MYTHOLOGY of cultural conventions or rituals, and what lies

outside a given society’s boundaries of explanation.

 Since at least 15th century, the term “mythology”,
which means “the study of myths”, has been in
use.
Definitions of Myth from Scholars
 The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) published 1. J.R.R. Tolkien (Writer, philologist, and religious
the definition of “body of myths” for the first thinker)
time in 1781. Defines myth as “a traditional o believe that legends and myths are largely
story, typically involving supernatural beings or made of truth, and bop indeed present
forces or creatures, which embodies and provides aspects of truth that can only be received in
an explanation, etiology or justification for this mode.
something such as the early history of a society, a
religious belief or ritual, or a natural phenomenon.” 2. G. S. Kirk (Classicist)
o Thinks that the distinction of myths and
 The term “mythology” came from the Greek word folktale maybe useful but categorizing of
(mythos), meaning “a narrative”, and logos, tales as folktales, legends, and proper myths
meaning a “speech argument”. It refers to the can be seriously confusing. He rejects the
body of stories that attempt to explain the idea that all myths are associated.
origins and fundamental values of a given culture
and the nature of the universe and humanity. 3. Damiana L. Eugenio (the mother of Philippine Folklore)
o Myths the account for origin of the world, of
 A myth is a traditional story that may answer mankind, of death, or for characteristics of
life’s overarching questions, such as the origins birds, animals, geographical features and the
of the world or of a people. phenomena of nature

 A myth can also be an attempt to explain 4. Maximo Ramos & Felipe Landa Jocano (famous
mysteries, supernatural events, and cultural anthropologist and folklorists)
traditions. o Stated that this plethora of knowledge had a
significant impact on Filipino’s daily lives,
 Sometimes sacred in nature, a myth can involve both now and in the future.
gods or other creatures and a myth represents
reality in dramatic ways.

Myths as depiction of historical events

 For most folklorist, traditional stories can be
arranged into three groups:  Some myths are based on historical events. These
myths can become imbued with symbolic meaning,
o Myths – sacred stories concerning the transformed, shifted in time or place, or even
distant past, particularly the creation of the reversed.
world; generally focused on the gods  "myths" make the transition from "legendary
occurrence" to "mythical status"
o Legends – stories about the more recent  By the time it reaches the status of myth, the story
past, which generally include, or are based on, has taken on a life of its own and the facts of the
some historical events and are generally original event have become almost to irrelevant. A
focused on human heroes classical example of this process is the Trojan War, a
o Folktales/fairytales – stories which lack any historical event that is now a part of Greek mythology.
definite historical setting: often include  Roland Barthes – affirms myth as a word chosen by
animal characters. history. It could not came from the nature of things.
 Some Greek myths originated in Classical times to
 In modern usage, the term can also mean stories that a provide explanations for inexplicable features of local
particular culture believes to be true and that use the cult practices.
supernatural to interpret natural events.
 Ancient myths are generally founded by imagination  Mache - argues that euhemerist exegesis “was applied
and intuition rather than objective evidence. to capture and seize by force of reason qualities of
 Myths identify and help explain human propensities thought, which eluded it on every side.” he argues,
and natural phenomena with the actions and often leads to interpretation of myths as "disguised
attributes of gods in a primordial past. propaganda in the service of powerful individuals," and
 Like imaginative literature, myths present abstract, that the purpose of myths in this view is to allow the
often archetypical insights into human experience. 'social order to establish "its permanence on the
 Myths may tap into dimensions of human experience, illusion of a natural order."
often religious, that science cannot access. Religious
studies scholars limit the term "myth" to stories whose  “Contra Barthes, Môche argues that, "myth
main characters "must be gods or near-gods." therefore seems to choose history, rather than be
 Myths are often intended to explain the universal chosen by it, "beyond words and stories, myth seems
and local beginnings, natural phenomena, the origin more like a psychic content from which words,
 gestures, and music radiate. History only chooses for it 8. Trickster Myths – concern itself with the pranks
more or less becoming clothes. or tricks played by gods or heroes. Heroes do not
have to be in a story to be considered or elamyth.

