Definitions
The following terms are crucial to this unit. Take these down into your workbook.
- Mythology - a collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition.
- Myth – a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people, or explaining a natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
- Monomyth – the idea that there is a basic pattern to all heroic narratives that pervade stories across cultures and times.
- Mytheme – in the study of mythology, a mytheme is the irreducible element of a myth. To be more precise, a mytheme is the message of a myth.
Brainstorm
- In your workbooks, create a brainstorm for the word 'Myth'. Work with the people around you to create a mind map of all of the myths you can think of.
- Now think about the terms 'legend' and 'fairy tale'. Define these in your books to determine the difference between 'myth', 'legend' and 'fairy tale'. Were all of the myths you brainstormed really considered myths?