Mythology
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| [[Image:Hollywood.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Hollywood]] is iconic for [[modern mythology]]]] | [[Image:Hollywood.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Hollywood]] is iconic for [[modern mythology]]]] | ||
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| - | :''[[20th century mythology]], [[P-Funk mythology]], [[Structuralist Theory of Mythology]]'' | + | :''[[20th century mythology]], [[P-Funk mythology]], [[structural anthropoly]]'' |
| The word '''''mythology''''' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''mythología'', from Greek ''mythologein'' to relate myths, from Greek ''[[mythos]]'', meaning a [[narrative]], and Greek ''[[logos]]'', meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of '''[[myth]]s''' – stories that a particular [[culture]] believes to be true and that use the [[supernatural]] to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. In modern usage, "mythology" is either the body of myths from a particular culture or religion as in ''[[Greek mythology]]''. | The word '''''mythology''''' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''mythología'', from Greek ''mythologein'' to relate myths, from Greek ''[[mythos]]'', meaning a [[narrative]], and Greek ''[[logos]]'', meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of '''[[myth]]s''' – stories that a particular [[culture]] believes to be true and that use the [[supernatural]] to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. In modern usage, "mythology" is either the body of myths from a particular culture or religion as in ''[[Greek mythology]]''. | ||
| ==Related concepts== | ==Related concepts== | ||
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The word mythology (from the Greek mythología, from Greek mythologein to relate myths, from Greek mythos, meaning a narrative, and Greek logos, meaning speech or argument) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. In modern usage, "mythology" is either the body of myths from a particular culture or religion as in Greek mythology.
Related concepts
Myths are not the same as fables, legends, folktales, fairy tales, anecdotes or fiction, but the concepts may overlap. Notably, during Romanticism, folktales and fairy tales were perceived as eroded fragments of earlier mythology (famously by the Brothers Grimm). Mythological themes are also very often consciously employed in literature, beginning with Homer. The resulting work may expressly refer to a mythological background without itself being part of a body of myths (Cupid and Psyche). The medieval romance in particular plays with this process of turning myth into literature. Euhemerism refers to the process of rationalization of myths, putting themes formerly imbued with mythological qualities into pragmatic contexts, for example following a cultural or religious paradigm shift (notably the re-interpretation of pagan mythology following Christianization).
Conversely, historical and literary material may acquire mythological qualities over time, for example the Matter of Britain and the Matter of France, based on historical events of the 5th and 8th centuries, respectively, were first made into epic poetry and became partly mythological over the following centuries. .
See also
