Classics 10: Chapter 1 The Nature of MythClassical NamesI. What is a myth?“A traditional story with collective importance”“Mythos” versus “Logos”A Myth-ComplexThe Study of MythII. The Three Types of MythDivine MythSlide 10Slide 11Slide 12LegendSlide 14Legend versus HistoryFolktaleSlide 17Slide 18Slide 19SummaryClassics 10: Chapter 1The Nature of MythI. What is a Myth?II. The Three Types of Myth: Divine Myth, Legends, FolktalesClassical Names•Some names and words are pronounced in a way that is close to the original Greek or Latin•Many others have acquired a conventional pronunciation, and sometimes the conventional pronunciation will vary (e.g., Aeschylus; Oedipus)•Listen carefully in lecture, and note the phonetic spelling in the book when the term is first used•The “rules” for pronunciation are described in the textbook on pp. 16-18I. What is a myth?•[The textbook companion website has power points for each chapter, which you may want to consult (as supplements to mine)–My versions emphasize what I think matters]•Myth < Gk mythos–“a traditional story with collective importance”•A story is a narrative with plot–beginning, middle, end–characters (the sum of their choices made)–conflict, resolution–setting (some place in the distant past)“A traditional story with collective importance”•Myths are “traditional” tales•Passed down orally as a transmission of a culture’s sense of itself: past wisdom, memories, and models•Hence a myth has “collective importance”•A myth is a meaningful story for a whole community, however defined, not just an individual“Mythos” versus “Logos”•A myth has no identifiable author•A myth that is written down in a literary form uses a story that preceded it –e.g. Homer’s Odyssey is a mythos–The overall story of Odysseus is a myth•Contrasted with logos (rationality)–-logy = a reasoned account offered by somebody who stands by it•E. g., biology, geology, archaeology•Mythology = the rational study of myths!A Myth-Complex•Oral transmission will create constant changes in the myth, all of which can be valuable•Various ways of emphasizing motives and meaning, no one way inherently truer•Major variants in the narrative elements–In Euripides’ Helen, Helen does not go to Troy–Homer says that Oedipus is not exiled from Thebes•A “myth” is the complex of all variants •Not everything commonly called myth is myth: Zeus, Atlantis, etc.The Study of Myth•Collecting the Stories –What were they?•Classical myth comes mostly from literary and visual sources preserved from the Greco-Roman era•Cultural Significance of the Stories–What did they mean to their original audience?–This course will spend its time in telling the stories and considering their cultural significance to the Greeks•Comparative Approach (i.e., Near East vs. Greece)–How do different cultures tell their stories?•Assessment of Myth–What might these stories mean for us?–No one answer is entirely rightII. The Three Types of Myth•Can be distinguished by the nature of the main characters and the meaning they had for the listeners•These categories often overlap, but …•Divine Myth–Supernatural beings are the main actors•Legend (Saga)–Main actors are human heroes•Folktales–Main actors are ordinary people or animalsDivine Myth•Gods are beings that are vastly superior, more powerful, and more splendid than human beings.•Gods control forces of nature and their quarrels can cause cosmic cataclysms.–Tsunami as an angry Poseidon•How you respond = religion translated into action, not myth •Sometimes fully developed personalities, sometimes mere personified abstractions:–Zeus as opposed to Nikê (= Gk. victory)–Zeus: father of the gods, sky-god, upholder of justice•Nagging wife, sexual misconduct, bearded strong figureDivine Myth•Divine myths take place before time and space functioned as it does now•Divine myths often provide grand explanations for why the cosmos is the way it is–The overall structure and rhythms of the world–Humankind’s place in the cosmos–Humankind’s duties and rolesDivine Myth•Myths with explanatory purpose are called etiological (<Gk aition = cause). –Why the seasons vary (Persephonê forced to live with husband Hades for four months)•Though these divine myths and the gods have religious implications, they do not constitute “religion”–A myth is a story–Religion is a set of actions directed by beliefsDivine Myth•Divine myth and modern theoretical science both tell of the origins of the fundamental arrangement of the cosmos as we experience it•Divine myth attributes the causes to the acts of willing, sapient beings–E.g., “struck by the thunderbolt of Zeus”•Theoretical science refers to impersonal and general laws–E.g., the “Big Bang” TheoryLegend•As divine myth is analogous to theoretical science, so legend is analogous to history•“What happened in the human past?”•Central characters are great human heroes–The gods play a role, but they are not central–E.g., Poseidon curses Odysseus for blinding the Cyclops, but Odysseus still has to get homeLegend•The hero’s acts are not the acts of ordinary human beings, but they are still human–Stronger, faster, braver, sexier•Legends take place on earth in the remote past and were thought by the Greeks to be real human events.–The Greeks’ main interest was not in historical accuracy but in the human drama of the events (e.g., the Trojan War)Legend versus History•Hence legends tell us much about what the transmitters of the myths thought was important to understand•The archaeological discovery of the Bronze Age reveals that these legends contain elements of historical accuracy–Mostly story, but some history•May have etiological function as well, which suggests historical relevanceFolktale•More difficult to define and describe–Often merely described by what it is not: a traditional story that is not a divine myth or legend•A broad category that can include fables (Aesop) and fairytales (Cinderella)•Main characters are not great men and women, but just plain “folk” or ordinary animals (with the power to speak)Folktale•The characters are not believed to have really existed•Often of low social status, and abused by their social “betters” (e.g., the wicked stepmother)•Primary purpose is to entertain•May