mythos

Mythos is a term used to describe traditional narratives that express the beliefs, values, and worldview of a culture. Originating from the Greek mythos, meaning speech, tale, or plot, the word has been employed by scholars to distinguish the mythic dimension of a culture from rational or argumentative accounts, often referred to as logos.

In anthropology and literary studies, mythos encompasses a society's sacred stories, cosmogonies, hero cycles, and etiologies, which articulate origins, norms, and rituals. Myths convey meaning through symbols and motifs rather than empirical evidence, and they can evolve through reinterpretation or syncretism while maintaining a sense of collective memory.

In modern usage, mythos can denote a coherent system of narratives that defines a fictional universe or a cultural identity. A prominent example is the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared body of cosmic horror stories initiated by H. P. Lovecraft and expanded by other writers, which has influenced later works in literature, film, and games.