the afterlife.

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2 views4 pages

Notes in Myth

Mythology encompasses a collection of myths tied to specific cultures and religions, while folklore consists of traditional beliefs and stories passed down through generations. The document outlines various types of myths, including creation myths, legends, and fairy tales, and highlights significant sources of mythology such as Aesop's Fables and The Great Epics of the World. It also discusses major themes found in myths, including creation, gods and goddesses, heroic figures, and concepts of the afterlife.

Uploaded by

gallardeisiahlyn
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE

Mythology is a collection of myths belonging to a particular culture and


religious groups.
Folklore refers to the traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of people
which have been passed down to generations in an informal way.
MYTHOLOGY FOLKLORE
 Deals with either gods or their  Makes little reference to gods
progeny. or goddesses but may have a
supernatural element to them
 Storytellers link the heroes of  One may encounter witches,
their stories to a god or dragons, and various
goddess. monsters with only an implied
link to anything divine
depending on the beliefs of
the author or audience.

What's the Difference?


Fairy tale: a make-believe story about fairies, wizards, giants, or other character who
possess magical or unusual powers

Folklore: traditions, customs, and stories of one culture or group of people

Legend: a story about the past that is considered to be true but is usually combination
of both fact and fiction

Mythology: a group of myths from a single group or culture

Supernatural: more than what is natural or normal; showing godlike or magical powers;
exhibiting superhuman strength

Types of Myth
Myth Or Myth Proper provide explanations for natural events or the genesis of things,
and they give instructions on how people should treat the gods.
Saga Or Legend contains the beginning, the seed, of a historical truth and greatly
expands upon it. The tale of the war at Troy is a prime illustration of an epic or legend.
Folk-Tale Or Fairy-Tale stories for entertainment and pleasure. It features supernatural
beings like ghosts, elves, dwarfs, or demons. These beings frequently make use of
magic in the form of spells, potions, and items.
Creation Myth describes how the world or universe came into being. Origin Myth
explains the beginning of customs or names of objects. Ritual Myth explains or
practices.
Social Myth explains all performances and religious practices.

Sources of Mythology and Folklore


Aesop's Fables: Over 2,000 years ago in Greece, a man by the name of Aesop wrote a
collection of tales. Herodotus claims that Aesop, who was a slave and lived in the
middle of the sixth century, was murdered by the inhabitants of Delphi, possibly
because of his seditious or sacrilegious beliefs.
A Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights): an assortment of
tales and fables from Arabia, Egypt, India, and Persia that were gathered from oral
traditions that had been handed down through these societies for g generations. Among
the well-known figures are Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba, and Aladdin. In these tales, jinn
are frequently featured.
The Great Epics of the World: The extant epics of the many cultures around the world
are typically the source of myths and folklore. Greek works like The Odyssey and The
Lliad, Roman works like The Aeneid, Indian works like The Mahabharata and
Ramayana, English works like Beowulf and The Song of Roland, Spanish works like El
Cid, Persian works like Sha Namah, and Babylonian works like Gilgamesh, etc.
The Panchatantra: a compilation of folktales used to train Indian princes to make wise
Kings. It is believed that the Panchatantra had a significant influence on Aesop’s Fables.
The Poems of Hesiod: Theogony and Works and Days: A famous early Greek poet
named Hesiod lived during the 700th century B.C. period. His two full works are largely
responsible for Greek mythology.
The Great Themes of Myth
Creation
The foundation for more specific myths supporting societal structures, the relationship
between humans and the natural world, and the meaning o life and death are provided
by creation myths. The sun, moon, stars, seas, mountains, etc., along with the deities
who personify them, are all created by a creator deity, as are the plant life, animal life,
and people who inhabit the planet.
Gods and Goddesses
People believed that ideal beings would guide them everywhere. Such Deities resemble
humans in that they have parents and children and are a part of a social group. The
reinforcement and justification of power and leadership relationships is one of
mythology’s key functions.
Heroic Figures
Heroes and heroines are semi-divine beings: in many mythologies they have
superhuman powers through divine parentage; or they may have acquired divinity
through their deeds as men or women on earth, with the help of a deity, by use of magic
weapons, or acquisition of magic powers through ingenuity or trickery.
Monsters and Demons
Most people associate monsters and demons with beings that a hero must face and
defeat. They break heavenly order by attacking or capturing a human or divine victim,
as well as by their appearance, which is typically but not always malformed or terrible.
Animals
They are featured as wild creatures – predatory beasts or the elusive prey of hunters; or
as helpful beings tamed by humans, or as possessing powers.
The Underworld
Associations with burials always lead to stories of doom and horror of the unknowable
but unavoidable. Earth consumes the dead, yet it also produces food plants and
contains mineral wealth, creating a powerful mythic dualism.
Journey, Quests, and Trials
Mythological characters are put in various settings where they might display their
strength on quests and trips. In many stories, a person’s loyalty to the deceased
prompts them to travel to the underworld to bring their loved ones back to life.

The Afterlife
The afterlife, or some other kind of existence after death, appears in mythology in as
many varied ways as the cultures they are derived from. Some people talk about a
utopia where the troubles of this world are forgotten. Judgment is administered following
death, and those who are found guilty face torture.
Worlds Destroyed
In myth, the beginning of the world may be considered as an accidental occurrence or
as something that happened despite antagonistic forces; similarly, the end of the world
as we know it may be inevitable or imminent, whether because of divine intent, an
attack by forces of evil, or as retribution for human wrongdoing.

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