An Introduction to Mythology and Folklore

Throughout recorded time, men and women have felt an irresistible urge to try and understand who
they are and where they came from. Because of this universal need, mythological stories and folklore
are a common creation that unites every society that has ever existed. Some of these stories are
metaphysical in nature; some are metaphorical; and some touch on themes related to everyday living.
The one thing all of these stories have in common, no matter which culture created them, is that they
all emerge from a deep need to make sense of the mystery of existence. They are all a part of
mankind’s endless search for meaning.

For scholars, myths and folklore have provided a veritable goldmine of information as they try to
understand societies that no longer exist, and those that still exist and are continuing the never-
ending process of articulating the story of their ideologies and self-images. Below are just a few
examples of the mythological legacy that has been left to us by societies both ancient and modern.
These mythological and folkloric traditions have aided greatly in the comprehension of not just of
particular societies, but of mankind in general, telling us much about how human beings relate to the
world into which they are born.

Ancient Egypt and Greece

Western religion traces its beginnings to the mythology of ancient Egypt, while western society has
been shaped in its conception of the relationship between the natural and the supernatural realms by
the mythology of ancient Greece. Ancient Egyptians turned their eyes to the heavens to search for
transcendent meaning, which they saw in the astronomical movements of the Sun and the stars. The
great Egyptian sun God, Osiris, was the forerunner of later transformational religious figures like
Christ and Muhammad. Just as medieval Christians were inspired by their faith and fervor to build
great cathedrals, so too were the ancient Egyptians inspired to build the Sphinx and the ¨Pyramids as
a way to honor their beloved Gods of the sky.

Ancient Greek mythology personalized the metaphysical realm, which operated parallel to but above
the society of man. Just as man was subject to the fickle winds of fate and circumstance, so too were
the Gods a prisoner to their very human passions and foibles. Ultimately, it was humans who had to
pay for the follies of the Gods, meaning there could never be true separation between the heavenly
and the earthly realms. Greek mythology lives on to this day because this image of two realms
separate but interrelated resonates in the hearts and minds of human beings who sense they are a
part of something mysterious and elusive that is helping to determine their fates in a way that they do
not completely comprehend.

The Bible as Mythology

While the Bible is strictly religious to some, it is a work of literature and mythology to others.
Mythological motifs abound in the Bible, which is why for example there are great commonalities
between the stories of the Flood and the Garden of Eden in the Bible and similar tales told in the Epic
of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian opus that is perhaps the oldest recorded myth on the face of the earth.
Most of the miraculous deeds of Jesus Christ, including his resurrection, are familiar to students of
comparative mythology, because messiah-like figures from other religious traditions such as the
Persian savior Zoroaster and the Egyptian sun God Osiris were credited with the same kinds of deeds
long before the New Testament was ever recorded.

The Irish and the Celtics

The British Isles does have its epic mythology. However, it is the folklore that has been produced in
this part of the world that has resonated and entertained so much. The British Isles are the home of
the wee folk, such as the leprechauns, fairies and elves. These mischievous creatures are at their best
when they are befuddling, bedeviling, and beguiling the poor innocent humans who have somehow
managed to invoke their wrath. In best trickster fashion, these little creatures are delightfully wicked,
and their imminent presence in the lives of the people they share the land with clearly represents all
the little trials and tribulations that people inevitably have to face as they try to go about their daily
business. Essentially, the wee people emerge from the place where Murphy’s Law meets the mundane.

American Mythology - The Old West and the Urban Legend

If you want to understand how the American people like to see themselves and their history, just
watch a few old westerns. The reason why this format has proven so popular and so durable for so
long is because it is a perfect vehicle for the exploration of certain themes that Americans are taught
to believe in with unreflexive and unconscious faith – the moral superiority of the individual over the
group, the inevitable triumph of good over evil, the redemptive power of violence and the
incorruptibility of virtue in the face of danger, to name a few. Americans see themselves as they want
to be in the western hero, and his victories are their victories in the endless battle against the forces
of darkness.

But Americans are not as sure of themselves or the world as they used to be, and the urban legend is
the type of grassroots folklore that perfectly captures this underlying sense of unease. If you have
ever had someone tell you a “true” story about something funny, strange, scary or gross that
happened to the cousin of a friend of a friend, then you know what an urban legend is. These tales
emerge from a world that has grown dangerous, scary and uncertain, an America that John Wayne
wouldn’t recognize anymore. The western and the urban legend are not really in conflict with each
other, however; they actually complement each other, creating a total mythological picture that is
complex and even contradictory.