What makes a myth a myth?

June 7th, 2013


While taking Gods and Heroes of Classical Mythology at Roehampton University, I was shocked to find out that no one really knows were these myths of Grecian time came from. I had no idea. There is so much unknown to the myths still and the myth makers. Is that in its self what makes them myths the not knowing? The Oxford Dictionary definition of myth states:

"a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events."

If we were to look 200 years into the future will our modern day religion become myth? Or is our modern day religion already myth?

This is a hard subject for me to answer. I was raised with a very religious grandmother, and this is apart of my background. I wouldn't say I'm as religious today but I have my own way of believing and to think of my religion as a possibly being just a myth? It is kind of uncomfortable to grasp. Although I'm torn because is myth such a bad thing?

In today's society I find that myth kind of has this negativity around it. This is what I mean with myth I feel as though society views myth as something completely made up with no actual truth behind the story.

Within chapter one of "Religion and Conscience in Ancient Egypt" entitled 'Religion and Myth' W.M. Flinders Pertrie's states:

"Religion in the widest sense may be defined as man’s attitude towards the unseen, and the earliest forms of human thought furnish the clue from which must be traced the development of those great systems of religion that have at different periods been professed by the majority of men. Under the term religion we must include, not only beliefs in unseen spiritual agencies, but numerous customs, superstitions, and myths which have usually been regarded, by both travellers and students, as worthless and degrading, till within a comparatively recent period. Only by taking account of such and comparing usages common among tribes far removed from the influence of civilization with survivals in other parts of the world, can we arrive at any definite knowledge regarding the world’s earliest system of thought."

In this passage I feel as though he gives a more clear interoperation of what I was trying to explain before. That there is something untruthful and story like in the world myth now. Perhaps in Grecian and Roman times  the word Myth would have been used instead of the word religion. In which case who is anyone to judge them on their beliefs. My question is how will our religion be spoken about in 700 years. Will the word religion have the same effect on society like the word myth?