 Immanuel Velikovsky (catastrophists)

o believe that myths are derived from the
Mythology and Folklore
oral histories of ancient cultures that
witnessed "cosmic catastrophes." The  during the nineteenth century period of Romanticism,
catastrophic interpretation of myth forms folktales and fairy tales were perceived as eroded
only a small minority within the field of fragments of earlier mythology (famously by the
mythology and often qualifies as Brothers Grimm and Elias Lönnrot).
pseudohistory.  Mythological themes are also very often consciously
employed in literature, beginning with Homer. The
 Giorgio De Santillana & Hertha Von Dechend resulting work may expressly refer to a mythological
o Suggest that myth is a “technical language” background without itself being part of a body of
describing “cosmic events”. myths (Cupid and Psyche).
 Mythology becomes the basis for understanding and  The medieval romance in particular plays with this
interpreting even contemporary historical events. process of turning myth into literature.
 Descriptions of recent events are re-emphasized to
make them seem to be analogous with the commonly  Euhemerism refers to the process of rationalization
known story. This technique is used by some adherents of myths, putting themes formerly imbued with
to Judaism and Christianity, who read books of mythological qualities into pragmatic contexts, for
prophecy in the Bible, as “historical” accounts of example following a cultural or religious paradigm shift.
future events.  "Conscious generation" of mythology has been termed
 It was also used in Russian Communist-era propaganda mythopoeia by J. R. R. Tolkien[l, and was notoriously
to interpret the direction of history and guide also suggested, very separately, by Nazi ideologist
decisions about political decisions. Alfred Rosenberg.

 Numerous approaches to the study of myth exist.

Robert Graves said of Greek myth: "True myth may be
defined as the reduction to narrative shorthand of
Evolution of the Term ritual mime performed on public festivals, and in many
cases recorded pictorially."
 Myth in general use is often interchangeable with
legend or allegory (a story play or picture). Often the
term refers specifically to ancient tales of historical  Myths authorize the cultural institutions of a tribe, a
cultures, such as Greek Mythology or Roman city, or a nation by connecting them with universal
Mythology. Some myths descended originally as part of truths.
an oral tradition and were only later written down, and  Myths justify the current occupation of a territory by
many of them exist in multiple versions. a people, for instance.
 Individual myths or “mythemes” may be classified in  All cultures have developed over time their own myths,
various categories: consisting of narratives of their history, their
1. Ritual Myth - explain the performance of certain religions, and their heroes.
religious practices or patterns and associated with
temples or centers of worship.  Joseph Campbell, in his book The Hero with a
Thousand Faces (1948) outlined the concept of the
2. Origin Myths – describe the beginnings of a "Monomyth," the archetypal pattern of the hero that
custom, name or object. is held in common throughout the world in all cultures.
3. Creation Myths – describes how the world or  In the structuralist approach of Claude' Lévi-
universe came into being Strauss, the content of the myth is irrelevant, as their
primary function is structuring the nature of the
4. Cult Myths – often seen as explanations for universe.
elaborate festivals that magnify the power of  myth is a structured system of signifiers, whose
deity internal networks of relationships are used to 'map'
5. Prestige Myths – usually associated with a the structure of other sets of relationships.
divinely chosen king, hero, city, or people.

6. Eschatological Myths – stories which catastrophic

Modern Mythology
ends to the present world order of the writers.
Ex.: New Testament book of revelation  In the 1950s Roland Barthes published a series of
7. Social Myths – reinforce or defend current social essays examining modern myths and the process of
values or practices. their creation in his book Mythologies.

