THEORIES RELATED TO MYTHOLOGY - LESSON 4

Mythology and Folklore

1. MYTHOLOGY & FOLKLORE MC LIT 2 THEORIES RELATED TO THE STUDY OF MYTHOLOGY

2. THEORIES RELATED TO THE STUDY OF MYTHOLOGY

3. ANCIENT THEORIES

4. Rationalism According to this theory, myths represent an early form of logical thinking: they all, have a logical base. Rationalism is a philosophical approach that emphasizes the use of reason and logical thinking in understanding the world. In the context of myths, rationalism suggests that myths represent an early form of logical thinking because they are based on a certain rationality. Many myths explain the origins of natural phenomena such as the sun, moon, and stars, as well as the natural cycles of day and night, the changing seasons, and the tides. These explanations may seem fanciful to modern scientific understanding, but they were based on early humans' observations of the world and their attempts to explain what they saw in a logical way.

5. Etymological Theory This theory states that all myths derive from and can be traced back to certain words in the language

6. The story of the Greek god Apollo. The name "Apollo" is derived from the Greek word "Apollon," which means "to destroy." According to the Etymological Theory, this suggests that Apollo was originally a god of destruction, and that his role in Greek mythology as a god of music, prophecy, and healing developed later as the word "Apollon" evolved The word "Hades" is believed to have originated from the Greek term " άδης " ( hádēs ), which means "the unseen." This reflects the idea that the underworld was a mysterious and hidden realm Myth that can be interpreted as an Etymological theory

7. Allegorical theory In the allegorical explanation, all myths contain hidden meanings which the narrative deliberately conceals or encodes According to this theory, myths and stories are not just literal accounts of events, but are instead designed to convey deeper truths or moral lessons. It is important to remember that not all interpretations based on allegory are necessarily accurate or widely accepted.

8. Euhemerism Euhemerus , a Greek who lived from 325-275 BC, maintained that all myths arise from historical events which were merely exaggerated Euhemerism is a theory or approach to the interpretation of mythology, which proposes that myths are based on historical events and real people, who were later deified or mythologized through the process of oral tradition and exaggeration..

9. Myth that can be interpreted as an Euhemerism theory The interpretation of the myth of Hercules, who is often portrayed as a demigod with superhuman strength and a troubled personal life. Euhemerus argued that the character of Hercules was based on a real person, possibly a king or a military leader, who was later deified after his death.

10. MODERN THEORIES

11. Naturalism In this hypothesis, all myths are thought to arise from an attempt to explain natural phenomena. In summary, naturalism proposes that myths and stories were created to explain natural phenomena, such as the movements of the sun and the moon, and as people gained a better understanding of the natural world, their mythologies evolved accordingly.

12. Myth that can be interpreted as an Naturalism theory In many ancient cultures, the sun was worshipped as a powerful deity because of its life-giving properties. The myth of the sun god, Ra, in ancient Egyptian mythology, for instance, is believed to have originated from the observation of the sun's daily cycle across the sky and its role in providing warmth, light, and sustenance to all living beings. Similarly, the moon was also worshipped in many cultures for its association with the cycles of nature and its perceived influence on the tides and the growth of crops.

13. Ritualism According to this theory, all myths are invented to accompany and explain religious ritual; they describe the significant events which have resulted in a particular ceremony In this view, myths are not just stories or fables, but are important religious texts that provide guidance on how to properly perform religious rituals. The stories in myths often involve supernatural or divine beings, and they explain how these beings are connected to the rituals that are being performed.

14. Diffusionism The diffusionists maintain that all myths arose from a few major cultural centers and spread throughout the world. This theory suggests that cultural elements, including myths, originated in a few major cultural centers and then spread throughout the world through various means, such as migration, trade, or conquest. Diffusionists argue that this process of cultural diffusion explains the similarities found in myths across different cultures.

15. Myth that can be interpreted as an Diffusionism theory The Epic of Gilgamesh: This ancient Sumerian epic tells the story of Utnapishtim, who was warned by the god Ea that a great flood was coming to destroy the world. Utnapishtim built a boat and took his family and many animals on board to survive the flood, and eventually landed on a mountain. The Biblical Flood: According to the book of Genesis in the Bible, God decided to send a great flood to destroy the wickedness of humanity, but chose to spare Noah and his family, as well as two of every kind of animal, by instructing Noah to build an ark. The Hindu Flood Myth: In Hindu mythology, the god Vishnu warned a man named Manu of a coming flood and instructed him to build a boat. Manu did so and survived the flood with the help of a large fish that pulled his boat to safety. The Aztec Flood Myth: According to Aztec mythology, there were several different worlds that were destroyed and recreated by the gods. In one version of the story, the gods decided to destroy the fourth world with a great flood, and only a man named Coxcox and his wife survived by floating on a raft. The Native American Flood Myth: Many different Native American tribes have stories of a great flood. In one example, the Ojibwe people tell of a flood that was caused by a powerful spirit who was angry with humanity's disregard for nature. A man named Nanabozho survived by floating on a log and eventually created a new world.

