Myth

Myths are traditional or legendary stories, usually concerning a being, hero, or event, often involving deities or demigods, and explaining some practice, rite, or natural phenomenon. Joseph Campbell outlined four fundamental functions of myths: the mystical function (inspiring awe), the cosmological function (describing the nature of the universe), the sociological function (supporting or validating certain social orders), and the pedagogical function (providing models for living).

Deception is widespread in myth, especially for the sociological and pedagogical functions. Myths vary cross-culturally and temporally but possess similar human-oriented deception themes. Carl Jung claimed examining myth and its universal nature helps people infer existing “archetypes” originating from the collective unconscious and composing part of people's psychological lives, guiding emotions and experiences, and acting as prototypes of people, personalities, or behaviors. An example is the trickster, a crucial character in many deception myths. Other common themes include marital affairs, power struggles, displays of cleverness or wit, and teaching lessons. Myths teach people about human nature and how to navigate their social worlds.

Myths themselves could be considered deceptive, as they are often represented and transmitted as truths and sometimes sanctioned by people like rulers or priests possessing deceptive agendas related to power or impositions of moral or lawful order. Myths were once transmitted orally, allowing transmitters to tweak details to suit their own purposes. The conception of poets—oral and written transmitters of myth—as liars is timeless, and poets like Homer or Ovid could control [Page 689]audiences and validate certain social orders with the framing of their stories. Upon the advent of writing, the ability to record myths allowed for greater concretization of details and wider transmission, which may have made deception more difficult in the retelling of myths.

Poets are not the only liars. Parents use myth to teach children lessons or morals or to unite families via cultural expression; however, parents may deceive children by not revealing myth's fictitious nature. Examples include Aesop's fables, over 600 stories mainly about anthropomorphized animals illustrating how to live, which are replete with deception, and cultural myths like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Some argue such parental deceptions are harmful to child development, but others argue they are a necessary part of growing up.