The power of myths
Well, I think that myths play a large role in each society. There are always some things that have been told from one generation to another. Those beliefs do not need any proof because each story that is being told, is proof itself and the proof of all others. Similarly, Lyotard mentions that “the teller of the myth does not have to argue or prove” any story he is telling (24). A myth legitimizes and makes itself believable just in the telling. But, a myth might have been changed so many times that there is no way of knowing its original form. Each person has his own way of rephrasing that myth. Lyotard also mentions that “the narrator has authority to chant the chant because he has heard it chanted itself” (25).
I think that myths do change over time because they are interpreted so many ways and keep changing from one generation to another. They are said in so many ways and define what is right or wrong in a society.
In a way, different cultures create myths to have some control over their society. They become a tradition in some ways and most people will not argue against a myth. So most people cannot disagree with a myth or prove it wrong somehow. So they go on accepting them and tell them to the younger generations. This way, they are known as facts and have to be accepted. They are sort of forced upon the people in the society and they have to believe in them. They have no right in saying that they are false because again there is no proof. This is the downside to myths because they are believed to be true no matter what. Myths enter the mind of a reader and become reality.
Myths serve specific purposes in their culture and provide a structured system of ethics for people so they can function as a society.
I think that myths do change over time because they are interpreted so many ways and keep changing from one generation to another. They are said in so many ways and define what is right or wrong in a society.
In a way, different cultures create myths to have some control over their society. They become a tradition in some ways and most people will not argue against a myth. So most people cannot disagree with a myth or prove it wrong somehow. So they go on accepting them and tell them to the younger generations. This way, they are known as facts and have to be accepted. They are sort of forced upon the people in the society and they have to believe in them. They have no right in saying that they are false because again there is no proof. This is the downside to myths because they are believed to be true no matter what. Myths enter the mind of a reader and become reality.
Myths serve specific purposes in their culture and provide a structured system of ethics for people so they can function as a society.
September 28, 2009 at 8:09 PM
I’m not so sure that the myths don’t need proof, but they accept a different type of proof. Feelings and intuition add to the stories that are being told, but that does not make them any less of a viable source of proof. These things aren’t tangible or even measureable, but they add an element to the myths that is equivalent to scientific ‘fact’. These myths are accepted merely because they are told over and over again, gaining followers by being heard and remaining part of the culture. However, I completely agree with your point about how myths can be used as a form of mind control. With only one accepted option, many other forms of truth are lost. Just because some myths overlap and contradict does not mean that they both can’t have a grain of truth in them. The world is made up of many, many combined myths.
October 2, 2009 at 12:51 AM
So practically I wrote my blog on a lot of what you wrote your's on. I totally agree with your interpretation of myths because I feel the same way about them. To me myths are very important for a society and in some cases they may even be used to control the society. I know most of the times myths aren't based on much proof and information, but personally I think that for a society to base their culture and beliefs of a story; it has to have some truth to it. SO i guess in a way this is disagreeing with a small detail that you mentioned. Anyway, on a positive note, before reading your blog I never really thought about how myths are able to be changed and tweeked after being told gerneration after generation. I guess, according to how the elders of the that generation want their society to be managed, they are able to change the myth in a way that benefits them. So being my hypocritic self, I think that after a while myths do begin tohave some truth to them and not full be without proof.