Post by Syrenna on Nov 29, 2006 11:51:58 GMT -5
I will briefly introduce Mythology here for those of you who are perhaps not so familiar with it. There are multiple perspectives so please bear with me while I build on these and if you have any suggestions, feel free to share them with me.
I will begin with a breakdown of the word 'mythology' itself and then we will branch off from this into the different mythological beliefs held across the world.
The word 'mythology' is the "branch of knowledge that deals with myths; the study of myths". In addition, it refers to the body of myths from a particular culture or religion, (e.g., Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, or Christian mythology). Mythology primarily focuses on stories that a particular culture has believed to be true and which may use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity.
In common usage, myth can mean a falsehood, or a fable - a story which is widely believed to be based on fact but which is not true. However, the academic study of mythology does not use these definitions. Mythography and comparative religious studies also acknowledge the cultural and spiritual value of all myth systems.
Myths are narratives about divine or heroic beings, arranged in a logical manner, and passed from generation to generation and culture to culture. All sacred traditions have myths, and use of the term does not imply crticism or any depreciation in importance, as there often is in common usage. Some myths descended originally as part of an oral tradition and were only later written down, many existing in multiple versions. Oral traditions may diminish, or in some cases vanish, as the written word becomes "the story" and the literate become "the authority"; however, this depends on the culture.
Most often the term mythology is used in a compound expression with another adjective to refer specifically to ancient tales from very old cultures, such as Greek mythology or Roman mythology.
From Wikipedia.
I will begin with a breakdown of the word 'mythology' itself and then we will branch off from this into the different mythological beliefs held across the world.
The word 'mythology' is the "branch of knowledge that deals with myths; the study of myths". In addition, it refers to the body of myths from a particular culture or religion, (e.g., Egyptian mythology, Norse mythology, or Christian mythology). Mythology primarily focuses on stories that a particular culture has believed to be true and which may use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity.
In common usage, myth can mean a falsehood, or a fable - a story which is widely believed to be based on fact but which is not true. However, the academic study of mythology does not use these definitions. Mythography and comparative religious studies also acknowledge the cultural and spiritual value of all myth systems.
Myths are narratives about divine or heroic beings, arranged in a logical manner, and passed from generation to generation and culture to culture. All sacred traditions have myths, and use of the term does not imply crticism or any depreciation in importance, as there often is in common usage. Some myths descended originally as part of an oral tradition and were only later written down, many existing in multiple versions. Oral traditions may diminish, or in some cases vanish, as the written word becomes "the story" and the literate become "the authority"; however, this depends on the culture.
Most often the term mythology is used in a compound expression with another adjective to refer specifically to ancient tales from very old cultures, such as Greek mythology or Roman mythology.
From Wikipedia.
