LIT211 Flashcards
According to (?) mythology is a story that is usually of unknown origin and at least partially traditional that ostensibly relates historical events usually of such description as to serve to explain some particular event, institution, or natural phenomenon
Webster
According to (?) Myths are certain products of the imagination of a people which take the form of stories.
H.J. Rose, A Handbook of Greek
Mythology
According to (?) A myth is a story about gods, other supernatural beings, or heroes of a long past time.
According to (?) A myth is a story about gods, other supernatural beings, or heroes of a long past time
According to (?) Myth is a cognitive structure analogous to language through which primitive people organize their experiences.
J. Peradotto, Classical Mythology
According to (?) Myth is the symbolic form which is generated, shaped, and transmitted by the creative imagination of pre- and extra- logical people as they respond to and encapsulate the wealth of experience.
R.J. Schork, “Classical Mythology,” The Classic Journal
a make-believe story about fairies, wizards, giants, or other characters who possess magical or unusual
powers
Fairy tale
it is traditions, customs, and stories of one culture or group of people
Folklore
it is a story about the past that is considered to be true but is usually a combination of both fact and fiction
Legend
it is a group of myths from a single group or culture
Mythology
it is more than what is natural or normal; showing godlike or magical powers; exhibiting superhuman strength
Supernatural
Give the 3 types of Myth
- Pure Myth or True Myth or Myth Proper
- Saga or Legend
- Folk-Tale or Fairy Tale
Myths of this kind tend to be examples of primitive science or religion. They explain natural phenomena or the origin of things, and they describe how individuals should behave toward the gods.
PURE MYTH OR TRUE MYTH OR MYTH PROPER
Myths of this variety tend to be examples of primitive history; they contain a germ or seed of historical fact
and enlarge upon it with great flourish. A good example of is the story of the war at Troy.
SAGA OR LEGEND
Myths of this species tend to be examples of primitive fiction. Tales of this sort are told for pleasure and
amusement. Frequently the stories contain supernatural characters such as ghosts, elves, dwarfs, or
demons, and they often include elements of magic, e.g., spells, potions, and objects.
FOLK-TALE OR FAIRY-TALE
Sources of Mythology and Folklore
- Aesop’s Fables
- A Thousand and One Nights
- The Great Epics of the World
- The Panchatantra
- The Poems of Hesiod : Theogony and Works and Days.
a collection of fables under the name of Aesop over 2,000 years ago in Greece.
Aesop’s Fables
a collection of stories and fables from Arabia, Egypt,
India, and Persia that were compiled from oral tales that had been passed down through these cultures for generations.
A Thousand and One Nights
Myths and legends are usually sourced from the existing epics of the different cultures of
the world. The Iliad and The Odyssey of the Greeks, The Aeneid of the Romans, The Mahabharata and Ramayana of India, Beouwolf of England, The Song of Roland of France, El Cid of Spain, Sha Namah of Persia, Gilgamesh of the
Babylonians, etc.
The Great Epics of the World
a collection of fables which was used to educate Indian princes into becoming wise kings.
The Panchatantra
is an early Greek poet who probably flourished around
700 B.C. Much of Greek mythology came from his two complete works.
The Poems of Hesiod : Theogony and Works and Days.
state the 9 great themes of myth
- Creation
- Gods and Goddesses
- Heroic Figures
4.Monster and Demons - Animals
- The underworld
- Journeys, Quests and Trials
- The Afterlife
- World’s Destroyed
Creation may be seen in myth as chance event or something that occurred despite opposing forces; likewise an end to the world in its present form may be inevitable or threatened, whether by divine will, as a result of attack by forces of evil, or in punishment for human misdeeds.
world’s destroyed
some form of existence after death, takes as many different forms in mythologies as the culture from which
they are drawn. Some speak of paradise where the pains of life on earth are left behind. After death comes judgment, a rigorous trial is conducted, and torture awaits those who fail the trial.
the afterlife
it can prove their strength into this, in numerous myths loyalty to the dead initiates journeys to the underworld to try to bring loved ones back to life.
journeys, quests and trials