Mitoista

Mitoista is a term used in fictional and speculative contexts to describe a follower or practitioner of Mitoism, a philosophy or cultural movement that treats myths as a primary engine of social meaning and human understanding. The word combines mito-, from Greek mythos, with -ista, a suffix denoting adherents. Although not a real-world discipline, Mitoism is commonly depicted in science fiction, fantasy literature, and role-playing communities as a framework for ethics, memory, and identity.

Beliefs and aims: Mitoists contend that myths encode normative guidance more effectively than abstract doctrine or data. They emphasize narrative memory, communal storytelling, and the reimagining of traditional myths to reflect present-day values. They often advocate critical myth-making—creating new myths to address social issues such as justice, resilience, and cooperation.

Practices: In depictions, Mitoists organize story circles, myth workshops, and collaborative myth-building projects. They may produce mythic literature, films, or games that explore how collective narratives shape behavior. Rituals tend to center on storytelling, symbolic gesture, and the preservation of oral traditions.

Organization and reception: There is no centralized authority; groups vary in structure from loose affinity networks to small collectives. In fiction, Mitoists are portrayed as diverse—some as reformers, others as guardians of tradition, and occasionally as antagonists who resist empirical science.

See also: Mythology, Mythopoeia, Narrative therapy.