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What is a Myth?

Posted in Spirituality, Things I Don't Understand on July 6th, 2007 by Jenny

If, as proposed in the post Picking Sides: Spirituality or Science, the role of spirituality is to help enhance our life experience, then one of the primary tools is the myth. Myths can help us understand our emotions, our place in the world, good and evil or why we matter at all.

Although mythology is an essential element of spirituality, it is often poorly understood. This is especially true of those of a strict scientific or religious mindset. This misunderstanding is a shame as myths have played a critical role in cultures throughout time. In fact, many myths are so common around the world and through time that they are considered universal, although there may be slight variations based upon the time and culture in which they are told. At the most basic level myths serve as stories about humanities deepest and most re-occurring concerns, such as love, birth, evil and death.

Myths are not:

  • Theology - They are not tied to a particular religious world view, nor do they claim absolute truths. Instead they focus on individual truths;
  • History - Myths are stories. History is a report of actual documented events. While myths may be based upon historical happenings, the history is not the relevant point, rather the story and lesson are;
  • Science - Science seeks to provide facts about the world, the universe and humanity. Science tries to explain the how’s of life, whereas myths seeks the answers to why;
  • Logical or literally true - Insistence upon a literal reading of myth can slowly diminish its power and ultimately kill its relevance. Logic is not necessary to understanding a myth, as the power of a myth is found in its ability to create revelatory understanding outside the normal paths of knowledge.

    • Myths are:

  • Open to interpretation - In fact, active interpretation is essential to understanding a myth. If a myth does not need to be interpreted then it is not a myth. Instead it might be a fact, fiction or dogma;
  • Ambiguous and loose for a reason - The god or gods featured in myths are typically not the primary focus, instead it is the exploration of the questions invoked that matters. The god or gods actions, or lack thereof, often serve only to bring about more questions;
  • Rough guides - Myths do not provide “pat” answers. Instead they act as maps pointing in a direction. Myths are meant to catch our imagination and help us create meaning in an oftentimes seemingly purposeless world.

    • Myths guide us as we look for our purpose in life, instruct us how to overcome our weaknesses or hone our strengths, understand emotions such as love, anger and jealousy and teach us how to respond to the world and its people. Ultimately a myth’s function is to help individuals and society achieve revelations about both themselves as individuals and humanity as a whole through experiences and questions typically unavailable to us in our daily lives. They move our daily struggles into a new, often magical context and help illuminate just what we are capable of being and doing.

    Although most of us are familiar with myths, such as those found in the Judeo-Christian tradition or amongst native people’s around the world, myths also abound in popular culture. Some examples of myths that have captured the imagination of large numbers of people in recent years include the Left Behind series, the Matrix movies or the Harry Potter series. All of these examples are deep in their insight about human nature, have several layers of interpretation and leave the viewer/reader with more questions than answers.

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    This entry was posted in Spirituality, Things I Don't Understand on Friday, July 6th, 2007 by Jenny. You can follow responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

    One Response to “What is a Myth?”

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