Detailed Study Notes on Myths and Mythology

Questions to Ponder

• Why should we study ancient myths?

• What are myths, anyway?

  • Are they truth?

    • No, not for us; yet in their original cultural setting myths were held as the sacred truth.

  • Are they fiction, then?

    • Not in the sense of being the work of an author.

    • Myths are a product of collective anonymous creativity.

The Paradox of Myth

• Myths can be a fascinating source of profound revelation in various domains:

  • Aesthetic

  • Philosophical

  • Spiritual

• Yet, the very same myths can be:

  • Absurd

  • Outrageous

  • Shockingly impudent

• Examples of shocking myths:

  • A son kills his father and marries his mother.

  • A queen has children from a swan or a bull.

  • A girl suddenly transforms into a tree.

• Additionally, these stories have no real suspense; myths are traditional narratives, and their stories are already familiar to the audience.

Universal Nature of Myth

• There is not a single known culture that lacks some form of mythology and folklore.

• Telling myths is as commonly human as possessing a language.

• Myths might be as old as language itself; the origins remain unknown.

  • The origin of language, cognition, and mythology appears as a 'Big Bang' of the mind.

• The more bizarre and improbable a myth, the more typically it reappears across different cultures, indicating something fundamentally shared among humanity.

• Reason for studying mythology:

  • This knowledge connects us to the core of human mentality, from its beginnings to today.

Comparative Study of Myths

• As we explore various mythologies, we notice that myths tend to repeat themselves, signifying common elements among different mythological traditions.

• The study of these common elements is known as Comparative Mythology.

• Example motifs from Sumerian and Greek traditions:

  • Gilgamesh derides the love-goddess Ishtar, similar to how Greek love-goddess Aphrodite is sometimes ridiculed.

  • Gilgamesh laments the death of his companion Enkidu, just as Achilles laments for his friend Patroclus.

Explaining Common Elements in Myths of Various Nations

• Common elements can be explained in three primary ways:

  1. Borrowing from Another Culture:

     • Mesopotamian myths, such as those of Gilgamesh or Enuma Elish, influenced Greek traditions, establishing a sequential connection between the myths.

     • Example: Greek tradition directly depends upon Near Eastern sources.

  2. Independent Ramifications from the Same Primary Source:

     • An Indo-European myth may have been told in the ancestral proto-language and then carried on through different paths of Indo-European cultures.

     • Example: Old Norse and Celtic myths share elements with Greek and Roman myths, although their contextual meanings are often quite different.

     • The enduring themes of self-sacrifice and rebellion appear independently, as in:

       • Old Norse myths of Odin and Loki

       • Greek myth of Prometheus

  3. Common Mythological Themes from Universal Conditions of Human Existence:

     • Stories such as descent to the Underworld or death and rebirth are widespread, reflecting humanity’s quest for continuity in life.

     • Rites of Passage are recognized as a way to confront life's challenges.

     • Example:

       • Gilgamesh’s descent to the Underworld parallels similar themes across numerous mythologies.

Types of Mythic Stories

• The word "myth" (Greek: mythos) means narration or story.

• Major groups of mythic narratives include:

  • Cosmology:

    • Cosmogony: Origin of the world (e.g., didactic epics like poems of Hesiod)

    • Theogony: Genealogy of gods

    • Etiology: Causes of things or customs

    • Eschatology: The end and new beginnings of the world

  • Passions and Miracles of the Gods:

    • Examples include deities like Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus, and Persephone.

  • Heroic Monster-Slayers:

    • Figures like Perseus, Heracles, and Theseus.

  • Great Wars:

    • Heroic epics include "Seven Against Thebes," "Epigoni," and "Trojan War" (as depicted in the Iliad of Homer).

  • Family Curses & Feuds:

    • Explored in tragedies like "Oedipus" and the trilogy "House of Atreus/The Oresteia."

Myth and Religion

• Common grounds between religion and mythology:

  • Myths were perceived as truths in their original settings.

  • Myths imbue cultural values and practices with significance.

  • Myths possess universal relevance.

• Differences:

  • Myths may or may not be part of organized worship (cult).

  • Mythology is a broader category than religious creeds, encompassing primitive science, history, entertainment, and social life (ritual).

• Religious Character of Classical Mythology:

  • Features polytheism (many gods) or paganism (peasant worship).

  • Types of Mythological Gods:

    • Amorphous/Natural Phenomena:

    • Deified spirits and chaos (the Big Void), as well as Uranus (Sky) and Gaia/Ge (Earth).

    • Zoomorphic (Theriomorphic):

    • Myths involve animal transformations of gods or mortals and reverence for sacred animals.

    • Anthropomorphic:

    • Olympian gods portrayed in human form.

• Sir Edward Tylor's Stages of Religious History:

  • His 1870 book "Religion in Primitive Culture" correlated different types of deities with hypothesized stages of religion:

    1. Animism: Presence of spirits

    2. Totemism: Reverence for divine animal/plant ancestors

    3. Anthropomorphism: Gods in human shape

  • Deified natural phenomena fit the animism category; animal-shaped gods align with totemism.

Importance of Word in Culture

• Examining ancient and modern myths reveals both differences and similarities.

• Questions to consider:

  • Why do we need myths?

  • How do we create myths?

Myth and Folktale

• Myths are often compared to and confused with folktales.

• Structural Similarities:

  • Both tell stories about the supernatural.

  • Both involve adventures, overcoming obstacles, and achieving goals.

  • Both feature similar archetypal figures as characters.

• Differences:

  • Folktales are meant for entertainment and moral lessons, not to be taken as true.

  • Myths are sacred histories and have particular local attributions and genealogical ties.

  • Folktales often conclude with characters living "happily ever after," while myths commonly end in disaster, following characters through their entire lives from cradle to grave.

Myths and Reality

• Myths serve as stories people live by, regardless of their reality.

• They act as mental instruments to confront or defy reality.

• Historical context of the phrase:

  • Refers to the biblical quote: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…" (John 1:1)

What Makes Greek Mythology Classical?

• Greek mythology has significantly impacted culture and serves as a common cultural reference in the modern world.

• Characteristics of Greek backgrounds include:

  • Multi-cultural elements

  • Richness of motifs, stories, and artifacts

  • Anthropomorphism reflecting humanist values

    • Example quote: "Man is the measure of all things" (Protagoras).

• The great literature emerges from a deep engagement with humanity.

• Greek myths encompass a wide spectrum of thought, retaining connections to primitive origins to the highest philosophical advancements.

• The tradition is persistent from prehistoric times to the present.

• The character of classical Greek inspiration represents the essence of human nature.

• The term "classical" can imply both exceptional and typical qualities.

  • Every cultural change reinvents the classical world, with societies looking back to it as a mirror for self-renewal.

• Classics represent the meta-culture of the modern world and emphasize the profound, archaic roots of mythology.