Myth - Dr. Swati Joshi

 Myth

Dr. Swati Joshi

Gujarat 

‘Myth’ – we consider that we know this term and also know “what is myth?’’ But when we have to delineate the word more specifically then difficulties are ahead and asking for precise respond. “Myth” itself is a complicated and wide-ranging term to provide any fussy definition. In modern English ‘Myth’ is developed for huge amount of dissimilar stories from our intimates to the contemporary epics that is based on predictable world. Myth the word generated from the Greek word “muthos” Homer used the word and give the meaning as sequence of events and discussions but not related with fiction. Another term is “muthologenevein” means “telling a story” used by Odysseus. Now a day the term Myth means a fiction, deals with psychological facts. But the term cannot be defined without established past vision and new changed fantasies. To be extremely clear on area under discussion one should initially think about “established” definitions of myth. 

Myth has various definitions- 

Myth is defined by various reasons in multiple ways. 

As Bell says-

The word ‘myth’ inhabits a twilight zone between literature, philosophy and anthropology. It means both a supremely significant foundational story and a falsehood…… The double consciousness of living a world view as a world as a world view is importantly encapsulated in modern literary mythopoeia as it unfolds over the course of the century. I emphasize the term ‘mythopoeia’, or myth making, rather than ‘myths’, since my concern is not with myth as a traditional content or as a means of literary organization. It is rather with the underlying outlook that creates myth; or, more precisely again, sees the world in mythic terms. Mythopoeia is the underlying metaphysic of much modernist literature, and a way of approaching vital problems that constantly present themselves reductively.1 

A Glossary of Literary Terms writes that

“In classical Greek “mythos” signified any story or plot whether true or invented.” In its central modern significance, however a myth is one story in a mythology- a system of hereditary stories of ancient origin which were once believed to be true by a particular cultural group and which served to explain why the world is as it is and things happens as they do, to provide a rationale for social customs and observances and to established the sanctions for the rules by which people conduct their live.”2 

Yet another Dictionary and Literary Terms notes that

“Myths are stories usually concerning super humans or gods which are related to accompany or to explain religious beliefs: they are originating far back in the culture of oral societies.”3 

For Dr. Anuradha Sharma  

“A myth is a translation of human nature to explain other -wise inexplicable phenomenon of universe, nature of life. Myth is a story that embodies a particular idea with a moral lesson. It is a symbolic imaginative record of incomprehensible reality. Myths have been invented to instruct, explain, and interpret human nature and universe to cope with the hardships and natural event.”4 

The Oxford Dictionary notes

“A kind of story or rudimentary narrative sequence, normally traditional and anonymous through which a given culture ratifies its social customs or accounts for the origin of human and natural phenomena usually in supernatural or boldly imaginative terms. The term has a wide range of meanings which can be divided roughly into ‘rationalist’ and ‘romantic’ versions: in the first a myth is a false or unreliable story or belief while in the second myth is a superior intuitive mode of cosmic understanding.”5 

For Wendy Doniger 

“(A) myth is not a lie or a false statement to be contrasted with Truth or reality or fact or history, though this usage is, perhaps, the most common meaning of myth in casual parlance today. But in the history of religions, often been used mean, ‘ truth’ what makes this ambiguity possible is that a myth is above all a story that is believed to be true and that people continue to be believe despite sometimes massive evidence that is, in fact, a lie (….) In its positive and enduring sense, what a myth is, is a story that is sacred to and shared by a group of people who find their most important meaning in it; it is a story believed to have been composed in the past about on event in the past, or more rarely, in the future, an event that continues to have meaning in the present because it is remembered; it is a story that is a part of a larger group of stories.”6 

For Alan Dundes

“Myth, as we shall see, is not symbolic but a direct expression of its subject- matter; it is not an explanation in satisfaction of a scientific interest, but a narrative resurrection of a primeval reality, told in satisfaction of deep religious wants moral cravings social sub- missions assertions even practical requirements. Myth fulfils in primitive culture an indispensable function: it expresses enhances and codifies belief; it safeguards and enforces morality it vouches for the efficiency of ritual and contains practical rules for the guidance of man.”7 

According to Segal

“Myth about social phenomena, such as customs and laws, serve to persuade primitives to accept what can be resisted.”8  

‘By ‘myth’ we do mean the words degenerate but common meaning of ‘fabrication’ or ‘fable’. ‘Myth’ in this context means ‘a vehicle of enactment for individual or community through living symbols of story or narrative.”9 

According to Plato myth 

 “It is hard to fault with them, seeing they are ancient things.”10 

In today’s definition Myth may have a doubt of futility but it can be said that they are assumed to be right by the civilization to which they fit in.  Myth may have some well-known and chronological consequences. Myths tells about the God Budha that he had taken seven steps when he was born and on every step of his the lotus opened and give message about the purity of Lotus as Brahma and Goddess Gayatri  seated on the Lotus that symbolizes knowledge. Lotus also symbolizes that it is originated from the Naval of sleeping Vishnu.  Though Lotus rises in mud but it has its aroma and quality and this symbolizes that even in adverse and evil circumstances people can live with their own purity and honesty. The Lotus has also spiritual relations. Its flourishing is related with sun and considered that as it blooms the initial energy of the Sun come to the earth and remove the darkness. From above statement it can be said that Myth is nothing but a system of communication that provide a message and to receive this message we do not need any unusual circumstance.  Myth is not merely an idea or perception; it is related with implication and work as a form.  Afterwards chronological restrictions, circumstance of utilization, and re establish society into it we allocate this form. But first it is a form. Myth works in form of speech and speech converted into dialogue or discourse. But it should be noticed that Myth is not definite by its entity of communication but focus should be on the different ways that how it absolute the message. 

 For example- 

“A tree is a tree. Yes of course. But a tree as expressed by Minou Drovet is no longer quite a tree it is a tree which is decorated adopted to a certain type of consumption laden with literary self- indulgence, revolt, images, in short with a type of social usage which is added to pure matter.”11 

Myths can be seen from different point of view. 

Dr. Swati Joshi

Gujarat