 Carl Jung 1873-1961 (Swiss psychologist) - argued

that the gods of mythology are not material beings, but
 archetypes mental ideas charged with emotional  Both mythology and folklore share many ideas and
potency that all humans can feel, share, and aspects, though these terms can be used to refer to
experience. Believe archetypes (a very typical example) fairly different concepts.
directly affect our subconscious perceptions and way  Mythology is typically considered to have a much
of understanding. larger scale than folklore, and to involve titanic
events and characters.
 Emythology - A story told about the creation of the
 Mythopoeia is term coined'by J. R. R. Tolkien for universe or how the world was made.
the conscious attempt to create myths; his Silmarillion
 the characters in mythology are often larger and
was to be an example of this, although he did not
more impossible figures than characters commonly
succeed in the bringing it to publication during his
found in folklore.
lifetime.
 Both mythology and folklore involve fictional stories
and characters, but the people in myths are often
divine or immortal beings who fight fantastical
Folklore monsters and are involved in events that shape the
very nature of the world.
 invented by an English scholar by the name of William  folklore usually arises on a smaller scale and involves
John Thomas in 1846. more intimate surroundings, events, and characters.
 Folklore is a science that embraces observances and  Folklore stories usually involve local surroundings and
customs, notions, beliefs, traditions, superstitions and events, such as an explanation for how a nearby forest
prejudices of the common people. was created or the birth of a king who once lived in a
 folklore is a collection of fictional tales about people particular region.
or animals.
 Superstitions and unfounded beliefs are important Key Elements of Mythology
elements in the folklore tradition.
 The study of folklore is called folkloristics.  Myths are stories that explain the world and humans'
 Folktales describe how main character copes with experiences.
the events of everyday life, and the tale may involve  Mythological stories and characters reflect a
crisis or conflict. Both were originally circulated orally. culture's past and traditional, and most importantly
tell the story of the values and beliefs that are central
to a culture, and to the human race.
 These repeated elements include symbols, themes,
Folklore and Folktale
patterns, and characters. These elements help to
a) Legend develop and communicate the theme of a myth.
o a story that's purported to be historical in  Common themes in myths include the struggle between
nature but that is without substantiation. the forces of good and evil, the quest of a hero, or
o Prominent examples include King Arthur, the origin of some aspect of the natural world.
Blackbeard, and Robin Hood.
o also refers to anything that inspires a body
of stories, or anything of lasting importance
or fame.
o The story is handed down orally from earlier Common Elements & Thematic Topics in Myths
times but will continue to evolve with time.
a) Tension between opposing forces in the Universe
o legend told and retold in epic poems that
o Myths are often structured around the
were passed down orally, then at some point
tensions between opposing forces in The
written down.
universe, like light versus dark and good
versus evil.
b) Fairy tale
o the main characters in myths have
o may involve fairies, giants, dragons, elves,
responsibility for resolving conflicts
goblins, dwarves, and other fanciful and
between these opposing forces; for example,
fantastic forces.
heroes fighting to overcome evil monsters.
o While traditionally intended for children,
fairy tales have also moved into the field of
b) A struggle for power
literary theory. These stories have taken on
o occurs between two opposing forces.
lives of their own.
o This struggle may be between two
supernatural forces, a supernatural force and
mortal, or two members of a single family.
Difference between Mythology and Folklore o This struggle may be a result of desire for
control, vanity, or jealousy.
 Mythology usually refers to something extremely o this struggle ends with punishment or even
grand in scale and scope, often covering a wide death.
geographical range and thousands of years.
 Folklore, however, is usually smaller in scale and is c) Explanation of the origins of life and the natural
often thought of as the mythology of common world
people, though these stories can be just as well known.
 o Because ancient people could not rely on 2) Modern Theories:
science, they told these stories Is to provide a. Naturalism
an explanation about where we came from - All myths are thought to arise from an
and how things came to be. attempt to explain natural phenomenon
o Many myths come from humans' early desire
to explain the origins of life and the natural b. Ritualism
world. - All myths are invented to accompany and
o many myths begin with a prophecy . This explain religious ritual; they describe the
prophecy then shapes the actions and significant events which have resulted in a
interactions of the various characters of the particular ceremony.
myth.
c. Diffusionism
d) Fate and Prophecy - All myths arose from a few major cultural
o Supernatural or Nonhuman Characters in centers and spread throughout the world
myths often non-human even though they
possess human qualifies and emotions. d. Evolutionism
o These characters might include gods, - Myth making occurs at a certain stage in the
goddesses, and supernatural beings. evolution of the human mind.
o These non-human characters often possess
super-human powers and use them to interact e. Freudianism
with our human world by, for example, - When Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern
controlling the weather. psychology, interpreted the dreams of his
o Gods and goddesses may also visit the human patients, he found great similarities between
world by disguising themselves in different them and the ancient myths.
forms. - Freud believes that certain infantile are
repressed.

f. Jungian Archetypes
- Carl Jung, did not believe that it went far in
explaining the striking similarities between
motifs found in an ancient stories and those
of his patients.

