Chapter 2

Mythology

 The most common mythology people think of is Greek:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJC m8W5RZes

Introduction

 But mythology is actually a broader term 

Myths

are religious narratives that tell stories and are important to religious beliefs 

Origins



Histories



Rules of behavior



Can be written or oral

Myths and Worldview

 All people experience things they can’t explain  The way we perceive reality is our

worldview

and it colors all we see and how we interact with things  Ex. Navaho vs. Judeo-Christian view of nature

Myths and Worldview

 Read the Judeo-Christian and Navaho creation myths on pg.34-35 & pg. 45-46  Analyze for themes:  Nature-human interaction  How humans are created  View of animals  Interaction between humans and supernatural  Element of time

Myths and Worldview

 So how would we summarize the different worldviews from these two creation myths?

Myths and Worldview

 Navaho: interconnectedness with nature, living in balance, respecting living things  Judeo-Christian: controlling nature, humans were given the world and can exploit it

Supernatural

  Read the story on Snow White (pg. 30 31) What is the ‘moral’ of the story?

 What aspects are supernatural?

 Is this a religious study? Why or why not?

Supernatural

 This story is a

folktale

 It entertains and gives a lesson, but is not a religious text

Supernatural



Legends

are stories that people believe really happened, but have been embellished 

Urban legends

are stories that supposedly happened in the recent past

Supernatural

 What are some examples of urban legends?

Supernatural

 Bloody Mary  Big Foot  The escaped killer with a hook hand  Basically anything that people think is a hoax or tabloid story

Myths

 These are sacred stories  They explain:  Human’s origin   Creation of the universe Values and norms  Good vs. evil   They are religious and used in religious rituals Bible stories, Qur’an, Torah, etc.

 (Table 2.1, pg. 32)

Myths

 Be able to distinguish what makes folktales, legends, and myths different  Use table in book

Written and Oral Texts

 Some cultures do not have written histories  They use oral traditions to pass down cultural knowledge  Oral texts are performed, not recited  Slightly altered each generation  Can be adapted to new events  Others are written  Qur’an means “recitation” and is literal word of God and so not changed in any way

Example

 Genesis from the Bible is a creation myth  Part 1:  God makes the world in 6 days  He makes plants, then animals, then humans  Importance of the Sabbath  Part 2:  Creates Adam and Eve  Fall from Eden  Makes humans first and then animals  Creates Eve out of Adam

Example

 These myths reflect worldview and

social charter

(human interactions)  Male dominance  Humans given control over nature  Correct and incorrect behavior  Punishments

Myths

 There are different forms of written traditions  How many versions of the Bible are there?

 Some keep traditional language (it sounds more “religious”) and some use current language

Understanding Myths

 Myths are found in all societies but vary widely  There are different ways to approach studying them  Most of these are connected to theories we discussed in chapter 1

Approaches to Myths

 1. Evolutionary  (incorrect) idea of unilineal evolution  Evolve from simple to complex

NO!

 Primitive to civilized  Frazer (

The Golden Bough

)

Approaches to Myths

 2. Fieldwork and Functional  Can use myths to understand cultural system  See what function myths have in society  Boas (Father of American Anthropology)  Malinowski (Essential needs of humans)

Approaches to Myths

 3. Structural  Look at structure of the myth  Dualism: light/dark, good/evil, male/female  No focus on meaning or content  Levi-Strauss

Approaches to Myths

 4. Psychological  Unconscious projections  Collective consciousness 

Archetypes

: orphan, creator, fool, etc.

 Freud  Jung

Common Themes

 Know common themes to use on homework!!

Common Themes

     Common themes may come from diffusion of knowledge or from collective consciousness Birth Metaphor  Supernatural creating something Chaos  Things created out of chaos or darkness Emergence  Things created by emerging from under the earth Holy People  Holy beings create people

Apocalyptic Myths

 Center on the destruction of the world  Cycles of destruction and creation  Noah’s flood  Revelations ○ Four horsemen, lamb of God, lake of fire, etc.

Trickster Myths

 Some myths are for entertainment and some discuss serious matters 

Trickster myths

are less serious and teach people how not to behave  Example: Haida story of the Raven (pg. 49).

Hero Myths

 Though stories all vary, there is a common pattern or story line (

monomyth

)  Hero leaves common world and enters supernatural world  receives training  encounters obstacles and is victorious  hero returns to help his friends and family  Common in our stories and movies

Discussion Questions

 1. Define what worldview is. How does this impact how people see nature and the environment?

 2. What are some common themes among different religious creation myths?

 3. What is a monomyth? Why are popular movies (previous slide) not considered religious?

Assignment

 ICA #1 “Creation Myths” together in groups

Videos

 As you watch videos look for:  Similarities  Common themes  Connection to environment  Examples from lecture

Videos

    Egypt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTy49JlgJZE Inca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75kDb2OqBWI&list=PL32257EC AC08445A3 Aboriginal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koxp_q46z0Q&list=PL32257ECA C08445A3 Japan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIQ9Ea7WDSI&list=PL32257EC AC08445A3

Greek Mythology Video

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQN1 vGmHxs4