It is a common misconception that the term “mythology” mainly refers to “the primitive, and therefore fake stories of past, ancient people.” Juxtaposing the definitions of a myth, which imply both a traditional story of a past people and, at the same time, a mistaken belief or fallacy, it is easy to see why this misconception is seen so often. The similarity of legends and myths also contributes to the misconception as children are introduced to the terms, understanding the false, negative side of the terms while failing to realize the full picture. Additionally, it does not help that followers of different religions may consider each other's stories to be false, labeling them as myths in a derogatory way, while considering stories of their faith to be true and not myth. For example, it is not farfetched to assume that American Catholic Christians would consider ancient Greek stories to be myth, Sunni Muslims to consider American Catholic Christian stories to be myth, or Japanese Buddhists to consider Sunni Muslims stories to be myth. After all, Greek Mythology, Egyptian Mythology, Aboriginal Mythology, Inca Mythology, Chinese mythology, and Native American Mythology are known as, well, mythology. Although the labeling of mythology can be tossed up to the sheer fact that there are little to no people who still consider them true, one may ask why past religions are considered the unintentionally derogatory term of, myth, and not a label similar to that of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism or Judaism. After learning about how the terms myth and mythology are often used in negative, belittling sense, you are probably left wondering...

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“So, what exactly is mythology?”

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This question is a perfect representation of how uninformed the general population is on past religions that hold, although belief in them is practically eradicated around the world, arguably the same validity of modern, primarily monotheistic religions. Mythology, largely considered a collection of stories, implies more complex ideals, as outlined by Joshua J. Mark in his article, “Mythology:”

 

“The study and interpretation of often sacred tales or fables of a culture known as myths or the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects of the human condition: good and evil; the meaning of suffering; human origins; the origin of place-names, animals, cultural values, and traditions; the meaning of life and death; the afterlife; and celestial stories of the gods or a god. Myths express the beliefs and values about these subjects held by a certain culture” (Mark, "Mythology").

 

Mark, outlining the deeper tones of mythology, regarding its main purpose of closure and providing people with an understanding of the world that although chaotic, is undeniably beautiful, emphasizes the importance of the sacred tales to various cultures. Whether some like to apply myth to their faith, they are a part of every culture, society, and religion of the world, used to explain certain subjects such as natural phenomena, the ancestry of a people, the origins of civilization, mainly regarding people, and most importantly, why anything really happens in the first place. Understanding “why” something happens is infinitely more important than understanding “how” it happens. As past people watched their loved ones die, they understood the “how” of the equation as past people died for a variety of reasons that are particularly rare in today’s society, at least in first world countries; predator attacks, natural phenomenon, such as rain, thunderstorms, or floods, or simply disease. However, they did not understand the “why.” Our ancestors most likely asked each other and themselves a variety of questions pertaining to their everyday lives. Why should my friends die? Why should we all die? Why do I even exist in the first place? Why should I exist? Why does the rain fall from above? Mythology serves to provide closure to the “whys” of life, providing stories that answer the unanswerable, with the actions of higher beings, or deities, as causes. Myths are more than what one may assume are falsehoods; they serve a particularly profound purpose not only to ancient but also modern cultures. Myths are byproducts of humanity's best, and worst, experiences over the past few millennia. We are the only species who possess a high intellect capable of questioning our very existence and mythology is a perfect representation of that (Mark, "Mythology").

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Fact, Fiction, or Both?

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All religious narratives are labeled as myths for practical reasons by scholars as cultures interpret each other's myths differently; proponents of religions may consider, as already mentioned, the stories of their religion true while objecting to the validity of others, labeling them myths. In doing so, people mistakenly assume that mythology is inherently fictional and, as a result, an inadequate way of interpreting the world. Mythology, however, is historically important, providing an insight into the moral, societal, political,  philosophical, and existential problems of the past that plague even the modern world. Mythology is tied to the experiences of all men, women, and children who have ever walked the Earth and should be viewed as that. The principle that most modern religions consider a benign afterlife to be the greatest achievement a person can build up to throughout their lives was initially sparked by ancient people who were concerned with their actions of the present and not exactly what set of ideals they believed in. According to the Gale.com article, “Misinterpretations of Native American Use of Mythologies,” myth “ is not narrowly historical in concerning itself factually with what happened, where, and when. To the contrary, myth addresses urgent issues of personal and social existence” (“Misinterpretations of Native American Use of Mythologies”). In other words, less concerned with proving itself historical factual, mythology serves as a mechanism of comfort, offering lost souls the chance to understand who they are. Fear of the unknown breeds curiosity. From curiosity, faith is developed. From this faith, hope arises. From hope, closure is ultimately attained. Through oral tradition, countless myths were shared from tribe to tribe, providing a sense of belonging, closure, and purpose. Mythology is the root of all past and modern religion. Mythology should be viewed as bound to religion and inherent to it. 

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What is this all about?

 

Understanding different mythology and the hidden nuances or important lessons they can provide is nothing a person should shy away from. Different yet similar mythologies help categorize and represent the various cultures of the world, both past and present. Mythology is inherently linked to all forms of civilization. Existing for tens of thousands of years ago through oral tradition and written down only a few thousands ago, mythology can be found all around the world. The recording of past mythology has given modern individuals the ability to dissect and understand the culture and society of past people. From North America to South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and obviously not Antartica, mythology, different yet similar in principle, can be found all around the globe.

 

This website encompasses six different mythologies, each from a different continent.

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• Aboriginal Mythology

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• Native American Mythology

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• Egyptian Mythology

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• Inca Mythology

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• Greek Mythology

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• Chinese Mythology

 

What will be examined for each mythology?

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• The location from where the mythology originated from

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• The mythology itself and what it encompasses

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• The mythology and its relation or impact on the culture, society, or philosophy of the people

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• Creations myths, such as those concerning a deity, will be examined

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• A general overview of the deities from each mythology

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• Three of the more prominent deities will be examined for each mythology.

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