: a make-believe story about fairies, wizards, giants, or other characters who possess magical or unusual powers

traditions, customs, and stories of one culture or group of people

Type of Myth that provide explanations for natural events or the genesis of things, and they give instructions on how people should treat the gods.

contains the beginning, the seed, of a historical truth and greatly expands upon it.

stories for entertainment and pleasure. It features supernatural beings like ghosts, elves, dwarfs, or demons. These beings frequently make use of magic in the form of spells, potions, and items

describes how the world or universe came into being.

explains the beginning of customs or names of objects.

explains social values or practices.

explains ritual performances and religious practices.

Over 2,000 years ago in Greece, a man by the name of Aesop wrote a collection of tales:

also known as The Arabian Nights): an assortment of tales and fables from Arabja, Egypt, India, and Persia that were gathered from oral traditions that had been handed down through these societies for generations. Among the well-known figures are Sinbad the Sailor, All Baba, and Aladdin. In these tales, jinn are frequently featured.l

The extant epics of the many cultures around the world are typically the source of myths and folklore, Greek works like The Odyssey and The Iliad, Roman works like The Aeneid, Indian works like The Mahabharata and Ramayana, English works like Beowulf and The Song of Roland, Spanish works like El Cid, Persian works like Sha Namah, and Babylonian works like Gilgamesh, etc.

a compilation of folktales used to train indian princes to make wise kings. It is believed that the Panchatantra had a significant influence on Aesop's Fables,

Theogony and Works and Days: A famous early Greek poet named Hesiod lived during the 700th century B.C. period. His two full works are largely responsible for Greek mythology.

The Great Themes of Myth The foundation for more specific myths supporting societal structures, the relationship between humans and the natural world, and the meaning of life and death are provided by creation myths..

The Great Themes of Myth People believed that ideal beings would guide them everywhere. Such deities resemble humans in that they have parents and children and are a part of a social group.

The Great Themes of Myth Heroes and heroines are semi-divine beings: in many mythologies they have superhuman powers through divine parentage; or they may have acquired divinity through their deeds as men or women on earth, with the help of a deity, by use of magic weapons, or acquisition of magic powers through Ingenuity or trickery.

The Great Themes of Myth Most people associate monsters and demons with beings that a hero must face and defeat.

They are featured as wild creatures-predatory beasts or the elusive prey of hunters; or as helpful beings tamed by humans, or as possessing powers.

Associations with burials always lead to stories of doom and horror of the unknowable but unavoidable.

Mythological characters are put in various settings where they might display their strength on quests and trips. In many stories, a person's. loyalty to the deceased prompts them to travel to the underworld to bring their loved enes back to lifgr

some other kind of existence after death, appears in mythology in as many varied ways as the cultures they are derived from.

In myth, the beginning of the world may be considered as an accidental occurrence or as something that happened despite antagonistic forces; similarly, the end of the world as we know it may be inevitable or imminent, whether because of divine intent, an attack by forces of evil, or as retribution for human wrongdoing.

Sumerian mythology served as the foundation for the Assyro-Babylonian tradition. The gods included Ishtar (fecundity) Fa (knowledge), Enki (water), Enlil (storm), Annu (sky), and Erishkigal (underworld).

In this context, the biblical term "Canaan" refers to Syria, Phoenicia, and Palestine. The creator god El and the god of torfential rain, Baal, was among the deities

Both Canaanite and Mesopotamian vegetative gods of middle of the sixth century, was murdered by the inhabitants of Delphi, possibly because of his seditious or sacrilegious beliefs.

The great deities were linked to abstract attributes like Athena (knowledge) or Apollo (arts, healing, prophecy) as well as to aspects of mature like Zeus (sky and thunder) ar Poseidon (sea).

While incorporating elements from conquered peoples, it was largely a Greek adaption. Rome was safeguarded by Juno, who was originally an Etruscan moon goddess.

In Wales and Ireland, which the Romans were unable to conquer,

The mythology of the Germanic or Norse people similarly exalts battle, but against a harsher environmental backdrop Ice and fire are the sources of life and are ultimately consumed by them.

Although they received the sacrificial custom for which they are so maligned from the Toltecs, the first of many previous civilizations that they defeated, the warlike Aztecs of Mesoamerica's mythology also Justified the spilling of innocent blood.

originally portrayed the life of warriors and nomadic pastoralists who were only starting to engage in agriculture in fruitful regions amidst difficult deserts and mountains. It fostered a cult where the gods were personifications of the benevolent and malevolent elements of nature, sometimes atop mountaintops.

