What is Mythology
Then was loaned the Greek word mythology in Latin. Late Latin myths, which take place as Mythology for the Fifth-century Latin Author Fulgentius’, have indicated that Greek and Roman histories concerning their gods have been explained, which are now known as classical mythology. The Mythology of Fulgentius handled its topic strictly as interpretative allegories and not as real occurrences.
In Middle French, the Latin word was then used as a mythology. Whether it’s French or Latin, in the fifteenth century English adopted the word “mythology,” initially in the sense of “exhibiting a myth or myth; interpreting a fabulous fable;” the book of such exhibitions. The term is confirmed first in the Troy Book of C by John Lydgate. 1425.
The word myth Ancient Greek μῦθος mȳthos meaning speech narrative fiction myth plot Anglicised form Greek word began English adapted European languages early nineteenth century narrower sense scholarly term traditional story typically involving supernatural beings forces embodies explanation aetiology justification early history society religious belief ritual natural phenomenon turn Ancient Greek μυθολογία mythología story lore legends telling stories combines word mȳthos suffix λογία logia study meant romance fiction story telling Accordingly Plato mythología general term fiction story telling kind The Greek term mythología borrowed Latin Late Latin mythologia occurs title Latin author Fulgentius century Mythologiæ denoted explication Greek Roman stories gods classical mythology Fulgentius Mythologiæexplicitly treated subject matter allegories requiring interpretation true events The Latin term Middle French mythologie Whether French Latin usage English word mythology fifteenth century sense exposition myth myths interpretation fables book expositions The word attested John Lydgate Troy Book 1425 From Lydgate seventeenth eighteenth century mythology moral fable allegory parable collection traditional stories understood false eventually applied bodies traditional stories polytheistic cultures Thus word mythology entered English language word myth Johnson Dictionary entry mythology myth Indeed Greek loanword mythos mythoi Latinate mythus mythi appeared English myth 1830 Meanings Ancient GreeceThe term μῦθος mythos appears works Homer poets Homer era works term meanings conversation narrative speech story tale word Like term λόγος logos mythos expresses delivered form contrasted ἔργον ergon Greek term action deed work The term mythos lacks explicit distinction true false narratives context theatre ancient Greece term mythos referred myth narrative plot story play According David Wiles Greek term mythos era covered entire spectrum meanings undeniable falsehoods stories religious symbolic significance According philosopher Aristotle BCE spirit theatrical play mythos The term mythos source material Greek tragedy The tragedians era draw inspiration Greek mythology body traditional storylines concerned gods heroes David Wiles observes modern conceptions Greek tragedy misleading commonly thought ancient audience members familiar mythos play predict outcome play However Greek dramatists expected faithfully reproduce traditional myths adapting stage They recreating myths producing versions Storytellers Euripides BCE relied suspense excite audiences works Merope attempts kill son murderer axe unaware man question son According ancient description audience reactions work audience members genuinely unsure commit filicide stopped time They rose feet terror caused uproar David Wiles points traditional mythos Ancient Greece oral tradition The Greeks era literate culture produced sacred texts There definitive authoritative versions myths recorded texts preserved unchanging form Instead multiple variants myths circulation These variants adapted songs dances poetry visual art Performers myths freely reshape source material work adapting audience response situation Children Ancient Greece familiar traditional myths early age According philosopher Plato BCE mothers nursemaids narrated myths stories children charge David Wiles describes repository mythological lore Bruce Lincoln called attention apparent meaning terms mythos logos works Hesiod Theogony Hesiod attributes Muses ability proclaim truths narrate plausible falsehoods falsehoods real The verb narrating falsehoods text legein etymologically logos There variants manuscript tradition verb proclaim truths One variant gerusasthai mythesasthai The form verb mytheomai speak etymologically mythos Works Days Hesiod describes dispute brother Perses announces readers intention true brother The verb telling truth mythesaimen form mytheomai Lincoln draws conclusion Hesiod speech mythos Lincoln calls telling truth While speech logos telling lies hiding true thoughts dissimulation This conclusion strengthened plural term logoi plural form logos Hesiod works Three times