Want a fairy-tale wedding? Oct.-Nov. 2002. “In fact, the whole of mythology could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious… Studying folklore can mean watching Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, visiting a haunted castle, attending a festival, going to Disney World, legend tripping, learning a new dance, making a meme, listening to our friends’ stories, or drinking champagne from a shoe in a fairy-tale themed bar (yes, we have actually done all these things in the name of folklore.) this is excellent- now I know why i did what i did and also drank the beer that did! Both myths and folklore were originally circulated orally. Mythology is important because it "explains" where many different ideas or origin have come from. Folklore is the dance between continuity and innovation, staying the same and changing. Oregon Mediation Center. As we were preparing for our next long course on legends, we went off on a tangent about why we LOVE studying and teaching this stuff so much. Electronic Inspiration LLC. The new American Gods TV series is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman that drew heavily on folk narrative (in fact, Richard Dorson, one of the most influential American folklorists of the past century, is quoted in the book’s epigraph.) 2021, https://www.paperdue.com/essay/why-is-it-important-to-study-mythology-174255, Mythology 2. The Greek and Roman myths dwell most often on heroes, Gods, and Goddesses. Superstitions and unfounded beliefs are important elements in the folklore tradition. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth! "An Introduction to the Mythology of the Druids." Think about the story of Narcissus and Echo. Hi! A myth is a story that has significance to a culture (or species), a story that addresses fundamental and difficult questions that human beings ask: who and what am I, where did I come from, why am I here, how should I live, what is the right thing to do, what is the universe, how did it all begin? UNESCO again in 2003 published a Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This actually couldn’t be further from the truth! My … 2004. http://www.to-agree.com/medres/pg23.cfm And many elements and traditions of folklore and mythology are still with us today. Myth mythology and folklore 1. Medieval myths also heavily rely on heroes who commit heroic deeds, such as Charlemagne and King Arthur. One North American Indian (Abenaki) myth, for example, explains the origin of corn (maize): a lonely man meets a beautiful woman with long, fair hair; she promises to remain with him if he follows her instructions; she tells him in detail how … People sometimes think that folklore is either something from the past or something outdated and irrelevant. For instance, several cultures have myths that deal with the afterlife and great floods. New definitions for myth, sometimes used derisively, have sprung up in some corners of modern society. Some of your favorite books, TV shows, movies, clothes, and songs are likely rooted in folklore. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Myth - Myth - Functions of myth and mythology: The most obvious function of myths is the explanation of facts, whether natural or cultural. In this edition of Learning World we explore the role of mythology … Have a lucky baseball hat? Folklore is alive all … So that’s our list! It also helps create national narratives that explain the past on a grander scale. Copyright 2020  . ): In fact, many folklorists now specialize in the internet. Think about how those ideas are still reinforced over and over again in all the media that we consume. Many of us fail to realize that myths fulfill one of the most important functions in society-serving as a means by which people can logically present fundamental concepts of life and systematically express the sentiments which they attach to … The importance of folklore and folklore studies was recognized globally in 1982 in the UNESCO document "Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore". Looking back to this unofficial past can help us more readily understand our present and see into our future. Games. Our advisor once defined folklore as “anything that goes well with beer,” and we stand by that. Maybe some years after that, your parents started hosting the holiday, and maybe they replicated their parents’ dishes, or maybe they adapted the recipes and decor or changed almost everything about the holiday. One difference is many, "Yeats's flight into fairyland begins in his early childhood with Celtic folklore, 'the chief influence of [his] youth,' and climaxes in his early twenties with the 1888 publication of his first book" (Ben-Merre 2008). Humans love stories – we are wired for them. Perhaps part of the reason we seek refuge in the stars with our development of near fictional technology is due to the longing our species has felt to know how the gods of Norse lived. 7. Because It Can Feed Your Creative Soul: Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). 4. The Golden Age by Pietro da Cortona (Source - Wikipedia) The word Myth literally means 'story' or 'word' and comes from the Greek word ‘Mythos’.As the word ends with ‘ology’, the term Mythology can be said to mean the study of myth however in common usage, it is more often used to describe the whole body of myth that belongs to a particular culture. And that guy over there! Folklore is alive all around us – we engage with it everyday, whether we acknowledge it as such or not. Because Stories Are Addictive (And Powerful! He does. The study of myth with its storehouse of narratives and images can help guide us by facilitating our personal and collective transition into a more vibrant reality. At best, a myth captures some important aspects of the domain of human experience it is meant to represent. Because It’s Always Changing (And Staying the Same): Bibliography Their characters are larger than life - someone the reader can look up to. 5. Paul Bunyan is an American example of folklore, while myths, which are commonly used to describe the origins of a group of people, the beginning of the … Yes, you. All of these things are what makes a group of people stick together, what connects you. It is a constant reminder of who we are and where we come from. There is no one god or goddess myth that I feel fully represents the tension between male and female gods because, Interestingly, Venus is a goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, which is significant, since she was literally created from the male genitalia, and males were more strongly linked to sexuality than females, even at that point in Roman history. That’s folklore too. 9. The Re-Enchant January Challenge – Week Four: Make Magic, The Re-Enchant January Challenge – Week Three: Consume Magic, The Re-Enchant January Challenge – Week Two: Enchant Your Body. Module 1: Introduction to Mythology and Folklore 3. When you were little, maybe you went to your grandparents’ house every year to celebrate Thanksgiving/ Christmas/ Passover. Myths and legends also give insight into the values and perspectives of long gone cultures. One common method that may be used to differentiate between the two terms, however, is for someone to consider the scope of a story and use this to distinguish between mythology and folklore. 10. Folklore is constantly inspiring artists and musicians, writers and makers. The cross-cultural study of myths may explore similarities and, With respect to the mythology of the male gods, Zeus, Apollo, and Hephaestus seem to be a combination that matches the dynamism of their female goddess counterparts. Both ways are completely understandable, and if a person is thinking about studying mythology, he or she might want to take some of the reasons people study it into consideration to, One of the most ubiquitous features of human culture, myth relies on storytelling as its primary vehicles. Seriously. Because it’s SO MUCH FUN: Teaching Virtue Through Greek Myths. No, you don’t, and you’d know that if you studied folklore! Myth reveals the unconscious narratives of both past and present, making the study of myth vitally important to our time. Greek mythology is an integral part of ancient Greek history which has influenced practically all aspects of modern life in one way or another. But mythology's enduring worth is not in its possible historical or scientific accuracy; instead, myths are important because they are metaphors. In the rest of Roman and Greek mythology, Venus/Aphrodite generally plays a benevolent role, though she does use influence women to use their sexuality in inappropriate ways, such as the, Mythology And if you’ve ever dressed like a character from a fairy tale, written a poem inspired by a ghostly encounter, or made your grandmother’s traditional lasagna recipe, you are using folklore to fuel your creativity. Myths are different from legends and fairy tales because they are … Web.27 January. The mythology of each culture is the accumulation of that culture's knowledge, wisdom and experience. Creepy Pasta. Topic 1: The Nature of Mythology … the importance and value of myth and mythology. They’re also surprisingly powerful – for example, think about how much the fairy tales you heard as a child shaped your thinking about good and evil or the importance of beauty. Folk narratives are some of the most popular and sticky stories that you will ever hear.