Indra, a sky warrior god who demonized past residents of the new territory and ensured fruitful rain, is another figure from the Arvan-derived Vedic mythology of India.

has its roots in the country's enormous landscape, in respect for the emperors, whose wise leadership provided wealth and was a sign of heavenly approval, and in regard for ancestors, who serve as the intermediary between humanity and the gods. Chinese mythology was shaped by three ideas

Like in China, nätive mythology centered on land, the establishment of imperial dynasties was combined with Buddhist doctrine on death and the afterlife, ultimately from India and related to Persian traditions, for example Yama/Yima as first man and king/judge of the dead.

Roman Goddess of love and beauty

Greek Goddess of love and beauty

Roman god of music, poetry, and the sun

Greek god of music, poetry, and the sun

Roman god of war

Greek god of war

Roman goddess of the moon

Greek goddess of the moon

Roman god of medicine

Greek god of medicine

Roman goddess of wisdom

Greek goddess of wisdom

Roman god of the sky and agriculture

Roman goddess of fertility and crops

Greek goddess of fertility and crops

Roman god of wine, ecstasy

Greek god of wine, ecstasy

Roman god of love

Greek god of love

Roman Mother Earth

Greek Mother Earth

Roman god of the underworld

Roman god of fire; craftsman for the gods

Greek god of fire; craftsman for the gods

Roman queen of the gods; goddess of marriage

Greek queen of the gods; goddess of marriage

Roman messenger of the gods, travel

Greek messenger of the gods, travel

Roman queen of the underworld

Greek queen of the underworld

Roman god of the sea

Greek god of the sea

Roman rules of the gods

Greek ruler of gods

This idea holds that myths are an early example of logical reasoning since they all have a logical foundation, Consider how the early Greeks would have responded to seeing a horse. This can help you understand the tale of Pegasus, the winged horse. The horse must have appeared to fly in comparison to other animals they are familiar with given its quick gallops and vertical leaps.

According to this hypothesis, specific words in the English language are the source of all myths and may be used to identify them. Most legendary characters have roots in several languages from throughout the world. For instance, the word Hades, which originally meant "unseen," gradually came to be god of the dead

All myths contain hidden meanings which the narrative deliberately conceals or encodes.

, a Greek who lived from 325-275 BC, maintained that all myths arise from historical events which were merely exaggerated

In this hypothesis, all myths are thought to arise from an attempt to explain natural phenomena. People who believe in this theory narrow the source of myths by tracing their origins from the worship of the sun or the moon.

According to this theory, all myths are invented to accompany and explain religious rituals; they describe the significant events which have resulted in a particular ceremony.

The diffusionists maintain that all myths arose from a few major cultural centers and spread throughout the world.

Mythmaking occurs at a certain stage in the evolution of the human mind. Myths, are therefore, an essential part of all developing societies and the similarities from one culture to the next can be explained by the relatively limited number of experiences open to such communities when myths arise.

When Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology, interpreted the dreams of his patients, he found great similarities between them and the ancient myths. Freud believes that certain infantile are repressed, i.e. they are eliminated from the conscious mind but continue to exist within the individual in some other form. Sometimes these feelings emerge into consciousness under various disguises, one of which is the myth.

Carl Jung was a prominent psychologist who, while he accepted Freud's theory about the origin of myths, did not believe that it went far in explaining the striking similarities between the motifs found in ancient stories and those of his patients, He postulated that each of us possesses a "collective unconscious" which we inherit genetically. It contains very general ideas, themes, or motifs which are passed along from one generation to another and are retained as part of our human inheritance.

This theory is a recent development and is closely allied with the research f linguists. According to this theory, all human behavior, the way we eat, dress, speak, is patterned into codes which have the characteristics of language. To understand the real meaning of myth, therefore, we must analyze it linguistically.

This theory maintains that there are a multitude of factors which influence the origin and development of myths and that ho single explanation will suffice. We must examine each story individually to see how it began and evolved.

One of the most horifying and terrible creatures in Greek mythaigy the the headed pent teaches show the the which wai hoàng Invulnerable since it would grow two rudimentary heads to replace each one severed.

is a massive fire-breathing monster with the body of a dragon, the rear legs of a goat, and the head of a lon, Greek mythology claims that the Chimera Terroribed the Greek city of Lycia before being slain by Bellerophon, the prince of Corinth, with the aid of Pegasus

A clan of meesters known as centaurs formerly roamed the Greek mountains close to the city of Arcadia. Their upper bodies are horse-like from the waist up, while their pottom bogies and legs are human. The centaurs did not respect mankind or the gods, and they lived their lives according to their own rules. Chiron, the son of Cronus and an immortal noted for his goodness and knowledge, is one good centaur, nevertheless.

