Myth and its picture introduction! ! !

Myth comes from primitive society, and human beings explain natural phenomena through reasoning and imagination. However, due to the very low level of understanding at this time, it is often shrouded in a mysterious color.

Myth is the expression of people trying to conquer nature with fantasy. Most of the mythical images of gods have superhuman strength, which is the idealization of primitive human understanding and desire.

Most of the characters in mythology come from the images of primitive humans themselves. Most of the mythical figures created by tribes with more developed hunting are related to hunting; Most of the mythical figures created by tribes with developed agriculture are related to agriculture. Mythical heroes also use knives, axes, bows and arrows as weapons. From myths, we can see some deeds of our ancestors.

No matter whether it is the primitive society nation in the area where the world civilization first occurred or the nation still in the primitive society in the world today, many fairy tales they spread are similar.

Myth is also a precedent of literature and the earliest fantasy oral prose of mankind.

Myth has certain regionality and regionality, and different civilizations or nations have their own mythological significance. However, in all parts of the world, there have been myths that describe the same phenomenon with amazing similarity. For example, the myth about the global flood thousands of years ago has similar descriptions in many areas at the same time.

Definition of myth

Academically, the myth mentioned by scholars must meet several conditions:

A single event or story that describes the primitive times of mankind or the early stage of human evolution.

Inheritors must believe these events and stories.

Classification of myths

Myths can be roughly divided into three categories: creation myths, gods myths and heroic myths. Among them, the creation myth is the most important.

Creation myth-a myth that tells the story of human primitive period and records the origin of things and systems. It can also be roughly divided into world origin myth, human origin myth and cultural origin myth.

But it doesn't mean that every nation will have the above myths at the same time. Some ethnic groups may talk about the origin of human beings, but they will not talk about the origin of culture. However, they can still sum up a similarity, that is, telling the evolution from "the beginning of the universe" to "the rules of order".

Myth of heroes of gods and buddhas-that is, stories about heroes of gods and buddhas.

Understanding of Myth in Different Academic Fields

The word myth in English comes from the Greek mythos, and its original meaning includes words, words, stories and fictional stories/novels. Because of its unquestionable validity, it is often the opposite of the Greek word "logos". In modern academic research, myths are often not synonymous with "false stories" and "misunderstandings". In different academic research, the word "myth" has three main uses, namely etiquette/anthropology, literature and semiotics:

Etiquette/anthropological usage holds that myth is an anonymous narrative, which provides an explanation of why the world is like this and why people are like this. It is an important means to transform nature into culture and an explanation of human identity, so it has its cultural implications.

In literary theory, myth is a story or symbol of some eternal human truth, which usually belongs to the category of morality or aesthetics. This symbol or prototype has cross-cultural significance. Religion and literature have extremely similar social functions, that is, to convey the values of this eternal truth through stories.

Semiotics' understanding of myth is different from the above two usages. It refers to a series of related but inconsistent concepts. Only through this concept can members of a certain culture understand some important themes of mankind. Myth operates in the state of unconsciousness and intersubjectivity, which naturalizes culture.

Classification of world myths

Asia:

Chinese mythology

Korean mythology

vietnam myth

Japanese mythology

Indian mythology

Thai mythology

Cambodian mythology

An ancient myth

Europe:

Norse mythology

celtic mythology

Roman mythology

greek mythology

Slavic myth

Africa:

Egyptian mythology

African mythology

United States:

Indian mythology

Maya myth

Aztec myth

Inca myth

Some typical myths

A Question of Origins

Sun god

The queen of the night

Totem system

Mythological figure

immortal

soul

magic

Some myths we know today are explanatory, such as the myth of the creation of heaven and earth, the myth of human origin (the most famous is the myth of Pangu's creation of the earth), the myth of natural origin (describing the origin of natural phenomena such as the sun, the moon, the wind and thunder), the myth of totem (telling the kinship between totem and clan) and the myth of cultural origin (explaining the origin of human cultural phenomena, such as dogs stealing seeds for human beings, and human beings can cultivate and harvest rice); Some of them reflect people's desire to conquer nature, such as the myth of floods and human colonization, the myth of gods and heroes (such as the myth of Houyi shooting at the sun).

The meaning of myth has long been explained: Maxim Gorky said: "Generally speaking, myth is a reflection of natural phenomena and a broad artistic summary of the struggle between nature and social life." In short, myth is a special reflection of objective facts in the human brain.

The ancient Greek mythology in Europe is the most complete and developed, and other myths such as Egyptian mythology, Indian mythology and Latin American mythology have also preserved most of their contents. Even in a country with a short history like Japan, there are abundant mythological records. Although many originated in China, they have been absorbed into their own things. Although China has a history of at least 5,000 years, there are few myths. Not only has there never been a special book, but it is very fragmentary, so it is very difficult to describe China's myth completely. This work requires the efforts of countless people and generations. The specific situation now is that on the one hand, the study of China myth needs to be continued and deepened, on the other hand, there are no successors for various reasons.

As early as 1950s, this book written by Yuan Ke, a famous mythologist, was reprinted many times, but it is rare now. A few days ago, I saw some famous experts studying myths on the Internet. While I am happy, I am also worried about the future of China myth.

I'm not an expert, I'm just an amateur. I believe people all over the world have the same hobby. By setting up this entry, we can understand and discuss the myths of various countries with you, learn from the methods of studying myths abroad, try to collect and sort out scattered myths and legends in China, and make some efforts to restore the original appearance of China myths.

There are many kinds of myths. I'll add three older ones.

Celtic myth: Celtic myth was born during Roman rule, so stories about heroes and resistance are the main body of Celtic myth. Unfortunately, Celtic mythology has been passed down from mouth to mouth for a long time, so many wonderful stories have been lost. In other national myths, the king is the son of God, but in Celtic mythology, the heroic king will become a god. The legend of King Arthur is the most famous Celtic myth, except the story of the Knights of the Round Table. The story of the Holy Grail also comes from King Arthur's cauldron. Movies with this myth shadow include The Sword of King Arthur, The Legend of Avalon, Wolf Warrior, Highlander, Beowulf and Glendale.

Greek mythology: Greek mythology originated from Crete in the Aegean Sea, including early nature worship and later idolatry. In addition to the twelve gods of Olympus, there are many inferior gods in Greek mythology, and the ancient Greeks lived surrounded by the gods. The gods in Greek mythology are not perfect. They are sometimes jealous, angry and selfish, and incest is common. Every generation of gods gained the throne by betraying their fathers: Uranus was exiled by Cronus and Zeus; Zeus was afraid that his children would treat him in the same way, so he swallowed the pregnant demos, but in the end he had to cut his head and let Athena out. Movies with the shadow of this myth are: Jason and golden fleece and The Legend of Narnia.

Nordic mythology: Nordic mythology originated in Scandinavia. Due to the harsh natural environment, the gods and heroes in Nordic mythology have the strongest fighting spirit in the world. Berserker soldiers and heroes will enter Varhala Temple after their death, drinking and having fun during the day and practicing at night to prepare for the final decisive battle with the devil. However, the result of the struggle is desperate-they know that they will die at the end of the world, including Odin, the Lord God, and they will be wolfed down by Fenriel, but no god or hero is willing to give in to fate and know that they will die, but they still fight to the end. It is a little comforting that the end of the world is not the end of everything. There is a tree of life in Nordic mythology, which will bring new life and civilization, and the eagle guarding the world will continue to hover at the top. Movies with this myth shadow are: The Thirteenth Warrior, The Son of the Grinch, The Return of Warcraft.