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"THE POETRY OF IGNORANCE - INTERACTIONS" ©1984-86 Mythology refers to the collected body of stories which a group of people tell to explain nature, history, and their customs. As a collection of such stories mythology is an important feature of every culture. Various origins for myths have been proposed, ranging from personification of natural phenomena to truthful accounts of historical events, or even to explanations of an existing ritual. A culture's collective mythology helps convey belonging and religious experience, behavioral models, moral and practical lessons and as expressions for understanding general psychological truths. The main characters in myths are usually gods, demigods, or supernatural humans, while legends generally feature humans as their main characters. Myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests and are closely linked to religion or spirituality. Many societies group their myths, legends and history together, considering myths to be true accounts of their remote past. Creation myths, particularly, take place in a primordial age when the world had not yet achieved its current form. Myths began as allegories for natural phenomena but also myths began as allegories for philosophical or spiritual concepts. In very early societies people worshipped inanimate objects and forces, phenomena such as fire and air, gradually coming to describe them as gods, thus they described natural events as acts of personal gods and this gave rise to myths. By telling or reenacting myths,members of traditional societies detach themselves from the present reality and return to a mythical age, thereby bringing themselves closer to the divine. |
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