O Flaherty's Definition Of Myth

Telling stories has been a part of human culture since the existence of humans. Some stories from the past are still spoken and shared in present time. These stories that have been retold are classified as Myths. Yet, when people believe a story is a Myth, they begin to classify it as false and unimportant. However, Myths were created and have still been shared throughout time to communicate important cultural beliefs.

It is a difficult process to define myth because there is not a concrete definition that everyone can agree on. Myth can mean a lot of different things to cultures. In Theories of Mythology, a book by Eric Csapo, he believes Myth “does not lend itself to a clear definition of any sort and particularly not one based on form or

Individuals within those cultures have believed in or not believed in Myths told to them. Within the book “Other Peoples’ Myths: The Cave of Echoes,” author Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty references the famous philosopher Plato stating, “People do have to have Myths, Plato concedes; if they do not believe in the old ones, we must construct new ones for them, logically, and this is very difficult to do, for we must convince them, in the cold light of reason, of the truth of the Myths in order to make them accept the laws that we wish to give them” (O’Flaherty, 26). Old Myths cannot stay relevant. This can be due to the fact that some Myths have been debunked. Tyson is putting a focus on countering Myths with the power of science and truth. When creating “new” Myths by altering older ones to be more appropriate for newer generations. The hope of them believing in the new Myth can or cannot work. If the newer generations begin to allow themselves to believe in the Myth, the Myth that the newer generation now encapsulates can share and appropriate it for the next generation. It is the “circle of life” for Myths. A common example of a Myth in Western cultures is the Myth told about a specific someone with special powers and who is able to bring presents on a specific day in December. Yes, the mythological character, Santa Claus. When children in North America are growing up and are celebrating this traditional holiday they are told the Santa myth. Their parents tell them that there is a man who lives in the North Pole, and has his elves make presents for all the children who were good during the year. For children, these kinds of myths especially when it involves obtaining presents become unquestionable. This all comes back to the point of, not only is it possible to have a child grasp a Myth from an early age which supports the idea of everyone having myth but also the idea of the social