16/10/2016

MythWikipedia

Myth
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Amythisanytraditionalstoryconsistingofeventsthatare
ostensiblyhistorical,thoughoftensupernatural,explainingthe
originsofaculturalpracticeornaturalphenomenon.[3]Myths
areoftenstoriesthatarecurrentlyunderstoodasbeing
exaggeratedorfictitious.[4]Theword"myth"isderivedfrom
theGreekwordmythos(),whichsimplymeans"story".
Mythologycanrefereithertothestudyofmyths,ortoabody
orcollectionofmyths.[5]Amythalsocanbeastorytoexplain
whysomethingexists.

ThispanelbyBartolomeodiGiovannirelatesthe
secondhalfoftheMetamorphoses.Intheupper
left,JupiteremergesfromcloudstoorderMercury
torescueIo[1][2]

Humanculturesusuallyincludeacosmogonicalorcreation
myth,concerningtheoriginsoftheworld,orhowtheworld
cametoexist.Theactivebeingsinmythsaregenerallygodsandgoddesses,heroesandheroines,oranimalsand
plants.Mostmythsaresetinatimelesspastbeforerecordedtimeorbeginningofthecriticalhistory.Amythcan
beastoryinvolvingsymbolsthatarecapableofmultiplemeanings.
Amythisasacrednarrativebecauseitholdsreligiousorspiritualsignificanceforthosewhotellit.Mythsalso
contributetoandexpressaculture'ssystemsofthoughtandvalues.

Academicusage
Thetermiscommonintheacademicfieldsofmythology,mythography(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/m
ythography?s=t)[6]orfolkloristics.Useofthetermbyscholarshasnoimplicationforthetruthorfalsityofthe
myth.Whilepopularusageinterchangeablyemploysthetermslegend,fiction,fairytale,folklore,fableandurban
legend,eachhasadistinctmeaninginacademia.

Popularusage
Inpopularuse,amythcanbeacollectivelyheldbeliefthathasnobasisinfact.Thisusage,whichisoften
pejorative,[7]arosefromlabelingthereligiousmythsandbeliefsofotherculturesasincorrect,butithasspreadto
covernonreligiousbeliefsaswell.[8]Becauseofthispopularandsubjectivewordusage,manypeopletakeoffense
whenthenarrativestheybelievetobetruearecalledmyths.
Tothesourcecultureamythbydefinitionis"true",inthatitembodiesbeliefs,conceptsandwaysofquestioning
tomakesenseoftheworld.

References
1."TheMythofIo.".TheWaltersArtMuseum.
WikimediaCommonshas
2.Formoreinformationonthispanel,pleaseseeZericataloguenumber64,pp.
mediarelatedtoMyth.
100101
3.MerriamWebster'sEncyclopediaofLiterature(https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C&dq=).MerriamWebster,Inc.1995.p.794.
4."[1](http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/myth)".OxfordDictionaries.OxfordUniversityPress.2016.
5.Kirk,p.8"myth",EncyclopediaBritannica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth

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MythWikipedia

6."DefineMythographyatDictionary.com".Dictionary.com.Dictionary.com.Retrieved19January2016.
7.Howells,Richard(1999).TheMythoftheTitanic.Macmillan.
8.Eliade,Myths,DreamsandMysteries,1967,pp.23,162.

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Categories: Mythology
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