Free Research Paper Example on Myths and Mythology

Introduction

Myths are stories that not only serve as entertainment but have some level of importance in cultures and religions from which they originate. Myths also include values and lessons that move from one generation to the other. Although some people believe myths are false stories that are told by primitive people, some cultures strongly believed in the tales of gods and heroes, like the ancient Greeks gods and goddesses.

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A collection of myths of a particular culture can be called a mythology. Mythology can also be described as the study of the force that is beyond human comprehension and can help human beings achieve a lot in their daily lives. Also, myths have functions in the community that help us understand the impact of myths in the society. According to mythologist Joseph Campbell, myths have four basic functions which are: mystical functions, cosmological, sociological and psychological functions (“Joseph Campbell’s Four Basic Functions Of Mythology”)

Myths and Gods

The relationship between man and gods in the myths is not very "fair". The gods in the myths are understood as sovereign creatures, with superpowers that no man can understand. Humans are portrayed as inferior to gods in every possible way because they have to seek permission from the gods to do certain things. According to the Odin and Ymir myth, Odin was the son of Bor and Bestla and is described as one of the most powerful gods. Odin together with his two brothers killed Ymir, who was a powerful giant in the myth and created the earth with his body and the sea with his blood. This portrays the immense strength gods are depicted with in myths, and they are the ones who created the earth and all that is in the world.

Also, gods are the ones who make man and give them the abilities of speech hearing and sight. Due to this reason, gods are superior to man because man doesn't have the ability to provide life apart from procreation. In the myth of Odin and Ymir, Odin, a god, and his brothers made people out of two logs. One of the brothers gave the people breath and life, the other one gave them consciousness and movement, and the third gave them faces, speech, hearing and sight. The humans created came every human being thereafter (Odin and Ymir). This shows that gods have the ability to give life and everything human beings need, and they are behind the existence of the human race.

Furthermore, gods have the power to take whatever they want from humans, which is unfair, but people do not have the strength to argue with gods in the myths. Gods choose what looks good for them, and they take them from humans without warning or any negotiations. A good example is in the Odin and Ymir myth, where the Bor's sons created humans, and they had descendants. One of the descendants created had two children who were exceptionally beautiful that the son was named Moon and the daughter was named Sol. The gods were jealous, and because of the father's arrogance, the two children were pulled to heaven by the gods, and they set to work. Sol drives a chariot that carries the sun across the skies, and Moon also takes the same course during the night.

Myths and Human Beings

The myths describe how human beings were created, and the stories involve what man did during that time. When human beings are created, they are made to serve different purposes in the earth in every mythical tale. The primary purpose of creation is the procreation to have descendants and create the human race. This is the main point of human beings being created to facilitate the continuity of humans and acts as the primary purpose of creation. The myth of The Origin of Japan and her People depicted the purpose of creation when Izanagi and Izanami descended to the island they made, and they discovered that Izanami's body had one place that had not grown. Izanagi's body had one place that had grown to excess. They decided to procreate behind the pillar after exchanging greetings.

They were met with disappointment when they gave birth to a leech-child and had to go back to heaven and consult the other deities since they had not completed their purpose of creation, i.e., giving birth to children who will be the descendants and promote continuity. They found a solution to their difficulties in procreating, and they gave birth to the eight deities who inhabited the eight main islands of Japan (The Origin of Japan and her People). Also, in the myth of Odin and Ymir, the two people created by Odin and his brothers gave life to all the descendants who gave birth to children, and this continued the human race.

In myths, humans take roles after they are created to ensure the continuation of the human race. The functions humans take up can be put as their purpose for existence. Human beings take up leadership roles in society to lead others in tasks to ensure their survival. A good example is the Blackfoot Myth of the Buffalo Wife, where there is a chief who is thinking of ways to provide food for his people when the winter comes. The chief is thinking of a way to convince the buffaloes to throw themselves over a cliff so that the people can get food and hides to enable them to survive the coming winter. This shows the existence of a purpose of existence of human beings, apart from procreating, they can provide leadership for the human race to survive hard times and enable the continuity of the human race.

Myths and Entertainment

Myths provide entertainment and have plenty of values and personal lessons to learn. The values and lessons offer a sense for morality in society and promote fairness and understanding to make the society civilized. The personal sense of morality tends to encourage trust and understanding in communities as the two parties can interact in peace. In the myth of the Buffalo wife, the buffalo king promised the chief's daughter that if she is able to bring her father to life, he will let her go back to her father. The chief's daughter sang her song, and her father came back to life right in front of the buffalo king's eyes. The buffalo King honoured her request despite his strength and the fact that he wanted the chief's daughter as his wife. This promotes the sense of morality and increases the trust between the buffaloes and the chief's daughter.

Consequently, peace was maintained for the benefit of both parties. The show of fairness after the Buffalo King kept his promise, promoted the trust and understanding between him and the chief's daughter that he requested the chief's daughter to bring back to life the buffaloes who jumped from the cliff and the chief's daughter accepted since it would be fair (The Buffalo Wife). Such lessons in myths help instil these values to the people who read the myths. They help shape individuals to become a better version of themselves by instilling these values in them through reading.

Conclusion

Myths always have rituals that promote certain aspects of the story. These rituals still have a particular meaning to human beings and promote a type of culture in the myth. Like in the mythology of The Buffalo wife, there was a ritual involving the buffaloes leaping from a cliff so they can provide food and hides for the people in the society. The ritual ensures the survival of the people by feeding on the buffaloes and getting hide from them. Such a practice makes man superior over animals as their survival is more important compared to the buffaloes. In the story of The Origin of Japan and her People, when Izanami dies, Izanagi goes to the underworld to find her.

When he comes back, he takes a bath to purify himself from his terrible experience. This can be considered a ritual, and it shows man his place in the universe. This ritual shows us how horrible harmful experiences might be in our lives, and we have to take precautions to cleanse ourselves from such incidents in our lives.

Works Cited

"Joseph Campbell’S Four Basic Functions Of Mythology". Fractal Enlightenment, 2020, https://fractalenlightenment.com/36315/life/joseph-campbells-four-basic-functions-of-mythology#:~:text=Joseph%20Campbell%20described%20mythology%20as,the%20sociological%2C%20and%20the%20pedagogical.