Mythology (from the Greek mythos for story-of-the-people, and logos for word or speech, so - the spoken story of a people) is the study and interpretation of often sacred tales of fables of a culture known as myths or the collection of such stories which deal with various aspects of the human
condition. Myths are a part of every culture in the world and are used to explain natural phenomena, where a people came from and how their civilization developed and why things happen as they do. At their most basic level, myths comfort by giving a sense of order and meaning to what can sometimes seem a chaotic world.
GREEK
One of the best-known myths comes from Greece in the form of the tale of Demeter, goddess of grain and the harvest, and her daughter Persephone who became Queen of the Dead. In this story, Persephone is kidnapped by Hades, god of the underworld, and brought down to his dark realm. Demeter searches desperately everywhere for the maiden but cannot find her. During this time of Demeter’s sorrow, the crops fail and people starve and the gods are not given their due. Zeus, king of the gods, orders Hades to restore Persephone to her mother and Hades obliges but, because Persephone has eaten a certain number of pomegranate seeds while in the underworld, she has to spend half the year below the earth but could enjoy the other half with her mother in the world
above. This story explained the changes of the seasons in Greece. When it was warm and the fields were bountiful, Persephone was with her mother and Demeter was happy and causes the world to bloom; in the cold and rainy season, when Persephone was below the earth with Hades as his queen, Demeter mourned and the land was barren.
NORSE
Norse mythology encapsulates the religious beliefs of ancient Scandinavian societies. Known by some as the religion of the Vikings, Norse myths were orally shared for hundreds of years before the introduction of Christianity. Odin, the King (or Allfather) of the Norse gods, Thor, his son, god of thunder and order, and
Loki, the trickster god, live in Asgard: the kingdom of the gods above Midgard, which is home to humans. Under Midgard lies Niflheim, the world of the dead, ruled over by Hel, goddess of the underworld. Complete with a creation myth that has the first gods slaying a giant and turning his body parts into the world, various realms spread out beneath the World Tree Yggdrasil, and the eventual destruction of the known world in the Ragnarök, the Nordic mythological world is both complex and comprehensive. Although these stories have been influential since their discovery in 17th-century Europe, in recent years Norse narratives have exploded across fiction, Hollywood blockbusters, video games and TV shows.
MYTHOLOGIES OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
The Indigenous People of the Americas comprise numerous different cultures so there is no single mythology. Each has its own mythologies, many of which share certain themes across cultural boundaries. In North American mythologies, common themes include a close relation to nature and animals as well as belief in a Great Spirit that is conceived of in various ways. The Thunderbird is a widespread figure in Native American mythology in the United States and Canada. Described as a supernatural being, the enormous bird symbolized power and strength that protected humans from evil spirits. It was called the Thunderbird because the flapping of its powerful wings sounded like thunder, and lightning would shoot out of its eyes. The Thunderbirds brought rain and storms, which could be good or bad. Good – when the rain was needed or bad when the rain came with strong destructive winds, floods, and fires caused by lightning. Various tribes have different oral traditions about the magical Thunderbird, which they both highly respected and feared.
EGYPTIAN
When we think about mythology, the majority of us have read about the Greeks and Romans or seen Norse mythology in the movies. But if we stop there, we miss out on amazing opportunities to share the rich and storied mythology of cultures from around the world. The gods and goddesses in ancient Egyptian myths, for example, are just as fierce and fascinating. Early civilizations recognized the importance of the sun. The chief deity in many ancient cultures was a sun god or goddess. Ancient Egyptians worshipped Ra, a falcon-headed god who carried the sun disk on his headdress. Every day, Ra would cross the sky in “solar boats” and descend into the underworld at sunset. As he made his way through the darkness beneath the earth, he was attacked nightly by the giant serpent Apophis who tried to prevent the sun from rising and so destroy all life on earth.
World Mythology is the global term for all of the myths found throughout history across the entire world. These stories take place across all cultures and time periods, and are usually deeply meaningful to the culture they come from. There are over a hundred different world mythologies that we know of today. Among these are those described above as well as Native American, Etruscan, Celtic, Slavic, Japanese, Mesopotamian, Babylonian, Arabian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Chinese, and many more myths!