Theories Related to Folk Literature g. Structuralism

- All human behaviour, the way we eat, dress,
speak, is patterned into codes which have the
characteristics of language.
1) Ancient Theories:
a. Rationalism
h. Historical- critical theory
- States that myths were made to better
- There are multitude of factors which
understand natural events and forces that
influence the origin and development of
occurred in the everyday lives of people.
myths that no single explanation will suffice.
- Also explains that the gods and goddesses
controlled all of these happenings of nature.
- Myths represent an early form of logical
thinking

b. Etymological
- Myths derive from and can be traced back to
certain words in the language. It explains the
origin of a word

c. Allegorical
- All myths contain hidden meanings which the
narrative deliberately conceals or encodes.

d. Euhemerism
- Maintained that all myths arise from
historical events which were merely
exaggerated.
Olympian Greek God and Goddesses

ARES

 He was a cruel god, so Ares was disliked by his

Zeus (Jupiter, in Roman mythology): the king of all the parents
gods (and father to many) and god of weather, law and  His sacred symbols included the dog and the
fate. God of the sky vulture.
 Ares usually carried a blood-soaked spear.
Hera (Juno): the queen of the gods and goddess of
women and marriage.
APHRODITE

Aphrodite (Venus): goddess of beauty and love  Aphrodite's symbols were doves, roses, swans,
and sparrows.
Apollo (Apollo): god of prophesy, sun, music and poetry  believed to be either the daughter of Zeus, or
and knowledge risen from the sea upon a shell.

Ares (Mars): god of war HERA

Artemis (Diana): goddess of hunting, animals and  known to be a vengeful god, and would take her
childbirth jealousy of other goddess out on mortals.
 Hera's sacred animal was a peacock, with a pair
of peacocks pulling her chariot.
Athena (Minerva): goddess of wisdom and defense

Demeter (Ceres): goddess of agriculture and grain DEMETER

 controlled the seasons and the growth of crops.

Dionysus (Bacchus): god of wine, pleasure and festivity
 the barrenness of winter was caused by her
sadness over her daughter Persephone having to
Hephaestus (Vulcan): god of fire, metalworking and live in the underworld with Hades
sculpture

Hermes (Mercury): god of travel, hospitality and trade ATHENA

and Zeus’s personal messenger
 her sacred symbols being the owl and the olive
tree.
Poseidon (Neptune): god of the sea  her sacred symbols being the owl and the olive
tree.
Hades (Pluto): god of the underworld  the patron god of the Greek city, Athens.
 Athena did not have a mother, being born
Hestia (Vesta): goddess of home and family directly from Zeus' head wearing a suit of
armour
Eros (Cupid): god of sex and minion to Aphrodite

APOLLO

 son of Zeus
 The healer
 having the ability to heal people of disease, but
ZEUS
also spreading infection to those who angered
 most powerful of the Greek gods and goddesses. him using arrows.
 rules over all other gods and goddesses
 had the power to change his shape and he was
ARTEMIS
also married to the queen of the gods, Hera.
 twin sister of Apollo
 favourite goddess.
POSEIDON
 had a hunting dog as companion
 one of the most powerful Greek gods.  she would punish anyone who hurt any animals
 Poseidon's temper controlled the seas, so sailors sacred to her, including bears and stags.
would pray to Poseidon before voyages to ensure
safe passage.
HEPHAESTUS

 son of Zeus and Hera

 associated with craftsmen and blacksmiths, and
was married to the goddess, Aphrodite.
 physically flawed, being known as “the lame one”
 He is depicted with a hammer and an anvil.

HERMES

 youngest son of Zeus

 the messenger of the gods due to his speed and
trustworthiness.
 could fly and travel quickly
 protector of travellers and merchants.
 credited with the invention of boxing and
gymnastics.

DIONYSUS

 son of Zeus
 popular Greek god
 he learned to cultivate grapes, becoming the
first person to make wine.

1. Hestia – goddess of heart and home

2. Hades – god of the underworld

3. Cronus – god of time and the ages

4. Ouranos – god of the skies