16. Evolutionism Myth making occurs at a certain stage in the evolution of the human mind. Myths, are therefore, an essential part of all developing societies and the similarities from one culture to the next can be explained by the relatively limited number of experiences open to such communities when myths arise

17. Myth that can be interpreted as an evolutionism theory The creation myth of the ancient Greeks, According to the myth, in the beginning, there was only a formless and chaotic void known as Chaos. From Chaos emerged Gaia (the earth), Tartarus (the underworld), and Eros (love). Gaia then gave birth to Uranus (the sky), who became her mate and together they produced the Titans, the Cyclopes, and the Hecatonchires (hundred-handed giants). The Titans then gave birth to the Olympian gods, who overthrew their parents to establish themselves as the rulers of the cosmos.

18. Freudianism When Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, interpreted the dreams of his patients, he found great similarities between them and the ancient myths. Freud believes that certain infantile are repressed. i.e. they are eliminated from the conscious mind but continues to exist within the individual in some other form. Sometimes these feelings emerge into consciousness under various disguises, one of which is the myth.

19. Myth that can be interpreted through Freudianism The Greek myth of Narcissus. According to the myth, Narcissus was a beautiful young man who was known for his vanity and self-obsession. One day, he saw his reflection in a pool of water and became so enamored with his own image that he could not look away. Eventually, Narcissus died from starvation and thirst, unable to tear himself away from his own reflection.

20. Jungian archetypes Carl Jung was a prominent psychologist who, while he accepted Freud’s theory about the origin of myths, did not believe that it went far in explaining the striking similarities between the motifs found in ancient stories and those of his patients. He postulated that each of us possesses a “collective unconscious” which we inherit genetically. It contains very general ideas, themes, or motifs which are passed along from one generation to another and are retained as part of our human inheritance

21. Jung identified several archetypes, including the shadow, the anima/animus, the persona, the self, the trickster, and the hero. Each archetype represents a different aspect of the human psyche and has its own set of characteristics and symbols.

22. The shadow archetype, for example, represents our dark side or the aspects of ourselves that we deny or repress. The anima/animus archetype represents the opposite gender aspect within ourselves, The persona archetype is the social mask we wear in public to present a particular image of ourselves. The self archetype represents the unity and wholeness of the individual, while the trickster archetype represents the mischievous and unpredictable aspects of human nature. Finally, the hero archetype represents the journey of the individual towards self-discovery, growth, and transformation.

23. Myth that can be interpreted through Jungian archetypes Myth of Demeter and Persephone. This myth can be interpreted through Jungian archetypes by looking at the characters as representations of different archetypes. Demeter can be seen as the mother archetype, representing nurturing, fertility, and protection. Persephone can be seen as the maiden archetype, representing innocence, beauty, and youth. Hades can be seen as the shadow archetype, representing the unconscious and the darker aspects of the self. The myth can be interpreted as a journey of individuation, where the maiden is abducted by the shadow and taken to the underworld, representing a descent into the unconscious. Demeter's grief represents the pain of separation from the self, and her refusal to let anything grow represents a lack of creativity and growth until the self is reunited.

24. Structuralism This theory is a fairly recent development and is closely allied with the research of linguists. – According to this theory, all human behavior, the way we eat, dress, speak, is patterned into codes which have the characteristics of language. To understand the real meaning of myth, therefore, we must analyze it linguistically In the context of mythology, structuralists argue that myths are not simply random stories but rather complex symbolic systems that encode deeper meanings and cultural values. By analyzing the underlying structure and language of myths, we can uncover their hidden meanings and understand how they reflect the cultural and social contexts in which they were created.

25. Myth that can be interpreted through Structuralism The myth of Malakas and Maganda , the first man and woman in Philippine mythology who emerged from a bamboo tree. According to a structuralist interpretation, this myth can be analyzed in terms of binary oppositions such as male/female, form/formlessness, and order/chaos. The emergence of Malakas and Maganda from a bamboo tree represents the opposition between form and formlessness, while their creation represents the emergence of order from chaos. The relationship between Malakas and Maganda represents the balance and harmony between male and female energies.

26. Historical-critical theory This theory maintains that there are a multitude of factors which influence the origin and development of myths and that no single explanation will suffice. We must examine each story individually to see how it began and evolved

27. Myth that can be interpreted through Historical-critical theory The story of the Greek god Zeus and his rise to power. This myth describes how Zeus overthrows his father, Cronus, and becomes the king of the gods. From a historical-critical perspective, this myth can be understood as reflecting the changing political and social conditions in ancient Greece. It is believed that the story of Zeus's rise to power may have originated during a time when there was a shift in power from a matriarchal society to a patriarchal one. This shift may have been reflected in the myth as Zeus overthrows his father, who represents the older, male-dominated order.

28. Finish