on Thursday in class we discussed the myths being created in the beginning of two towers. I thought I would consider for a bit the more basic question of myths themselves.
I'm sure I could look on wikipedia, or Merriam-Webster, and quickly get a tidy definition. But that doesn't really answer my question of what myth means.
When I hear myth I think of a belief in a past event shared between people. It's the feeling that the world has been shaped by epic events in the past, but it is myth and not history because it is only what people believe, not what they know.
Myths are an essential part of every culture, often more so than their history, because yes maybe a culture is shaped by such and such a war, but myths are the reasons people go to war, to preserve their own mythic righteousness, and the mythic evil of their enemies. People are people, but myths can make them into heroes and monsters.
I think the existence of myths or lack thereof is what makes a fictional story. A world like middle-earth, where the people all have their interwoven myths about the past and the future that motivate them feels real, while one where people do what they do in the near vacuum of their own personal situation feels fake and 2-dimensional.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this post! I especially loved how you stated that myths are what can make people into these great heroes or terrible monsters because it is so true.I also agree with you on the fact that myth makes sense in Middle Earth and it would honestly feel weird without it.
-Frodo