Mythology

Mythology is a body of beliefs, fables, or legends belonging to a people, usually involving spiritual tales that reflect the philosophy of the culture. Myths provide explanations of natural phenomena and present archetypal characters. Hero myths often depict a quest that sets good against evil. While myths are usually expressed through storytelling, they also appear in religious rituals, art, dance, and other forms of expression.

Overview

The stories we call myths began as explanations of the world and humankind's place in it. Almost every culture has its accounts of creation, a god or gods that rule the world, and some form of afterlife. Myths explain why good and evil exist and warn of the consequences of behaving outside of cultural norms. Throughout the world, myths share common themes and similar stories such as creation, a virgin birth, and a great flood. They have been reinvented and passed down through tradition and literature until they are as present in modern culture as they were in the traditions before them.

Joseph Campbell, a renowned twentieth-century mythologist and scholar, described how mythological stories play out in modern culture. For example, as a fan of the Star Wars films, Campbell saw in Luke Skywalker the archetypal mythological hero. Campbell said that Skywalker ultimately could not rely on robots, weapons, or other technology, but had to draw from his own inner strength, overcome the inner savage, and use intuition to complete his heroic journey. To Campbell, the hero and other myths reflected universal ideas, or the collective experiences of people all over the world.

Classical Mythology

The mythology of the Greeks and Romans is known through various forms of literature and art, beginning with early Greek literature, including Homer's Iliad and Odyssey(700 BCE). The Greek gods and goddesses each have a purpose related to the lives of human beings, providing a standard of behavior or offering an explanation for a natural event. For example, in one story a maiden named Persephone, daughter of Demeter, goddess of fertility and agriculture, is carried away by Hades, ruler of the underworld. Demeter demands the return of her daughter, but Hades refuses. As a compromise, Persephone spends two-thirds of the year with her mother, during which time the plants grow and bear fruit. However, when she is with Hades, the plants die and the world turns cold. This myth explains the seasons. Other deities include Zeus, the king of the gods who ensures order and justice in the world, and his brother Poseidon, who rules the seas.

Roman mythology absorbed much of the Greek tradition and has similar gods and heroes in its tales. The Roman god-king is Jupiter and the lord of the underworld is Pluto, while the goddess of plants and fertility is known as Ceres. As the Romans continued their conquest of the European cultures, they spread their mythology throughout the empire.

Norse Mythology

The mythology of Scandinavia in the Norse or Viking tradition reflects the difficult lives of people who lived in a cold climate where winter days were as dark as night. Originating early in the Viking era, around 800 CE, the stories were written down in the Poetic Edda in about 1270. According to Norse tradition, the Æsir—gods of war, power, and death—defeated the older Vanir, who ruled fertility and growth. The chief Æsir deity, Odin, also values wisdom and makes sacrifices to gain knowledge to pass down to humans. Thor, the thunder god, is second to Odin in authority and the most powerful of the gods. Giants, the enemies of the gods, elves, and dwarves, also appear in the myths. The Norse gods face doom in an impending event called Ragnarok, at which time the world would end. However, from the ruins would emerge a single, omnipotent god who could not be destroyed.

Maya Mythologies

The Maya, an early civilization in what is today southern Mexico and Central America, worshipped deities such as Chaac, the god of rain; Ixchel, the goddess of childbirth and medicine; and Q'uq'umatz, the creator. The Mayan creation myth involves four gods who want to make men for the Earth, but cannot find a material that is strong and durable enough. They even try making a man of gold. Finally, the fourth god cuts off his own fingers to make men, and they tumble to the Earth and live well, worshipping the gods and making fine offerings. They find the man of gold, who is cold and still, but the kindness and warmth of the men of flesh bring him to life. The gods call the man of gold rich and the men of flesh poor, and they decree that the rich must take care of the poor and no rich man may reach heaven unless a poor man takes him there.

Hero Mythologies

Tales of legendary heroes are as characteristic of mythology as are gods and goddesses. In the Norse tradition, the human heroes Sigurd and Beowulf appear in epic tales of the fight against evil. Sigurd kills a dragon to recover a magic ring, while Beowulf protects the king's men in epic battles with the monster Grendel and his mother. Beowulf later kills a dragon, but dies of his injuries.

Heroes of Greek mythology include the strongman Herakles (Hercules), the nearly unbeatable warrior Achilles, and the resourceful Odysseus, whose ten-year journey home is described in the Odyssey. Other famous heroes are Jason, who makes a successful quest for the golden fleece, and Theseus, who uses both strength and intelligence to destroy the half-man, half-bull minotaur and goes on to become the kind and just king of Athens.

The Celts, who once populated most of Europe and worshipped more than four hundred god and goddesses, also developed strong hero mythologies. The best known of the Celtic myths is the legend of the chivalrous King Arthur, raised by the wizard Merlin and heir to the enchanted sword Excalibur. As king, Arthur leads the Knights of the Round Table, unites Britain, and repels the Saxons. The mythical Irish warrior Cúchulainn gained huge strength as a boy and fulfilled a prophecy by becoming powerful and famous before meeting an early death in battle.

Bibliography

Buxton, R. G. A. The Complete World of Greek Mythology. London: Thames, 2004. Print.

Campbell, Joseph. "Introduction." The Power of Myth. New York: Random, 1991. Print. Available online at <http://books.google.com/books?id=jQQdk6YszYIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Joseph+Campbell+and+the+Power+of+Myth+with+Bill+Moyers&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iG1qVPfWFY6oyASZ1YCwCA&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false>

Morford, Mark P.O., Robert J. Lenardon, and Michael Sham. "Glossary of Mythological Words and Phrases in English." Classical Mythology. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print. Available online at <http://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195397703/student/glossaries/main/>

Powell, Barry B. Classical Myth. Boston: Pearson, 2015. Print.

"What is a Myth?" PBS. Educational Broadcasting. Nov. 2005. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.pbs.org/mythsandheroes/myths‗what.html>