Mythology is an interwoven and complex subject, which is most often seen as fictional, unreal, and fabulous. However, modern scientific thoughts sometimes have a lot in common with myths that prove the fact that mythology is not only a fairy tale, but it also contains an important message from previous generations to their offspring. The examples of myths that are supported by modern historical, astronomical, medical, physical, economic, and even philosophical findings are multiple including the myth of Ramayana, the creation story of Zuni’s emergence, the Native American myths, the myths by famous storytellers of ancient times such as Homer, Ovid, and Hesiod, etc. In the following paper, common patterns and concepts of Ancient myths and modern scientific thoughts will be observed to identify the objectives that people from previous generations had when they created myths.
Although today, the very word “myth” is seen as an unreal story, something not to be believed in, and something having a romanticized nature, there exist common patterns and messages in Ancient methodology and modern scientific thoughts that suggest a different point of view on myths. First of all, modern literature has its origin in ancient myths. For example, myths help explain the movement of the Sun and changing of seasons in the creation story of Zuni’s emergence (Thury and Devinney 95). It is the source of the cultural rituals that exist until now and is mostly practiced by different religions like the burning of effigies on pyre for Heracles in commemoration of his burning on a funeral pyre on Mt. Seat (Thury and Devinney 496). It is also considered as the source of societal expression of social practices like the patriarchal tradition in the myth of Ramayana, where King Dasaratha as a father hesitates at first to send his son Rama to interact with the Titans because he wants to protect his son from danger (Thury and Devinney 245).
Next, the incorporation of ancient mythology to modern scientific thoughts tends to discuss not only the story of an individual, time or place, but also beliefs, and lifestyle importance. This means that it does consider not only what can be seen, but also the things unseen. Every myth has a basis of its creations, characters, and adventures including destruction or victory that may be represented by the duality of our reality, yet most share common patterns and thoughts causing the existence of similar modern thoughts and patterns. Some common patterns and messages shared by the ancient cultural mythological stories to the modern tales are individual characters, journeys, facts of existence, place, and object.
Further, myths offer the popular idea that an individual is sometimes concerned about the model of “god or goddess”, the concept of a hero, and the perception of natural objects or animals, which are shown as personages. For example Odysseus as a hero character in the myth Iliad and Odyssey by Homer is also indicated in the work of James Joyce Ulysses based on Homers epic (Thury and Devinney &729). In the relationship of narrative to a myth, “James Joyce’s Ulysses showed incorporation of its own, the figure and theme of traditional mythology” (Thury and Deviney 727). The pattern tends to exist because modern writers show great respect to old themes, but use the modern literary devices, which their audience expect, and create narratives from their own belief system, and alter them as aspects of that system change (Thury and Devinney 728). One more illustration of the personified natural objects or animals is “the raven” similar to the man “Silva” (Thury and Devinney 370; 718). These two Native American mythical characters are similar figures as a trickster and mythological animals. The writers of the Native American oral myths in a contemporary context enrich their storytelling using the concepts from their mythic heritage (Thury and Devinney 714). This means that the Native American writers tend to give voice to a diverse and changing cultural value, identity or belief. The concept of “god” and “goddess” characters can be considered as metaphors for elements of human society. In the myth of Heracles, Zeus is considered a patriarch, a father, and a husband, and Hera is a mother, and a wife. Their family is a reflection of our families; their hierarchies establish a relationship of a tale to myth in the modern society (Thury and Devinney 549).
In addition, journeys may deal with heroic endeavors or mythical events. In the incorporation of tale to myth, this pattern may be shown in the work of Vladimir Propp, who “classified characters according to their actions and analyzes each tale into series of plots called function” (Thury and Devinney 551). Like in the myth of Odyssey, Odysseus underwent series of hardships before going home to Ithaca (Thury and Devinney 11).
Besides, the Fact of existence may be concerned about commemorative cultural rituals and celebrations or as a standard of conduct. According to Turner, “ritual is not just only a symbolic language but also series of actions performed by participants” (417). His work The Forest of symbol: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual focuses on the rite of passage (419), which can be seen in the work of Joseph Campbell as an element to a heros journey by “crossing of the threshold” (185) like the myth of Heracles who underwent the same rites of passage in a period of his military training for becoming a soldier (496), and in order to become immortal, he would have to undergo series of labors (497). As ritual patterns, in a fairytale-like myths, there are origins of the collective “folk” mind (546). The essential similarities indicate collective authorship to attempt to make earth-conscious of itself. For example of ritual pattern is the Odysseus itself a literary hero and a mytho-religious figure, whose journey is rooted in a ritual pattern involving loss, descent, and rebirth (14). This is similar to humanity’s story of loss and rebirth, leading to inversion of social roles in The Goose Girl in society (581). As standard of conduct, Freud believes that all men are subject to the “Oedipus complex” based on myth of King Oedipus (406). Freud’s view of myth became a part of the explanation or rationalization for why the story had retained its significance throughout centuries ( Thury and Devinney 406).
Finally, stories of mythical places and objects exist within many cultures today, and are used as sources of entertainment and research. Like mythical place, the archeological evidence of the Trojan War called “Troy Villa” suggests that it is not just a false story. Archeologist Carl Blegen believes that this confirmed Homers account of the Trojan war (Thury and Devinney 11). All in all, ancient mythology shared different characteristics to modern thoughts according to Freud and Jeung:
Folktales are related to dreams like myth may represent something that is essential to what it is to be human. Fairy tales share similar characteristics to myths like handed down orally rather than being written like the Native American myths. They are related to rituals and that they are stories that give meaning to the pattern of action practiced in the society that tells them (547).
As a final point, mythology and modern science often have common concepts and patterns. For example, myths help explain the movement of the Sun and changing of seasons in the creation story of Zuni’s emergence, and establish a relationship of a tale to reality in the modern society in the myth of Heracles, where Zeus is considered a patriarch, a father, and a husband, and Hera is a mother, and a wife, which reflects modern concepts of a family. The presence of numerous similarities between ancient myths and modern scientific thoughts can be explained by the fact that mythology is not just a piece of ancient fiction, as it is accepted by many people, but it is a powerful message containing eternal wisdom that ancient people aimed to communicate to their descendants.
Works Cited
Thury, Eva, and Margaret Devinney. Introduction to mythology, 3rd. ed. The United States: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print.
Turner, Victor. The Forest of symbol: Aspects of Ndembu Ritual, The United States: Cornell University Press, 1970. Print.