Mythology

“Mythos”- a Greek word meaning “tale” and the origin of the word mythology; according to the dictionary mythology means, a traditional story aiming to explain the meaning of things concerning deities and demigods.

In a world whereby diverse cultures and religions collide amongst the disparate and polarized people of our planet, there are few pervading threads that adhere the seams of human life and experience as vividly and profoundly as mythology. Emerging from the first primordial peoples of the earth, from the Occident to the Orient, mythology appears to be an almost innate and inbuilt feature of the human psyche; as religion fuels the contention of superhuman gods who perhaps once sowed the seeds of life, mythology yields the direction and

How is the word myth used popularly? For example, what does the statement, “It’s a myth” mean? In contrast, how is the word myth used in the academic context? After considering the definition in your textbooks and course materials, write a definition in your own words.

The culture of mythology is originated as the means of documenting what the culture thinks to be real and have many facts about the beginning of the universe around them. For example, over time and documentation the word of religion took up other meaning for different cultures. When a brand new religion dominates over the previous religion the old book or documents become myths and legends so then beings regarded past recordings as false or fantasy but with no real historical value. That’s when the word myth comes in to play.

"One decent thing, however, was there - Hope. It was the only respectable entity the chest had held among the many ills, and it remains to this day mankind's solitary ease in misfortune." by (Edith Hamilton). Mythology involves the sociological study of myths. Myths can consist of ordinary people or gods. A myth is often mistaken to fiction-something that really never happened or a momentous story. The origin of the universe has been explained by astronomers, historians but in the past mythology was the explanation to the society. Throughout the story, it becomes a struggle of our new gods of society trying to overtake the old gods that are living here in America.

A dependent variable is the outcome or affected concept or characteristic from the independent variable.

Mythology serves to create an explanation for why the world is the way it is. All religions have mythology in them and myths help people understand history. Myth can mean so many different things to different people. Some myths are total fiction, while others may have a hint of truth in them. But most myths are more of a symbolic and metaphoric truth, rather than a literal truth, because most of the time myths cannot be proven and people are not trying to prove that they are true. Myths become true to the people who believe in them and they use them as a sort of lens through which they see the world. They use myths to create explanations for themselves as to why the world is the way it is and they use them to help cope with the difficulties of life. Myths are a natural outgrowth of our imagination and our passions.

Mythology is the traditions that have been passed down orally, among a culture, for many generations. Myths can include several different elements, often varying slightly. Most include fantasy or unnatural characters, such as monsters, dragons, gods and goddesses. Myths generally tell a story which is the basis for many beliefs among a culture. Greek and Roman myths encompass the gods that the cultures worship. Myths often serve to teach a lesson or play on superstitions. The origin is unknown and because it has been handed down orally, there are variations in the story. The story often travels around to other cultures also. This leads to similar myths among cultures. Similar situations and characters

30 to 40 percent of single chronically homeless adults have a mental illness (Culhane). The majority of the mentally ill homeless population consist of those who struggle with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or manic-depression (Torrey). There are about 250,00 people living on the streets that struggle with a severe mental illness. The numbers continue to raise after the initial climb in the 1970's. More and more mentally ill are found chronically homeless each year. Many of the symptoms of mental illness inhibit people from normal day activities and relationships (Mojtabai).

Myth – Is a cultural featured folklore story of some early history regarding a supernatural phenomenon or wild belief. Myths are often told by people in order to explain a particular history or the origin of a custom. This can include contexts to a story that is over exaggerated or truthful in some perspectives. For example, the folklore history of “Bloody Mary” and saying her name three times will make her appear.

"A myth is a collective term denoting a symbolic narrative in religion, as distinguished from symbolic behavior (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons)". (The New Encyclopedia Britannica. Vol. 24)Mythology is a collection of myths meant to explain the universe. Mythological stories were told in many different cultures and civilizations. The existence of myths is known in every society. Many different myths were conceived to explain occurrences that happened in nature.

Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece. Modern scholars refer to, and study, the myths, in an attempt to throw light on the religious and political institutions of Ancient Greece, its civilization, and to gain understanding of the nature of myth-making itself.

     Mythology is a way that the ancient societies explained why things are the way they are and how they came to being. Two ancient societies are infamous for their mythology. These societies are Greece and Rome. Great authors were made be the mythological works they wrote. Homer was a famous author who is best known for his epics. It is from these epics that most of the gods and actual myths well known. I am writing of two of these gods in particular, Saturn and Dionsysus.

When this word “myth” is used, the term is usually related to a fable, invention or a fiction story. Over the years, many scholars started approaching the study of myth differently. These scholars have approach myths in a way their meaning was traditionally regarded. In many traditions these myth are true stories and never refer to as false stories. ( http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/a/whatismyth.htm )

Not all mythology comes from ancient cultures. People all around the world continue to create new myths and rework existing ones. Modern technology such as movies, publishing, telecommunications, and the internet allow folktales, rumors, and myths to travel faster around the world. A feature of some modern legends is that they originated as artistic creations. Modern legends offer images of the best and worspect aspects of mankind. Modern myths suggest that good behavior can be rewarded while greedy and foolish behavior will be punished. While modern mythology is different from ancient mythology they are similar in that monstrous and scary partly human creatures still fascinate people today. Vampires and Werewolves are examples of modern mythologies most fascinating monsters. Modern mythology spawns from life’s wonder, excitement, mystery, and fear.