mythopoetic

Mythopoetic is an adjective used to describe the making, shaping, or imaginative use of myths in literature, criticism, psychology, or cultural discourse. It denotes works or approaches that engage mythic structures, symbols, and ritual imagery as ways of expressing or exploring human experience, rather than relying solely on naturalistic realism. The term derives from mythopoeia, the creation of myths, combined with poetics, the theory or practice of poetry or artistic expression.

In literary and cultural criticism, mythopoetic writing constructs or recasts myths to illuminate psychological, spiritual, or ethical questions. It often foregrounds archetypal motifs, mythic timelines, and ritualized imagery to elicit affective or transformative responses in readers. In psychology, particularly Jungian-inspired thought, mythopoetic language is used to describe how individuals narrate their lives through symbolic myths, helping to organize experience and identity.

The term is also associated with the late 20th-century mythopoetic men's movement, whose leaders, such as Robert Bly, emphasized myth, storytelling, and nature-based ritual to explore masculinity; this association is uneven and the label is used variably across contexts. Related terms include mythopoeia, the deliberate creation of myths, and mythopoeic fiction, which explicitly foregrounds myth-making in its craft.

Critics warn that mythopoetic readings can romanticize myth, essentialize cultural or gender identities, or obscure historical nuance. Despite varied use, mythopoetic generally signals a mode of meaning-making that centers mythic imagination as a living force in art, psychology, and cultural discourse.