CLST 2090 Chapter : CLST Notes Week 1
CLST
8/23
Intro to Mythology
Mythos (Greek)= Story
- people created myths to help explain the world around them; didn’t believe that they
were lying or making things up
- humans are the only living creatures who need explanations to understand why things
happen the way they do
- all cultures have mythologies; described as a “myth-making’ stage in cultural
development before they reach cultural advancement
- people in the ancient Mediterranean world began coming up with reasons for everyday
events
- Hittites (modern day turkey): began writing history to tell of everyday events
o once people began using logical thought, myth-making came to an end
o people began creating explanations for things based on logical, everyday events
- people didn’t question the validity of the stories that were being told
o they are true in that they illustrate the truth about human nature
- Max Mueller: German who studied myths at the turn of the century (1900s)
o believed that all myths are about nature and natural phenomenon
- Carl Jung: realized that the same types of myths turn up in all cultures
o example: the story of a great flood is one that is seen all over the world
o developed the collective unconscious theory: all human beings are born with
these same ideas/stories in their brains
- Claude Levi-Strauss: French anthropologist
o researched the human brain and found that the two sides of the brain control
separate functions
o because the human body is the same on both sides, he began wondering how
often the human mind thinks in two’s (off/on, up/down, right/wrong, etc.)
o developed the idea that the basic human experience is that our lives are full of
conflict
o myths are filled with the idea of conflict, and in the stories, the conflicts are
usually resolved
- Freud: all human life is driven by sexuality
o concluded that all myths are really about sex
o found sexual symbolism and imagery everywhere
o believed that myths were a way to get through our sexual desires without really
facing them
o Zeus: God of the gods
▪ has many female partners
▪ Semele: one of Zeus’s lovers; a human girl, but Zeus is married
▪ he visited her in the day time to make love to her
Document Summary
People created myths to help explain the world around them; didn"t believe that they were lying or making things up. Humans are the only living creatures who need explanations to understand why things happen the way they do. All cultures have mythologies; described as a myth-making" stage in cultural development before they reach cultural advancement. People in the ancient mediterranean world began coming up with reasons for everyday events. Hittites (modern day turkey): began writing history to tell of everyday events: once people began using logical thought, myth-making came to an end, people began creating explanations for things based on logical, everyday events. People didn"t question the validity of the stories that were being told: they are true in that they illustrate the truth about human nature. Max mueller: german who studied myths at the turn of the century (1900s: believed that all myths are about nature and natural phenomenon.
