Myth

A myth is a sacred narrative that seeks to explain the worldview of a group of people and is usually associated with religion. It is derived from the Greek word mythos, meaning “word of mouth.” In general, myths are understood to take place in an unspecified time either before recorded history or in the early history of a group's existence, but they carry a meaning that makes them significantly relevant to a group's system of beliefs as they continue to exist in society. Myths are not necessarily false, as common usage of the word is concerned. Rather, they are regarded as part of a group's spiritual beliefs, so they are not considered either true or false.

In attempting to explain the worldview of a particular group of people, myths contain images, symbols, and metaphors that represent a number of different ideas shared by a group. Unlike legends, folktales, fables, or fairy tales, myths play an important role in society and are taken more seriously by scholars due to their spiritual and religious significance. They are not simply stories conjured up by members of a group today, but rather, they have gained acceptance by a group of people through generations of oral and written tradition. They are an integral part of a group's religious and cultural identity.

Myths have been a part of society for as long as people have sought to explain the world around them. In a sense, myths can be seen as alternatives to science, with science being the modern method of describing natural phenomena. For instance, the Big Bang theory is science's way of explaining the origin of the universe, whereas nearly every group of people throughout history has come up with its own creation myth. The Greek myth of the creation of the world out of chaos is an example of this type of myth. As science increasingly becomes the more accepted version of describing natural phenomena, even among groups with strongly held traditional beliefs, myths have somewhat decreased in importance. They are still, however, vital to the identity and cultural heritage of groups of people. They are so important, in fact, that even as different civilizations and societies have disappeared, their myths have persevered, offering scholars a close look into their systems of beliefs.

Myths are a part of nearly every culturally and religiously distinct group's heritage. Some of the most well-known myths today come from the ancient Greeks, who incorporated numerous myths about their gods and heroes into their religion and [Page 862]society. These myths were a central aspect of ancient Greek culture, and these sacred stories were intertwined into their religious rituals. Other prominent sources of mythologies that are still well-known today include the Norse (Scandinavian) myths, Egyptian myths, Judeo-Christian myths, Mesopotamian myths, and a variety of myths from the native North American tribes.

Creation myths, as earlier stated, are a popular type of sacred story that can be found in nearly every culture's collection of mythologies. These narratives tell the story of how the world was created by a supernatural power out of a scene of chaos and disorder, with each different culture inserting its own respective symbols and superpowers into the myths. In addition to creation myths, founding myths are another common type of myth and serve to explain the origins of a people, place, or idea. Founding myths are featured prominently in Greek mythology, as nearly every different subsection of the ancient Greeks was accounted for by a founding myth. Many of their cities, such as Athens, Delphi, and Corinth, also had founding myths behind them. Apart from Greek mythology, one prominent founding myth comes from Roman mythology, telling the story of how the city of Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus.

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