Week 4 Lab: Overview of Mythology
For this particular Story Lab, I chose to watch the Crash Course videos on Mythology. I have used Crash Course videos in the past as a study or review tool for my science classes so it was nice to see information relevant to this course documented in the same format. Mythology, or the study of myths, is an amalgamation of a number of different fields of study including but not limited to sociology, psychology, literature, history, religion, and anthropology. A myth can be defined by two components: significance (it's about something important or it explains the current world and how it came to be) and staying power (it has survived centuries or millennia). A common type of myth that I've already encountered in this class through the Week 2 Anthology is an etiological story, or a story that explains the origins of something.
There are many theories about the purpose and effects of myths dating back to the time of early Greek philosophers. Plato became the first to adopt the modern view that "myth" means irrational or untrue. Confusingly, Plato claimed some myths, like the philosophical ones he used in The Republic, were rational and therefore true. The Euhemeric point of view stated that myths were primitive explanations of old historical events. A fascinating example used here was the idea that Zeus was originally a human king who, due to to his acts, came to be regarded as a god centuries later. Some Christian thinkers attributed the mythological story-telling to demons in order to contrast the often pagan themes present in myths with the story of Jesus.
I found particularly interesting the idea that there was once a joint Indo-European language and a group of people called the Aryans that spread a common mythological tradition across Europe and Asia. Early anthropologists who studied how myths affected people posited that myths were primitive science as opposed to modern science which relied on biology rather than fictional characters. Psychologists such as Freud and Jung asserted the importance of the unconscious in the creation of myths. Structuralism brought forth the study of patterns in myths. One significant patters was that of a binary. I found this idea compelling because much of Indian mythology which I grew up with is framed in terms of good versus evil. Modern mythologists suggest a more well-rounded view of mythology that encompass all the different fields of study that myths involve such as social, psychological, literary, political, etc.
One such influential modern mythologist is Joseph Campbell who coined the term of a monomyth, or hero's journey. The general structure of the monomyth is as follows: the hero receives a call to action, embarks on a series of trials, accomplishes what they set out to do, and has to reintegrate into society. The most appealing part of Campbell's theory is his belief that we are all heroes struggling to find our significance in the world. I plan to use this theory to evaluate the stories that I'll read this semester and consider how these stories can be applicable to the life of a regular human such as myself.
There are many theories about the purpose and effects of myths dating back to the time of early Greek philosophers. Plato became the first to adopt the modern view that "myth" means irrational or untrue. Confusingly, Plato claimed some myths, like the philosophical ones he used in The Republic, were rational and therefore true. The Euhemeric point of view stated that myths were primitive explanations of old historical events. A fascinating example used here was the idea that Zeus was originally a human king who, due to to his acts, came to be regarded as a god centuries later. Some Christian thinkers attributed the mythological story-telling to demons in order to contrast the often pagan themes present in myths with the story of Jesus.
I found particularly interesting the idea that there was once a joint Indo-European language and a group of people called the Aryans that spread a common mythological tradition across Europe and Asia. Early anthropologists who studied how myths affected people posited that myths were primitive science as opposed to modern science which relied on biology rather than fictional characters. Psychologists such as Freud and Jung asserted the importance of the unconscious in the creation of myths. Structuralism brought forth the study of patterns in myths. One significant patters was that of a binary. I found this idea compelling because much of Indian mythology which I grew up with is framed in terms of good versus evil. Modern mythologists suggest a more well-rounded view of mythology that encompass all the different fields of study that myths involve such as social, psychological, literary, political, etc.
One such influential modern mythologist is Joseph Campbell who coined the term of a monomyth, or hero's journey. The general structure of the monomyth is as follows: the hero receives a call to action, embarks on a series of trials, accomplishes what they set out to do, and has to reintegrate into society. The most appealing part of Campbell's theory is his belief that we are all heroes struggling to find our significance in the world. I plan to use this theory to evaluate the stories that I'll read this semester and consider how these stories can be applicable to the life of a regular human such as myself.
(The Hero's Journey; source: Wikipedia)
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