The Purpose of Myths

1)Name four fundamental questions that myths address.

• What is the nature of the universe in which I live?
• How do I relate to that universe?
• What must I do in order to survive?
• Who am I?

2) Name four themes in world mythology.

• The first parents are often the gods of sky and earth.
• The creator-god usually fashions the first human beings from parts of the earth-perhaps clay, trees, rocks, or plants.
• Heroes are children of gods who have an unusual birth, possesses extraordinary strength.
• The gods destroy at least one world of mortals by causing a great flood.

3) What is the beginning of the universe for most major cultures?
A chaotic, formless mass that a god or pair of gods separates. The gods multiply so that each can have his or her particular role in the universe scheme, and the creator-god brings life to earth in the form of plants, animals, and human beings.

4) What do hero myths and epics teach members of society?
The heroic myths and epics of a society teach its members the appropriate attitudes, behaviors, and values of that culture.

5) Why do ordinary people identify with heroes?
They too want to live in such a way that they are remembered for their good deeds.

6) What is the foundation of the Matriarchal Society?
The political, social, and religious foundation of the matriarchal society was the agricultural year.

7) What is Sigmund Freud's view of myths?
Sigmund Freud and his followers view myths as the expression of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives.

8) Myths demonstrate that people possess...
 The intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they live.