term term seductive times term falsehoods genealogy gods Hesiod lists logoi children Eris goddess personifying strife Eris children ominous figures personify physical verbal forms conflict Myth folklore genre consisting narratives stories play fundamental role society foundational tales origin myths The main characters myths gods demigods supernatural humans Stories everyday human beings leaders type contained legends opposed myths Myths endorsed rulers priests priestesses closely linked religion spirituality fact societies group myths legends history myths legends true accounts remote creation mythstake place primordial age achieved form Other myths explain society customs institutions taboos established sanctified There complex relationship recital myths enactment rituals The study myth began ancient history Rival classes Greek myths Euhemerus Plato Sallustius developed Neoplatonists revived Renaissance mythographers Today study myth continues wide variety academic fields including folklore studies philology psychology anthropology The term mythology refer study myths general body myths subject The academic comparisons bodies myth comparative mythology Since term myth imply story objectively true identification narrative myth highly political adherents religions view religion stories true object stories characterised myths Nevertheless scholars routinely speak Christian mythology Jewish mythology Islamic mythology Hindu mythology Traditionally Western scholarship Judaeo Christian heritage viewed narratives Abrahamic religions province theology mythology identifying religious stories colonised cultures stories Hinduism myths enabled Western scholars imply truth stories Christianity Labelling religious narratives myths thought treating traditions parity MythDefinitions myth extent vary scholar Finnish folklorist Lauri Honko offers cited definition Myth story gods religious account creation fundamental events exemplary deeds gods result nature culture created parts order obtains myth expresses confirms society religious values norms pattern behavior imitated testifies efficacy ritual practical ends establishes sanctity cult Scholars fields term myth varied ways broad sense word refer traditional story popular misconception imaginary entity However myth folklore genres overlap myth thought differ genres legend folktale considered sacred narratives Some kinds folktales fairy stories considered true distinct myths reason Main characters myths gods demigods supernatural humans legends generally feature humans main characters However exceptions combinations exist Iliad Odyssey Aeneid Moreover stories spread cultures faiths change myths considered folktales divine characters recast humans demihumans giants elves faeries Conversely historical literary material acquire mythological qualities time For Matter Britain legendary history Great Britain focused King Arthur knights Round Table Matter France distantly originate historical events eighth centuries mythologised centuries colloquial word myth collectively held belief basis fact false story This usage pejorative arose labeling religious myths beliefs cultures incorrect spread cover religious beliefs However commonly folklorists academics relevant fields anthropology term myth implication narrative understood true Mythology Mythology redirects For Mythology disambiguation mythology refers collected myths group people study myths For Greek mythology Roman mythology Hittite mythology body myths retold cultures Folklorist Alan Dundes defines myth sacred narrative explains humanity evolved form Dundes classified sacred narrative story serves define fundamental worldview culture explaining aspects natural delineating psychological social practices ideals society Anthropologist Bruce Lincoln defines myth ideology narrative form MythographyThe compilation description myths mythography term scholarly anthology myths confusingly study myths generally Key mythographers Classical tradition include Ovid BCE tellings myths profoundingly influential Fabius Planciades Fulgentius Latin writer late early sixth centuries Mythologies Latin Mitologiarum libri III gathered moralistic interpretations wide range myths anonymous medieval Vatican Mythographers developed anthologies Classical myths remained influential Middle Ages Renaissance scholar Natalis Comes book Mythologiae standard source classical mythology Renaissance Europe Other prominent mythographies include thirteenth century Prose Edda attributed Icelander Snorri Sturluson main surviving survey Norse Mythology Middle Ages Mythos Mythos redirects For Myth disambiguation Mythos disambiguation Because myth pejorative sense scholars opted term mythos However mythos commonly refers Aristotelian sense plot point body interconnected myths stories belonging religious cultural tradition modern fictional mythologies building Lovecraft What Mythology ZodiacPage
