WHAT DOES A “MYTH” SIGNIFY 2
ABSTRACT
There are certain words whose literal meaning gradually gets replaced by the meaning they represent. E.g. Asian literally means belonging to the continent of Asia. But worldwide, the term is in use to denote the Japanese, Chinese or Korean people. No one calls a Bangladeshi or Indian to be Asian. Similarly, there is another significant word- ‘myth’ whose meaning has been changed by people over centuries. What it literally means differs vastly from what it is believed by most to mean. This short analysis elucidates what the word ‘myth’ signifies and the difference between its popular misuses and its meaning in the scholarly religious context.
WHAT DOES A “MYTH” SIGNIFY 3
Often one hears the experts of a particular subject say- “That is a myth; it does not work that way.” If one looks for synonyms of ‘myth’, words like falsehood and illusion are found in the list. But is that what a myth traditionally meant or does it have some part to play in the word- mythology? The popular use or rather misuse of the word ‘Myth’ is quite different from what it literally means. The various scholars have a varied opinion on the meaning of ‘myth’.
According to Alan Watts (1953), ‘Myth is to be defined as a complex of stories- some no doubt fact, and some fancy- which, for various reasons, human beings regard as demonstrations of the inner meaning of the Universe and of human life.’ Another earlier and poignant defintion of myth by Malinowski(1926) conveys that a myth was an indispensable ingridient of all culture.
But usually people take myth to be a rumour or illusion or falsehood. We often read in magazine where they prove a revaling belief wrong and declare- myth busted. Well, one can say that a myth was busted. But when an old belief is found to be true, no one calls it ‘myth proven’. It is only taken to be the false side of a information. But the word ‘myth’ denotes a much larger meaning. It is the sum of what man has learnt, experienced or seen since its earliest of time while perceiving the life and world.
Joseph Campbell (1988) very effectively defined the various defines the functions of a myth. According to him, a myth is the cultural medium for a family or society to teach their young about how the world has been perceived by their ancestors over the time. Myths are more than just facts or rumors, in fact a source of knowledge for the young to be strong and wise enough to survive. He conveyed that myths let one shape an individuality and sense of self. Through the mythic tales of great people, one gets to see and understand the essentials of morality and behavior. A myth is also believed to justify why certain negative events happen and
what can be done to prevent or handle it.
The relationship of myth with religious aspects is always emphasized on. Carl Jung conveyed that such myths could create communities which believed in certain similar groups of thoughts and ritualized a myth hero. Jung (1963) said that the mythology of a tribe was its living religion, whose loss is always and everywhere, even in the case of a civilized man, a moral catastrophe. This very well explains the close relationship between ‘myth’ and ‘mythology’. Eliade (1964) too supported the idea that a myth narrated a sacred history. All that man has heard since time immemorial gets passed on to the next generation, hence creating a heritage of myths. And these are called as myths anyways, no matter true or not.
The altered word meaning and usage with time did mislead the word ‘myth’ to being an adjective as well as noun exhibiting the meaning- untrue. But, in fact it is a sum of culture, tradition, belief and religion of human race over the centuries. A folklore or legend or religion which has given a medium to think, define and look for one’s identity as an individual but along with being a part of a group- this is what the word ‘myth’ signifies. The example from Myth and Modern Man (1972) testifies that myths continue to exist and shape our lives in a varied form till date. The journey of James Bond, his battles against the villainy and such bravery has been compared to Theseus of Greek Mythology.
In conclusion, it is time people differentiate between the literal and misunderstood meaning of ‘myth’ for it’s not falsehood to be busted but the summation of man’s experience so far through some true and some untrue tales which are all directed to keep him on the right track. The need is to be able to differentiate between the myths which lead to progress and those which trigger imbalance.
References
Eliade, M. 1964. “Myth and Reality”,5-6. London.
Jung, C & Kerenyi, C. 1963. ‘Essays on a Science of Mythology ’. New York.
Malinowski, B. 1926. “Myth in Primitive Psychology”. London.
Moyers, B & Joseph, C. 1988. “ The Power of Myth”. Betty Sue Flowers (ed.). New York: Doubleday
Patai, R. 1972. “Myth and Modern Man”-292-293.
Watts, A. 1953 . “Myth and Ritual in Christianity.” London
