The subjects of myths reflect the universal concerns of mankind throughout history: birth, death, the afterlife, the origin of man and the world, good and evil and the nature of man himself. A myth taps into a universal cultural narrative, the collective wisdom of man. An excellent illustration of the universality of these themes is that so many peoples who have had no contact with each other create myths that are remarkably similar. Unlike fairy tales, myths are not always optimistic.
True to the nature of life, the essence of myths is such that they are as often warnings as promises; as often laments as celebrations. Many myths are instructive and act as a guide to social norms, taking on cultural taboos such as incest, fratricide, and greed.
Myths are also pervasive in the arts and advertising, for a very simple reason. From film to cars to perfume, advertising uses visual metaphors to speak to us. Legends are retold as if they are real events and were believed to be historical accounts. A legend is a semi-true story, which has been passed on from person-to-person and has important meaning or symbolism for the culture in which it originates. Features of the Characters The characters of myths are often unbelievable characters such gods, half-gods, magical creatures, angels, demons, or persons important to the myth or legend.
A myth is defined as a story without an author that is passed along and is usually intended to teach a lesson, or something that is untrue. The stories the Ancient Greeks told to explain the sun and the Earth are an example of myths. Myths are stories that are based on tradition. Some may have factual origins, while others are completely fictional. But myths are more than mere stories and they serve a more profound purpose in ancient and modern cultures.
The main characters in myths are usually gods or supernatural heroes. The stories are set in the distant past. The people who told these stories believed that they were true.
A legend is a traditional story about the past. The main characters are usually kings or heroes. The word fable derives from the Latin word fabula, which originally meant about the same as the Greek mythos. Like mythos, it came to mean a fictitious or untrue story. Myths, in contrast, are not presented as fictitious or untrue. Fables, like some myths, feature personified animals or natural objects as characters.
Myths, stories, legends, folklore, tall tales give valuable insights into how people perceive and think about their world. Legends are told to serve a specific purpose, and can be based on facts — but they are not completely true. People mentioned in a legend might not have really done what the story of the legend relates.
In some cases, legends change the historical events. Myth is a story with a traditional oral beginning that was used as an explanation in the early history of a culture. Mythical explanations range in complexity from simple - why stories pourquoi tales to complex involved mythologies or legends that encompass the history and workings of an entire culture: The White Stallion - Magyar, Illiad - Greek Trojan war, Direct cause and effect interaction that could be observed.
Such as the reason bears have short stubby tails is. Personification is a form of explanation where an animal or a force of nature acts as a human. An example is the myth that explains why spiders spin webs. Arachne was a beautiful human spinner who mouthed off to Athena. As a result Athena turned Arachne into a spider for being too proud and lippy. Another example is a myth about a human hunter who wandered off the face of the earth and can be seen still wandering through the heavens in the constellation Orion.
Gods do it. Whe a god or supernatural beings, which control of certain forces, have powers to take on a life of their own, interact with other gods or supernatural beings as well as humans in ways that extend beyond their domain. Extend explanatory powers from concrete explanations to abstract virtues.
The power of the sun god Apollo expands from driving the sun across the sky in a 67 Camero to being in control of giving life, health, happiness, purity, and wealth. This can extend into allegories. Midas can be an allegory for greed. How the force of greed can be represented as a human and the actions of Midas represent the actions of greed. Legends are similar to myths. Often began as traditional narratives within a particular culture.
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