Today, the term myth is used in everyday language to mean a falsehood or lie. But contrary to that belief, myth means quite the opposite. From a stellar point of view, a myth is considered to be something that is “truer than true”. It is important to remember that myths are not facts, although they can sometime be based on historical facts, most myths have little to no fact in them.
These two statements seem to contradict each other, how can this be? How can something be non-factual but be “truer than true”? This is possible if you consider that facts are not the only kind of truth. Simply put, Myths are stories and stories are usually told using metaphors, not facts. The metaphors in them are used to tell deep, almost indescribable truths of the human encounter with the transcendent.
Myths are present in every religion and are used in order to explain the ultimate reality and how it has been experienced by people. Because they are not literal, myths must be interpreted. This is done by preachers in sermons, rabies in teachings, and theologians in writings. Myths are the not created by an individual author but by cultures. They are almost always shared orally from one person to another, or to a group, and are carried over time by story tellers.
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These story tellers may change certain aspect of the stories in order to make them relevant and relatable to the people as times and cultures change. Some of these stories are written down and are considered sacred scripture found in books like the Bible and the Quran. Once they are written down, they are not as easily changed and adapted. This is especially because most of these written stories have been written down in very specific interpretations.
According to Joseph Campbell, myths have four main functions: Mystical, Cosmological, Social, and Psychological. Mythical stories have the ability to make present the ultimate truth they describe, this is their Mystical function. Through the telling and hearing of the stories in a ritual context, believers are brought into a transcendent reality where they experience a relationship with the spiritual force in the story, God.
It makes the ultimate present and produces a sense of wonder and awe that continues over time. Myths also explain the natural world, history, and the science of the time and provides a kind of “link to the Cosmos”; this is the Cosmological Function. Prior to the age of science, people understood that myths are metaphorical descriptions of the acts of a supernatural being and didn’t believe these myths to be literally factually true.
The Social function of myths is in the way it describes the divine order and outlines the ruling hierarchy, as seen reflected in governments and throughout different aspects of society. It helps to define a social order and rituals to reinforce that order. It also supports morals, ethics, and customs reflected in cultural norms and laws.
Essentially, myths have helped to construct the society with have today and all past societal structures. Psychologically, they give us a connection to self-identity and assist in the psychological transition from childhood to adulthood. Myths and the meanings behind them help us to live authentic and meaningful lives and support the harmonization of people with society.
