2. Mr. Winters

3. What is a myth? Here is one definition: “a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.”

5. Perhaps we can say that a myth is a story that tries to explain the inexplicable. It is shared culturally and usually makes most sense when considered figuratively, not literally.

6. Joseph Campbell says, “Religions, philosophies, arts…[and] prime discoveries in science and technology… boil up from the basic, magic ring of myth.”

7. Another definition of “Myth”: any fictitious story or a collective unproven belief.

8. How do we use the terms “mythology” or “mythos”? “Mythology” refers to the study of myths. Both of these terms can refer to a collection of myths; for instance, one can talk about the Native American Mythos when discussing all Native American mythological stories.

9. 4 Basic Types of Myths 1. Creation or Origin Myths 2. Deluge or Disaster Myths 3. The Monomyth or Hero’s Journey 4. The Epic

10. What is an “archetype”? –Carl Jung says: –Archetypes are contents of the collective unconscious –They are primordial or “universal images that have existed since the remotest times” –They form during the earliest stages of human development -- This accounts for the appearance of nearly identical images and patterns in the mind of individuals from wholly different cultures and backgrounds.

11. Archetypes come from the collective unconscious The Collective Unconscious is –Shared by all humans –an unconscious “which does not derive from personal experience and is not a personal acquisition but is inborn” (Carl G. Jung)

12. Think of Archetypes as “Super Symbols.” What is a motif? A motif is a dominate feature in a work of literature. The word is more often used to mean a pattern of recurring symbols, events, ideas, or subjects in literature. People often misuse the word “theme” when they ought to be saying “motif” in regard to literature and storytelling.

13. We will discuss the different types of myths later. According to scholar Joseph Campbell, there are four functions of myths. The first function is to convey a mystical experience in which the sacred is manifested or somehow recognized Doesn’t this make us consider the relationship between mythology and religious ideology?

14. Our class rule: Remember to always be respectful of others’ beliefs. By definition, your spiritual and religious beliefs can be called “mythology,” just as you consider others’ beliefs to be “mythology.” Likewise, you should expect that others are respectful of your belief system.

15. The second function of mythology: To fulfill the human desire to explain how the cosmos came into being and how human life evolved; also, to provide a sense of security that there is an order to our existence. Does this make us consider the relationship between mythology and science? And religion?

16. The third function of mythology: To give us a social sensibility, to construct our social identity and to govern our behavior. The fourth function of mythology: To help the individual understand who he or she is by guiding them through life’s rites of passage, such as birth, puberty, marriage, old age, and death, to construct our personal identity.

17. The ways we talk about this stuff can be confusing. What is a legend? What is a folk tale? What is an epic? What is a fable?

18. A legend is a semi-true story, which has been passed on from person-to-person and has important meaning or symbolism for the culture in which it originates. A legend usually includes an element of truth, or is based on historic facts, but with 'mythical qualities'. Legends usually involve heroic characters or fantastic places and often encompass the spiritual beliefs of the culture in which they originate.

19. A folktale is a popular story that was passed on in spoken form, from one generation to the next. Usually the author is unknown and there are often many versions of the tale. Folktales comprise fables, fairy tales, old legends and even 'urban legends.' Again, some tales may have been based on a partial truth that has been lost or hidden over time. It is difficult to categorize folktales precisely because they fit into many categories.

20. An epic is a long poetic composition, usually about a hero. As an adjective, it can be used to describe something heroic or grand.

21. A fable is a succinct fictional story that features animals, mythical creatures, plants, inanimate objects or forces of nature which are anthropomorphized or personified (given human qualities such as verbal communication), and that illustrates or leads to an interpretation of a moral lesson (a "moral").

22. Back to the four types of myths: It is possible for a myth to belong to more than one of these categories. It is possible for a myth to not quite fit into one of these categories, too. However, these categorizations are useful in our discussion of mythology.

23. The first type of myth is the Origin or Creation Myth.

24. Some Common Features of Creation Myths Generations of gods Begins with chaos or nothing Creation of physical universe, including an explanation of the natural environment of the people creating and passing on the myth Creation of mankind

25. Additional Common Elements in Creation Myths Last god achieves order, peace, and prosperity Gods establish laws/justice Bloody violent battles among gods Ages of man and cycles

27. Deluge or Disaster Myths Often involve great floods Often double as Creation Myths Often include a great hero Floods or disasters can come from a god as a way to punish people Floods can symbolically cleanse a sinful society

29. The Hero’s Journey / The Monomyth Joseph Campbell used these terms to discuss common elements of myths. He discussed 17 distinct stages of a hero’s quest. We will discuss them in detail later. The idea here is simply that many cultures across the globe and throughout the ages have developed narratives that somehow follow a very similar, distinct pattern.

31. The Epic An epic is a poetic, long narrative (story) involving grand events and a hero. Obviously, some epics may fulfill the characteristics of the Hero’s Journey as well. Often deals with the creation, unification, or definition of a culture or a society Epics do not necessarily involve “magical” elements such as mythological creatures.

33. What contemporary literature, films, TV shows, etc. can we consider to be contemporary myths? In Contemporary American culture, many would argue that our superhero narratives are our myths.