An important role of mythology is to help humanity understand the world in which we live, and to come to terms with our own place in the universe. In all cultures there are myths that speak of the powers of the gods over humanity, and of the limitations to which humanity is subject, and of the relationships of humans and animals to each other, and the world they share.
In early societies,
storytellers and minstrel-poets used the spoken word, music, and drama, to keep
alive and pass on a society's heritage
of oral tradition. They were regarded as very important people, and were responsible
for providing the framework for passing down knowledge , skills, and moral
codes.
Myth, legend, and
folklore, are all part of the same oral tradition. They are all intertwined and
influence each other. Themes from mythology sometimes occur in legend, while in
less sophisticated cultures myths are difficult to separate from folk tales.
Nevertheless, each of the three types does have particular character of its
own.
Today, the word
"myth" is often used to label any idea considered false. However, the
myths of past ages were vehicles for expressing profound truths.
Mythology is closely
associated with religion.
Myth is
closely bound up with religion. Its concern is with matters that shape the
lives of humanity, creation of the world, the relationships between gods and
humans, the origin of life, the meaning of death, and the battle between good
and evil.
Myths are attempts
at explaining the great underlying truths of life. One of the greatest
mysteries of all is how the world began -how the earth, sky, and heavenly
bodies were formed, and how humanity was created.
There is a striking
similarity between the creation myths of different lands. The universe was
often seen as emerging from chaos, a vast formless ocean without light, or as
hatching from an egg which contained the
germs of creation. A supreme being or divine couple emerged to bring order out
of chaos, and to create light and life.
Few myths try to
explain the origin of matter itself. Creation was usually seen as a
rearrangement of existing matter into the shape of the known world. In most
mythologies, the earth and sky were gods, as were the forces of nature, such as
the sun and winds, which stirred up creation.
A Greek vase -painting of a scene from Homer's Odyssey. Odysseus is tempted by the sirens, who tried to lure mariners to their deaths by their singing.
The Aztecs had no written language; their myths were recorded in pictures.
A painting illustrating the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, composed about 300 BC . The hero, Rama (center) is helped in his struggle against evil by the monkey.
Thor, the Norse thunder god, in an illustration from an Islandic saga.
The more advanced societies, such as those of Greece, India, Persia, and Scandinavia, constructed family relationships and hierarchies among their gods known as pantheons. Often the gods in the pantheons had battles and quarrels among themselves, reflecting the difficulties of earthly governments.
In all cultures there are myths concerning the turning points in the lives of humans births, marriage, child bearing, and death. In ancient times, when myth evolved, there was no medical or psychological knowledge to explain these mysterious events. The myths became a vehicle for expressing the hopes, fears, and bewilderment of humanity confronted by the unknown.
The human lifecycle, particularly that of the female, has its parallel in the changing rhythm of the seasons. Hence, myths about human life are closely related to other myths concerning the fertility of the spoil and the seasonal patterns of the growth, death, and regeneration of plant life. A common theme in many of these myths is the essential oneness of death and life: the renewal of fertility is often thought to depend on a prior death, and sometimes by deliberate sacrifice.
All cultures have myths about life after death. Sometimes life in the after-world was seen as a happy place, sometimes as a sort of limbo, and sometimes a place of dread.
The Sumerian underworld, called Irkalla, was situated beyond the mountains at the edge of the earth, and the dead were conveyed there across the water of death by a ferryman named Urshanabi. Irkalla was a place of no return; its horrors could be lessened only for the brave, who were allowed to have their families join them in death for the journey.
The experiences of the individual after death were believed to depend on behaviour in his/her life, and was rewarded for bravery and punished for misdeeds.
The Celts had a special reward for warriors in their "land of the living" - a place of happiness, youth and health, where men and women lived in harmony, where the excitement of battle could still be savoured. Music, feasting, love-making were unlimited. Since all those who dwell in this paradise were immortal, wounds were immediately healed and the dead restored to life.
In Norse mythology, Valhalla was the paradise ordained by the god Odin for slain heroes. Here the warriors deemed worthy by the Valkyries feasted by night and fought by day.
In the mythology of Zoroastrianism, severe judgement was passed on the souls of the dead. For every person good or bad, the three days after death were a period of danger, the newly dead were under constant attack from demons. After this time of testing, souls were weighed. Those found virtuous were led across the Chinvat Bridge, which joined earth to heaven. There they were accepted into one of four heavens, according to the degree of their good deeds in life. The wicked were unable to cross the bridge and fell into the abyss beneath it. They were punished by ingenious tortures, including wild beasts and cruel monsters representing their evil deeds. However, the Zoroastrian hell was not final - the appropriate punishment for each sin prepared the soul for ultimate redemption at a final resurrection.
Souls crossing the Chinvat Bridge in Zoroastianism
In the Egyptian hall of the dead, the corn-god Osiris became king of the dead when he was killed and resurrected by the arts of embalming practiced by his wife Isis. It was believed that mortals could also achieve life after death if the exact techniques used by the gods were followed. When a man died, his widow impersonated Isis and led the mourners. The body was properly prepared by embalming, and the soul was judged. It was weighed against a feather, representing truth, under the direction of Thoth, the baboon-headed god of wisdom, and Anubis, jackal-headed conductor of dead souls. If the scales balanced, the deceased was brought before Osiris, who judged him to be worthy of an afterlife of eternal bliss. The wicked were devoured by a monster.
The god Anubis weighs the souls of the dead against a feather , symbolizing Moat, goddess of truth. The monster Amemait waits below the scales, ready to devour those found unworthy.
Osiris, supreme judge of the dead, seated on his throne. Before him stand the four sons of the god Horus, guardians of the jars in which the intestines of the dead were embalmed.
It's doubtful whether any new myths are being evolved in the modern world. Perhaps because it is too steeped in scientific attitudes. Folk tales have been largely superseded by literature. Legend, however, although stripped of its more fantastic and magical elements, is still a living form, as people always feel the need to invest those they admire with larger-than-life characteristics.
It has been stated that
'myth is a charter for social action,' meaning that myths were models for acceptable behaviour, or illustrations for sanctions against things not socially acceptable, and therefore, were the basis of ethics.
