THE NATURE OF
MYTHOLOGY AND
FOLKLORE
THE NATURE OF MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE
Mythology Folklore
• It is the study of myths and the • This includes the traditional
myths themselves, which are elements of the way of life of a
stories told as symbols of group of people and creative
fundamental truths within expressions developing naturally
societies having strong oral as part of this culture.
tradition.
THE NATURE OF MYTHOLOGY
Collecting Stories Comparing Myths
Literary evidence Motifs
Archaeological evidence Traditions
Examining their Functions Assessing Myths
Teller or audience Significance
society truth
DEFINITIONS OF MYTH
• Webster
A story that is usually of unknown origin and at least partially
traditional that ostensibly relates historical events usually of such
description as to serve to explain some particular event, institution or
natural phenomenon.
• M. Reinhold, Past and Present
A myth is a story about gods, other supernatural beings or heroes of a
long past time.
DEFINITIONS OF MYTH
• H.J. Rose, A Handbook of Greek Mythology
Myths are certain products of the imagination of people which take the
form of stories.
• J. Peradotto, Classical Mythology
Myth is a cognitive structure analogous to language through which
primitive people organize their experience.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MYTH
• Mythos – authoritative speech
– a traditional story
• A story is a narrative with plot
- It has beginning, middle and end
- It contains characters having certain mental imprints.
- It describes conflict, resolution and within a setting.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MYTH
• Mythos – authoritative speech
– with collective importance
- Myths are “traditional” tales from Latin word trado “hand over
- Handed over orally and transmit a culture’s sense of itself: past
wisdom, memories and models
- Oral transmission will create constant changes in the myth
- Various ways of emphasizing motives and meaning for the group.
CHARACTERISTICS OF MYTH
A myth has no identifiable author.
A myth that is written down in a literary form uses a story that
preceded it.
Sometimes the myths are even different in detail.
One version is not more than another.
TYPES OF MYTHS BY MORFORD AND
LENARDON
Pure Myth or True Myth or Myth Proper or Divine Myth
• Primitive Science or Religion
- Natural phenomena or the origin of things
- How individuals should behave toward the gods
Saga or Legend
• Primitive History
- historical fact
Folk-tale or Fairy-tale
• Primitive Fiction
- For pleasure and amusement
TYPES OF MYTHS BY ELIOT
Primitive myths
• Stories about nature as told by shamans
Pagan myths
• Greeks and Roman’s tales of the interplay between deities and humans
Sacred myths
• Stories from current eastern and western religions such as Christianity and
Hinduism
Scientific myths
• Considered as the most solemn and revered creeds of science
TYPES OF MYTHS BY LEEMING
Cosmic myths
• Including narratives of the creation and end of the world
Theistic myths
• Portray the deities
Hero myths
• With accounts of individuals
Place and object myths
• Describe places and objects
PURPOSES OF MYTHOLOGY
• Grant continuity and stability to a culture
• Present guidelines for living
• Justify a culture’s activities
• Give meaning to life
• Explain the unexplainable
• Offer role models
FOLKLORE
DEFINITION OF FOLKLORE
• Folklore is a collection of fictional stories about animals and people, of
cultural myths, jokes, songs, tales, and even quotes. It is a description
of culture, which has been passed down verbally from generation to
generation, though many are now in written form. Folklore is also
known as “folk literature,” or “oral traditions.”
TYPES OF FOLKLORE
• Ballads • Jokes
• Fairy Tales • Legends
• Folk Art • Myths
• Folk Dance • Riddles
• Folk Songs • Superstitions
• Urban legend
BALLADS
• A ballad is a traditional poem or folk song that tells a story.
It may describe a true love, a heroic adventures, a scandal,
or a tragic death, to name just a few of the most common subjects.
Historical examples of ballads date back to the Middle Ages.
The form is one way for important cultural narratives to
be preserved and passed down to future generations.
FAIRY TALES
• Fairy tales are traditional stories, intended primarily for children, which
recount human encounters with supernatural beings such as fairies,
witches, ogres, and the like, often conveying a cautionary message.
Many
such tales were compiled by the Brothers
Grimm in the 19th century.
In the modern era, fairy tales have served
as the basis for many Disney movies.
FOLK ART
• Folk art—as opposed to fine art—comprises a range of
• artistic productions and crafts. Examples of folk art include
• paintings, sculptures, quilts, pottery, and furniture created
• by ordinary, unschooled artists using traditional styles and
• methods, and often employing imagery or symbolism from
• local mythology.
FOLK DANCE
• A folk dance (or ethnic dance) is any dance invented by the common
people of a particular region or culture that has been handed down
through tradition. Folk dances are usually performed at social
gatherings
by people who have learned the dances
informally.
FOLK SONGS
• Folk songs are traditional songs, anonymously composed and
handed down orally, about commonplace topics such as work,
family, community, and everyday life. They may address social or
political issues and they may take the form of ballads, love
songs, or novelty songs. Folk songs are usually played on
acoustic instruments.
JOKES
• A joke is a humorous story or anecdote meant to
provoke laughter through irony, wordplay,
the thwarting of expectations, the juxtaposition of
images, or other techniques.
LEGENDS
• A legend is a traditional historical tale or collection of related tales
popularly regarded as true but usually containing a mixture of fact and
fiction. They may explain an event or provide a moral lesson.
Sometimes legends
contain fantastical elements or
embellishments that are highly improbably or
outright false.
MYTHS
• A myth is a traditional story, usually featuring gods and
heroes, which purports to give a cosmic explanation of a
natural phenomenon or cultural practice. Myths are part
of a community's cultural fabric, conveying essential
(if not literal) truth and influencing other stories and
beliefs.
RIDDLES
• A riddle is a linguistic puzzle posed in the form of a question containing
clues to its solution. It's a form of verbal play and popular with children.
SUPERSTITIONS
• A superstition is an irrational belief (i.e., one held in spite of evidence
to the contrary), usually involving supernatural forces and associated
with rituals. A superstition may conflict with a person's
religious beliefs, or lack thereof, while still exerting a
powerful influence on them.
URBAN LEGEND
• An urban legend is an apocryphal story, often taking the form of a
cautionary tale, which varies in the telling but is always told as true
and attributed to a secondhand or third-hand ("friend of a friend")
source. Today, many urban legends are spread anonymously on the
internet.
