Myths, folktales, legends, they have been poured upon us from a seemingly inexhaustible horn of plenty since the days of the ancient. We are burdened with far too many of these wacky stories and whopping lies, and the very least we must do is to critically evaluate the content of these mostly crazy concoctions by using our common sense. There are three primary reasons why many people firmly believe in some of this crap: 1. They do not know better. 2. They like it or they just accept it this way. 3. Others told them to believe it. Seldom enough can we trust it, because it is true. But even if we are aware of the fact that things are not real, like most of the content of the myths, folktales or legends, we must also question the value of such ‘works’ and must seriously ask ourselves: What is it good for? Fairy tales are good. Santa Claus and Snow White are good. On the other hand, many stories we consider to be of cultural value are not good. If we treat them like fairy tales – fine! If we try to find a hidden message or a deeper sense – a waste of time! Why can we be so simply misled or deceived? Myths, folktales, legends and similar stories of freaky imagination often contain such a large amount of nonsense and clearly recognizable misinformation that one should identify the ‘masterpieces’, immediately and easily, as pure rubbish. We are simply taken for a ride when we read some of the famous legends. If we want to increase this foolishness, we must reach for the Greek or Roman myths, whereby the latter are nothing else but cheaply cribbed versions of the Greek literary applesauce. The Romans just bothered to change the names of the characters. Myths, folktales, legends – they are so deeply engraved ... ... middle of paper ... ...f truth. All are cordially invited to follow me to this strange land, lying in the paranoid shadows of madness, drug inebriation and other mind dulling excesses that must have influenced those ‘great works of culture, whether or not you believe in the myths, folk tales or legends or if you just love them as they are. In this book, you will also find some stories of newer date, noteworthy or trivial, somber or rather amusing. They have been included to let the reader relax once in a while from the horrible discoveries related to these myths, legends and folktales. However, if you see your picture of our so-called cultural heritage damaged, try to take it with humor, even if it might occasionally prove to be difficult. The potatoes and the humor have one thing in common: You must dig them out first. But then, good or bad is often just a matter of opinion.
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
The earliest myths are found to exist during the archaic period. The Greek word “Mythos” describes words or speech and can also mean a tale or legend. Myths have continually been to be passed down for traditional purposes. Elders would tell these magnificent stories to inspire and teach young children about gods and heroes. Mythology was important
Myth… legend or fable? Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines a myth as, “A story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence.” Children, often sit around, listening to their elders speak of myths. These myths have existed throughout American culture for many centuries and will continue for many centuries to come. These myths, legends, and fables provide the elders with enjoyment, as they observe the children, listening so intensely, believing every detail, amazed at the unimaginable adventures told in each story. Myths reflect experience but go beyond limitations. Indeed the children enjoy the excitement of the fantasy a myth creates. As we grow, we need to realize that these myths, tell an imaginary story and only contain a kernel of truth. Myths serve as a mental escape, stories with few actual facts embellished with many fantasy details. Although, used to entertain, these myths can hurt or even destroy the individuals that believe them.
Paul Tillich’s description of the original understanding of the word myth as an account of an interaction between the human and the divine are that myths are symbols of faith, which tell stories to portray situations of ultimate concern. Myths may be ‘broken’ or ‘unbroken.’ Unbroken myths are myths which are accepted as literal statements of reality. Broken myths are myths which are interpreted as myths, as symbolic statements of reality.
Fairy tales are one of the longest lasting forms of literature. Though now they bring to mind classic movies engendered by Disney, many of these stories were first passed on in an oral manner, meant to convey a message, moral, or lesson. Alison Lurie’s “What Fairy Tales Tell Us” covers a broad range of classic tales, discussing how under the guise of an entertaining story comes life lessons we would all do well to follow. To begin this paper, some of the tales Lurie examines in her article will be looked at and critically examined beyond what she discusses. This will then move the text towards its remaining sections, which will take Lurie’s ideas and have them applied to folk and fairy tales that have not yet been contemplated; for the purpose
Fifteen Works Cited Stories do not need to inform us of anything. They do inform us of things. From The Epic of Gilgamesh, for example, we know something of the people who lived in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the second and third millenniums BCE. We know they celebrated a king named Gilgamesh; we know they believed in many gods; we know they were self-conscious of their own cultivation of the natural world; and we know they were literate. These things we can fix -- or establish definitely. But stories also remind us of things we cannot fix -- of what it means to be human. They reflect our will to understand what we cannot understand, and reconcile us to mortality.
Fairy tales portray wonderful, elaborate, and colorful worlds as well as chilling, frightening, dark worlds in which ugly beasts are transformed into princes and evil persons are turned to stones and good persons back to flesh (Guroian). Fairytales have long been a part of our world and have taken several forms ranging from simple bedtime stories to intricate plays, musicals, and movies. However, these seemingly simple stories are about much more than pixie dust and poisoned apples. One could compare fairytales to the new Chef Boyardee; Chef Boyardee hides vegetables in its ravioli while fairytales hide society’s morals and many life lessons in these outwardly simple children stories. Because of this fairytales have long been instruments used to instruct children on the morals of their culture. They use stories to teach children that the rude and cruel do not succeed in life in the long run. They teach children that they should strive to be kind, caring, and giving like the longsuffering protagonists of the fairytale stories. Also, they teach that good does ultimately defeat evil. Fairy tales are not just simple bedtime stories; they have long been introducing cultural moral values into young children.
“Myths can be described as sacred tales that help man understand the world and his place in it. Myths often try to respond to various eternal questions, such as the origin of the existence of evil, and also, through the archetypes that they provide, seem to give guidance to every generation,” as an Access teacher states, on enotes.com. During one’s education, grammar school through college, we fortunately get the opportunity to be exposed to countless myths and also numerous mythological creatures that we have never heard of before. Personally it was quite the challenge to relate some of these mythological tales into my own life. We don’t usually realize or understand, at that exact time of hearing or reading the creation myth, their drive
In Native American literature, both creation myths and trickster tales were frequently told and passed down through generations upon generations orally, and then eventually written down. A creation myth is a tale that tells of how the world began or how people first came to live here, while a trickster tale is a short story that tells of a “trickster” with vacuous behavior, whose actions are meant to teach a lesson. Both types of literature are still relevant in modern society, whether it’s through pop-culture or re-told stories, and continue to guide individuals through their life, teach lessons about life on earth, morals, and human nature.
Zipes, Jack. Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk and Fairy Tales. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 2002. Print.
Fairy tales have been read to children for many years by parents hoping these tales of heroines and heroes would provide a fun and interesting way to teach moral and values. Fairy tales provide children with a fun and entertaining way to deal with strangers. Children learn that when you don’t follow the rule and talk to mysterious strangers you’re put into situation that can cause pain or suffering to others.
Zipes, Jack. Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk & Fairy Tales. Revised and expanded ed. Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 1979. Print
Firstly, the fairy world allows us to understand our world most deeply and to comprehend its truths in a deeper and more complete way than reality would simply allow. They are the purest expression of the human psyche. Bypassing cultural biases, fairy tales become a universal and timeless means of communicatio...
... right and wrong. To others, they are just important as they helped them develop their sense of morals. In conclusion, I believe that fables are the alphabet of society (Chesterton, par. 20) and should be read by everyone.