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MythsStories From the Beginning of Time

+Myth: A Definition

• An ancient story dealing with superrnatural beings, ancestors, and heroes

• It explains the view of a group of people

• The word mythology is Greek in origin (etymology)• Mythos= story• Logo= speech or argument

+What are Myths?

■Myths- Stories that use fantasy to express ideas about life that cannot easily be expressed in realistic terms

■They are, at heart, religious stories

■They deal with and explore the relationship between human beings and the unknown/spiritual world

■They were once believed to be true

Atlas

+Purposes of Myths…

■ Scientific: explanations of things in nature

■ Literary: entertainment; good storytelling

■ Religious: give meaning to things in life; explain the role of the gods in everyday life

+Why do we Study Myths?

■ They depict and reveal behavior problems common to all human beings■ Remind us that human

nature is the same across time and culture

■ Reveal that many social, ethical, and religious attitudes continue through time

■ They reflect the attitudes, priorities, and values of the cultures that produced them

Pandora’s Box

Prometheus

+Cultures that Have Myths

■Every culture has its own mythology

■Universal symbols and themes appear in different cultures’ myths

■Greek, Roman, Native American, Celtic, South American, African, and Norse mythology are examples of myths from different cultures

The Fates

+Characteristics of Myths

■Contain heroes and heroines

■Supernatural elements

■Told orally (spoken)

■Gods and goddesses

■Explains a natural phenomenon

+The Reason for Myths

■To help explain the unexplainable

■To explain natural phenomenon

■To tell about their heroes

■To explain human nature

■To teach morals and values

+Greek and Roman Mythology

■The mythology from the Greek and Roman cultures is often called “Classical Mythology.”