There are various approaches to what a myth is, its definition, meaning and concept. But, in general terms, myths are defined as socio-cultural expressions of literary style, which from their perspective sought to explain natural events in a primitive way. The explanation was made through stories containing fantastic events and that were usually led by superhuman beings. It is considered that myths represent some social features of the time in which they were created, such as the principles and values of a society and even individual complexes.
Throughout history, many disciplines began the study and analysis of myth under the premise of answering three basic questions, which are:
- Origin: What is the origin of the myth?
- Function: Why and how does the myth persist?
- Topic: What does the myth refer to?
The questions raised in origin and function are answered when most theories agree that the myth originated to satisfy a need. For that same reason, it manages to persist and maintain itself over time. It should be noted that this need varies according to the theory under which the myth is being studied. Regarding the subject, it was established that it refers to the perspective from which the myth is read, the following three forms being defined:
- Literal: this way of reading means that the myth, in effect, explains a real situation, so no more interpretations than those offered by the story itself should be sought. For example, a myth that spoke of hierarchy, order and organization of a remote generation would promote the same values in a new generation. Although the myth is embellished by imaginary beings, places and events, the main theme of the myth would still be the social structure. Therefore, if the idea embodied in the story describes a real event, then the myth is literal.
- Allegorical: from this perspective the characters involved in the myth will be interpreted as representations of natural phenomena.
- Symbolic: the interpretations made from this point of view are quite broad, since myths can literally mean anything. This is due to the fact that in order to obtain the meaning, the cultural and intellectual load of the creator of the myth and his followers must be taken into account.
The need
Despite the fact that in previous paragraphs it was said that the need that gives rise to the myth changes depending on the theory that is studying it. It cannot be ignored that in most of the definitions of the myth, they express that the main need is the search for an explanation. That is to say, the man had the need to explain the things and the facts that he did not understand. Likewise, he had many unanswered questions, especially about the creation and origin of man. This is how the myths began to be born, through these the man managed to make sense of the natural phenomena that he did not understand.
What do you need?
Myths are not the only primitive literary expressions that exist, there are also legends, sagas and the marchen. Each is briefly presented below.
The leyends
This term comes from the church in ancient times, its speech is religious in nature and is intended to have an uplifting effect. The legends usually have quite marked characteristics, among which we can mention: Characters full of mercy and worthy of being saints. That inspired admiration and called for imitation of behavior.
Fear of god
Actions governed by the commands of God. The holy resignation. Be the martyr.
The sagas
While the myth sought answers to universal questions, the saga focused on local settings, connecting with specific historical events and places. Focusing on the past of its main characters, especially when they suffered important emotional burdens or went through difficult situations, which they had to overcome while they had a decisive role in some relevant historical event. When a hero in the saga was capable of generating a cult or his actions were magnified to the point of going from hero to savior, the saga became a myth.
March
In this type of narration, absolutely all the content is of the fantasy type, that is, a world and a time that exists only in history are presented. The structure of the Marchen must necessarily have some elements, among the most basic, the following are mentioned:
- Some repetition.
- Triple groupings.
- Suspense.
Despite the fact that these four types of primitive literature (myth, saga, legend, march) share the same origin, each one has its own features, structures and objectives. This would be summarized as follows:
- The saga: the content tends to be tragic in nature.
- The legend: the content has a purpose, that of promoting specific values and behaviors.
- The marchen: thanks to its purely fanciful nature, it can be classified as a form of recreation.
- The myth: focused on the search for answers, focuses on the origin and foundation.
Know the types of myths
- Cosmogonic myth: Focuses on the cosmos and the origin of the universe. Try to explain the creation process. Such stories normally unfold in one of the following ways: The act of creation by a supreme being who then disappears to leave the rest of the creative work to other powers. Emancipation from nature itself or from a primitive being, in this case the cosmos comes from a being that is divided or dismembered. The creation carried out by a single God or with the cooperation of other beings, which can be men and even an antagonist.
- Theogonic myths: in these the origin of the gods is treated, these myths normally have a plot arc with the following: A Supreme God or a couple of supreme Gods who create all the gods and then retire. The created gods must stay in an intermediate zone and preserve or protect the created cosmos. Each new generation of Gods tends to make dramatic successions.
- Anthropogenic myths: through these the origin of the human race is explained from two antagonistic points of view. The man without any value within the story, leaving him as an insignificant being. Man as a special and unique being, who helped in the creation of the cosmos, a central figure of divine origin who was created to rule the cosmos.
- Eschatological myths: they are stories in which the end of history and nature is projected. The type of story is quite tragic and tells of the arrival of a God who will make a judgment on good and evil, then a restoration to the lost primitive state will take place and everything will end with a happy ending.
- Moral myths: through these, good and evil are explained.
- Foundation myths: The creation of cities is the main theme in these types of myths.
Tips
Myths are worth knowing because they mix history with fables and it is a beautiful way to learn. It allows to understand facts, or to be amazed by them, wasting imagination.
The myth is not an exclusive literary expression of a remote past. At present, myths continue to be generated daily, which with the help of technology and the media have an incredible dissemination reach. It could be said that modern myths have the following characteristics:
- Rewards emphasize the fact that bad behavior and bad deeds will be punished while good ones will be rewarded.
- Fear, the myth remains true to its character as an indicator of the social psyche, at this time some myths have marked the fear that many people feel towards the super-fast technological advance.
- Superheroes, the stereotype of the modern hero suggests that anyone can have unsuspected inner potential. He points out the best and worst aspects of humanity, in modern myths you can find animals with admirable human qualities and people with brutal animal qualities.