myth

A myth is a traditional narrative that seeks to explain fundamental questions about the world and humanity, often through stories involving gods, heroes, ancestors, or other memorable beings. Myths address topics such as creation, the origin of natural phenomena, the course of history, and the foundations of social or religious practices. They function as a symbolic framework for interpreting experience and guiding behavior, and they are typically transmitted orally before being written, adapted to new contexts while preserving core meanings.

While similar to legends, myths emphasize sacred or cosmological concerns rather than verifiable historical events. Folktales, in contrast, tend to focus on entertainment and human-scale conflicts without necessarily addressing ultimate questions. In many cultures, myths serve to legitimize political authority, establish ritual timings, or provide ethical norms by presenting exemplary characters and consequences.

The term myth is used across disciplines, from theology and anthropology to literary studies. Etymologically, myth comes from Greek mythos, meaning speech or discourse, and has been broadened in modern usage to refer to widely held but contested beliefs, even outside religious contexts. Myths vary across cultures but often share motifs such as creation or etiologies explaining origins, journeys of heroes, and trials that test virtue. In contemporary scholarship, myths are analyzed for their symbolic structures, cultural functions, and historical development rather than treated as literal truth.