Introduction
The history of humankind is riddled with myths and legends, original to each culture and coming from different times. In modern times, there are many refutations of most of them, and the term myth itself is associated with fiction and untruth. However, suppose one understands the meaning and the reasons for their creation, which in most cases are similar regardless of the area of origin of the legend. In that case, sincere belief is not necessary for an educated person. Since the purpose of such stories and tales is mainly to set moral or ethical standards, examples to follow, or goals to achieve, there is no longer a need for blind faith in ancient myths in a conscious society.
Evidence
From the perspective of human psychology, one can easily explain the fascination for epic stories in the past, when the level of information saturation of space was minimal, and the aim of most people was mainly to survive. According to Shynkaruk et al., fairy tales and myths are one way of interpreting and making sense of the world around today (2018, p. 19). One can agree with this because the heritage of one’s own culture contained in legends carries a large part of the cultural code that can shape the identity of a member of a nation. However, belief in details or the veracity of what is happening is irrelevant. According to Aron, the factuality of most such legends is virtually impossible to prove (2000). Other researchers note the critical relation of myths to cultural history and emphasize the need to investigate them not to prove their veracity but to preserve their value (DĂ©gh and Vázsonyi 93). In addition, refutation or the search for evidence is mostly meaningless because of the distortion of minutiae in the legends and their age.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the basic confirmation of the paper’s thesis is highlighted: there should not exist a need to believe or not to believe in ancient stories. Their purpose for modern humans is to comprehend a pattern of thinking, everyday life, and culture of their own or other people’s ancestors, which has survived to our times. The awareness of the norms of behavior and morality embedded in most of them should be understood by every rational person without attempting a pointless search for evidence of the existence of myths.
Works Cited
Aron, Paul. Unsolved Mysteries of History: An Eye-opening Investigation Into the Most Baffling Events of All Time. Wiley, 2000.
Dégh, Linda, and Andrew Vázsonyi. “6. Legend and Belief.” Folklore Genres (eBook), University of Texas Press, 2021, pp. 93–124, Web.
Shynkaruk, Vasyl, et al. “Myth as a Phenomenon of Culture.” National Academy of Managerial Staff of Culture and Arts Herald, vol. 1, no. 4, 2018, pp. 17–22, Web.