muthos

Muthos (μῦθος) is a Greek term that originally denoted a spoken tale, report, or account and by extension a myth. The word is the source of the English "myth." In classical usage, muthos refers to a narrative content delivered in speech and can denote stories that are historical, legendary, or divine. It is often contrasted with logos, which signifies rational discourse, argument, or calculation.

In early literature, muthos designates traditional stories about gods, heroes, origins, and the social world. Poets such as Homer and Hesiod employ mythic narratives to explain human existence and natural phenomena, while tragedians use myth as subject matter for dramatic action. In philosophy, myths were subjects for examination: mythos could be treated as a cultural form to be interpreted or revised, and Plato occasionally uses mythos to convey deeper truths beyond immediate empirical proof.

Modern scholarship treats mythos as a symbolic or conventional narrative that expresses a community's beliefs, values, and worldview. Myth is not simply "false" told; in literary and anthropological study it functions to organize ritual, identity, and memory. Some theories distinguish myths as foundational narratives that provide etiologies, cosmogonies, or moral frames for a culture.

Today, μῦθος remains the standard Greek term for "story" or "myth." In English, myth and mythology derive from this root and continue to be used to analyze the structure, origins, and cultural function of narratives across societies. See also: mythology, myth, mythography, narrative theory.