Structuralism Review of Related Literature

12 different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term myth is often used colloquially to refer to a false story; however, the academic use of the term generally does not refer to truth or falsity. In the study of folklore, a myth is a sacred narrative explaining how the world and humankind came to be in their present form. Many scholars in other fields use the term myth in somewhat different ways. In a very broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story Armstrong, K. 2006: 16. 2.2.3.1. Origin of Myth One theory claims that myths are distorted accounts of real historical events. According to this theory, storytellers repeatedly elaborate upon historical accounts until the figures in those accounts gain the status of gods. For example, one might argue that the myth of the wind-god evolved from an historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret the winds. Herodotus 5th century BC and Prodicus made claims of this kind. This theory is named euhemerism after the novelist Euhemerus c.320 BC, who suggested that the Greek gods were developed from legends about human beings. Bishop, P, 2003: 96 Some theories propose that myths began as allegories. According to one theory, myths began as allegories for natural phenomena: Apollo represents fire; Poseidon represents water, and so on. According to another theory, myths began as allegories for philosophical or spiritual concepts: Athena represents wise judgment, Aphrodite represents desire, etc. The 19th century Sanskritist Max 13 Müller supported an allegorical theory of myth. He believed that myths began as allegorical descriptions of nature, but gradually came to be interpreted literally: for example, a poetic description of the sea as raging was eventually taken literally, and the sea was then thought of as a raging god. Bishop, P. 2003: 96 Some thinkers believe that myths resulted from the personification of inanimate objects and forces. According to these thinkers, the ancients worshipped natural phenomena such as fire and air, gradually coming to describe them as gods. For example, according to the theory of mythopoeic thought, the ancients tended to view things as persons, not as mere objects; thus, they described natural events as acts of personal gods, thus giving rise to myths. Bishop, P, 2003: 97 According to the myth-ritual theory, the existence of myth is tied to ritual. In its most extreme form, this theory claims that myths arose to explain rituals. This claim was first put forward by the biblical scholar William Robertson Smith. According to Smith, people begin performing rituals for some reason that is not related to myth; later, after they have forgotten the original reason for a ritual, they try to account for the ritual by inventing a myth and claiming that the ritual commemorates the events described in that myth. Bishop, P. 2003: 97 2.2.3.2. Nature of Myth The main characters in myths are usually gods or supernatural heroes. As sacred