Myth - A traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes that serves as a fundamental type in the worldview of a people, as by explaining aspects of the natural world or delineating the psychology, customs, or ideals of society.

Religion - a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe. b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.

Legend - An unverified story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical.

Science - a. The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena. b. Such activities restricted to a class of natural phenomena.

Pseudoscience - A theory, methodology, or practice that is considered to be without scientific foundation.

Supernatural - 1. Of or relating to existence outside the natural world. 2. Attributed to a power that seems to violate or go beyond natural forces. 3. Of or relating to a deity. 4. Of or relating to the immediate exercise of divine power; miraculous. 5. Of or relating to the miraculous.

Magic - 1. The art that purports to control or forecast natural events, effects, or forces by invoking the supernatural. 2a. The practice of using charms, spells, or rituals to attempt to produce supernatural effects or control events in nature. b. The charms, spells, and rituals so used.

Superstition - 1. An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome. 2a. A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance. b. A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality.

"The most profound human questions are the ones that give rise to creation myths: Who are we? Why are we here? What is the purpose of our lives and our deaths? How should we understand our place in the world…. Myths proclaim such attitudes toward reality. They organize the way we perceive facts and understand ourselves and the world…. While all cultures have specific myths through which they respond to these kinds of questions, it is in their creation myths that the most basic answers are to be found."

-- Barbara Sproul, Primal Myths (1979:1-2)

1) Explains how the universe comes into being

Ø Is the universe linear or cyclical?

Ø Is chaos an enemy or the creative power?

Ø Does the universe come from nothing or something?

Ø Is the act of creation solitary or communal?

Ø Is creation sexual or asexual?

2) Establishes a model for the creative process

Creation comes from acts such as:

Ø War or death

Ø Separation of parts

Ø Heat or cold

Ø Dance, sex, speech, etc.

3) Describes creation of specific pieces of the cosmos

Ø Creation of sun, moon, stars

Ø Creation of humans

Ø Creation of animals and plants (if different from above)

4) Builds up a "worldview" from which ethics and politics follow

Ø Relationship between genders

Ø Value of unity or diversity

Ø Role of sexuality as a creative or destructive force

Ø Relationship between humans and nature

5) Explains the source(s) of evil

Ø Was there a "fall" or was evil existent from the beginning?

Ø Is evil due to false gods or humans?

Ø How does death come into the world?

6) Establishes the relationship between god(s) and humans

Ø Are gods personal or "hands-off"?

Ø What are the punishments for disobedience?

7) Usually gives information about the "End of Days"

Ø Death of gods

Ø Redemption of humans

Ø Permanent triumph over evil

Ø Return to original perfection

The monomyth has three identifiable main sections:

1. Separation and departure from the safety of the familiar and his home, some times more willingly than others.

2. Initiation, where the hero encounters fabulous forces, traverses the Underworld, and wins a decisive victory. During this stage the hero battles demons, undergoes a false death, and comes to understand who he really is and what gifts he possesses. He is aided by powerful allies, and may find a wife and reconciliation with a father-figure in the process.

3. Return and reintegration, where the hero returns home and shares the benefits of his victory and his new strengths and knowledge with his people. His return may be blessed by the gods, or it might be a daring escape.

Each of these sections has a number of mileposts, some of which are omitted from individual myths:

1) Call to adventure – A guide may appear and beckon the hero, or he might accidentally stumble upon a problem or quest.

2) Refusal of the call – The hero temporarily refuses to heed the call to adventure, possibly because he does not want to leave his comfortable life

3) Supernatural aid – A protector figure (usually an old man or woman) offers the hero amulets or charms to aid in the quest.

4) Crossing of the first threshold – The hero comes to the entrance of a zone of darkness and unknown, a metaphorical or literal underworld.

5) Belly of the whale – The hero is swallowed into the unknown and appears to have died (only to be reborn later).

1) The road of trials – After crossing the threshold, the hero is faced with trials and tasks, aided by advice, amulets, or agents.

2) Meeting with the goddess – The final test of the hero is to win the love of a goddess-figure.

3) Woman as temptress – The hero transcends the flesh and realizes the goddess stands in his way.

4) Atonement with the father – A father-figure acknowledges the hero’s success.

5) Apotheosis – The hero transcends normal humanity and figuratively (or literally) becomes divine.

6) The ultimate boon – The hero achieves some magic elixir, enlightenment, or immortality.

 

 

1) Refusal of the return – The hero must now return home with his prize. Sometimes he refuses and wishes to remain in the supernatural world instead.

2) The magic flight – If the prize was taken without the permission of the gods, or if demons still pursue, the hero must flee.

3) Rescue from without – The hero may have to be brought back from his adventure by the assistance of someone from the "real world".

4) The crossing of the return threshold – The hero reenters the "real world" and must readjust and be reaccepted.

5) Master of the two worlds – The hero is changed by his adventures and is not totally of the real world anymore.

6) Freedom to live – The hero finds peace with his fate.