Mythology
What exactly is mythology?
Merriam-Webster defines a myth as “a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.” Mythology is a collection of these stories that belongs to a particular culture or religion, so it’s not necessarily “fake stories” like a lot of people tend to think.
Ajax and Achilless, both powerful warriors in Greek mythology.
"Ayax y Aquiles" by mmarftrejo is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
What sparked your interest in mythology?
My 10th grade required summer reading consisted of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Homer’s The Iliad. I loved these tales because they were so different from the American stories, movies, and TV shows I’d been exposed to thus far.
I don’t claim to be an expert on any culture’s mythology. I simply find it fascinating to learn about the perceptions of other cultures through the stories people create and the reasons they come up with for why the world works the way it does.
Ganesha, a Hindu god featured in many Hindu tales. Each item they hold and each hand position has a specific meaning.
"Close up Bronze Ganesha statue and Golden texture. Ganeshs is hindu god of Success. Bali island." by Artem Beliaikin is marked with CC0 1.0.
How many different types of mythology are there?
Over 100, so I really don’t have to worry about running out of material! Some of my favorite mythologies are Greek, Roman, Hindu, Norse, Persian, and African (sorry, I know that’s an entire continent but I’m not familiar enough with the mythology yet to separate it into more specific cultures).
I always enjoyed the African tales from my Non-Western Literature class since they almost always featured nature and tended to focus on using common sense and cleverness. The Thousand and One Nights, while not to be turned to for finding role models, is still one of my favorites. Scheherazade was a smart and creative lady!
I am always ready to hear more tales, so if you have a favorite (or multiple favorites!) leave it in the comments below so I can check it out!