The big, dangerous wolf known as Fenrir has enormous Jaw power and terrible golden eyes. Because the Norse gods were concerned that the wolf would one day be to blame for the end the world, they captured it when it was just a pup and imprisoned it.

are enormous homed devils. According to legend, they were brought to Japan from China when Buddhism arrived, and every year rituals are performed by Buddhist priests to drive them out. The three fingers, three toes, and occasionally three eyes of the oni can come in a variety of colors. They can swoop down from the sky to steal the souls of dead humans, making them cruel and lecherous.

are supernatural beings that manifest as serpents, according to South- east Asian mythology. Mucilinda, the ruler of the snake gods, covers the Buddha with the spread hoods of his seven heads during a seven-day deluge. The serpent changes into a young prince who honored Buddha when the sun rises.

According to Chinese mythology, guei are spirits created from the vin, or unfavorable, aspect of individuals souls. These emanating spirits are always feared since it is stated that they exact revenge on those who mistreated them while they were still living. They can be recognized because they wear clothing without hems and because their bodies do not throw shadows.

a race of demons that resemble monkeys in Japanese mythology. They inhabited ponds and rivers and used lures to draw animals and people into the depths of the water, where they consumed them. They like cucumbers as well as blood, but particularly like blood. They have faces resembling monkeys, webbed hands and feet, and skin that is yellow green. They dress in tortoise-like shells.

1930-19700 A novement, primarily in the theater, that responded to the seeming locality and purposelessness of human life in works marked gical motives, or emotional catharsis Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Gostot is one of the most celebrated works in the theater of the absurd

1835-1910): A late-19th-century movement that believed in art as an end. Aesthetes such as Oscar Wilde and Walter Pater rejected the view that art had to possess a higher moral or political value and believed instead in "art for art's sake."

(1950s-1980s): A group of male British writers who created visceral plays and fiction at odds with the political establishment and a self-satisfied middle class. John Osborne's play Look Back in Anger (1957) is one of the seminal works of this movement

1950s-1960s): A group of American writers in the 1950s and 1960s who sought release and illumination though a bohemian counterculture of sex, drugs, and Zen Buddhism. Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac (On The Road) and Allen Ginsberg (Howl) gained fame by giving readings in coffeehouses, often accompanied by jazz music.

(c. 1906-1930s): An informal group of friends and lovers, including Clive Bell, E. M. Forster, Roger Fry, Lytton Strachey, Virginia Woolt, and John Maynard Keynes, who lived in the Bloomsbury section of London in the early 20th century and who had a considerable liberalizing influence on British culture.

1500s-1700s): Improvisational comedy first developed in Renaissance Italy that involved stock characters and centered around a set scenario. The elements of farce and buffoonery in commedia dell'arte, as well as its standard characters and plot intrigues, have had a tremendous influence on Western comedy, and can still be seen in contemporary drama and television sitcoms.

1916-1922): An avant-garde movement that began in response to the devastation of World War I. Based in Paris and led by the poet Tristan Tzara, the Dadaists produced nihilistic and antilogical prose, poetry, and art, and rejected the traditions, rules, and ideals of prewar Europe.

1660-1790): An intellectual movement in France and other parts of Europe that emphasized the importance of reason, progress, and liberty. The Enlightenment, sometimes called the Age of Reason, is primarily associated with nonfiction writing, such as essays and philosophical treatises. Major Enlightenment writers include Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, René Descartes.

(c. 1558-1603): A flourishing period in English literature.

. 1764-1820): A genre of late-18th-century literature that featured brooding, mysterious settings and plots and set the stage for what we now call "horror stories. Horace Walpole's Castle of Otranto, set inside a medieval castle, was the first major Gothic novel. Later, the term "Gothic" grew to include any work that attempted to create an atmosphere of terror or the unknown, such as Edgar Allan Poe's short stories.

1918-1930): A flowering of African-American literature, art, and music during the 1920s in New York City. W. E. B. DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk anticipated the movement, which included Alain Locke's anthology The New Negro, Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, and the poetry of Langston. Hughes and Countee Cullen.