Mythology

In an effort to comprehend the whole of human experience and the place of humanity in time, ancient civilizations generated myths. The Romans chronicled time as beginning with birth and culminating in death, with great emphasis placed upon the need to be “good” in order to earn eternal life. Myths, then, are largely religious in origin and function and are in fact the earliest records of history and philosophy. Interestingly, myths have been created throughout the course of human existence and have been rendered timeless because they remain an integral part of the culture that framed them. Myths may be classified as traditional stories that deal with time and eternity, nature, ancestors, heroes and heroines, supernatural beings, and the afterlife that serve as primordial types in a primitive view of the world. Myths appeal to the consciousness of a people by embodying their cultural ideals or by giving expression to deep and commonly felt emotions. These accounts relate the origin of humankind, its place in time, and a perception of both the visible and the invisible world.