Myth & History - Kirkwood Community College



Myth & History

Main Entry: myth

Etymology: Greek mythos

1 a : a usually traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon

2 a : a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially : one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society or segment of society

b : an unfounded or false notion

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Some examples of myths in the second sense might include:

Christopher Columbus proved the world was round.

John F. Kennedy was an enormously popular president before he was assassinated.

An overwhelming majority of Americans disapproved of involvement in the Vietnam War.

The American colonists were oppressed with heavy taxes by Great Britain.

Some examples of myths in the first sense might be:

The creation story in the book of Genesis of the Pentateuch.

The Greek story of the opening of Pandora’s box.

The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

The Old Testament story about Jonah swallowed by a great fish.

The Greek story about Athena bursting from Zeus’ head.

Myths in the first sense, even if factually untrue, can still tell historians important truths about a given people, society, culture or worldview. However, there are some instances where these myths have a grain of historical truth to them. Here are some examples to consider:

1) The story of the universal flood and Noah’s ark. (Old Testament, Pentateuch)

2) The story of Theseus, the Minotaur, and the Labyrinth. (Greek mythology)

3) The story of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War (Homer’s Iliad, Greek mythology).

In these cases, the myths are not true in any literal sense, but contain bits and pieces of “faded history.” In other words, some myths (but not all) may have originally been based on actual events that can be backed up by other evidence (e.g., writings, archaeology). In many cases, these stories have been transformed over generations via oral tradition.

In any case, these examples illustrate two important points: 1) the dividing line between myth and history is not always as clear cut as myth = false and history = true. And 2) myths, whether factual or not, can be useful historical sources.

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