The Mythological Tale
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ScribdTranslationsThe Mythological Tale
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ScribdTranslationsTHE MYTHOLOGICAL NARRATIVE: characteristics
The ancient Greeks believed that the gods and goddesses, very similar to the
ordinary men, although endowed with magical powers, were the
responsible for the marvelous things that happened in the world. They told
tales sobre cómo los seres divinos vencieron a los monstruos que habitaban
Originally the Earth and about heroes who carried out feats
wonderful.
The myth is a narrative that offers an explanation of natural phenomena or
evokes supposed episodes of the ancestors' lives. Myths are almost
always dramatic and sacred as they constitute the basis of the religion of a
community. They allow man to place himself in time, to connect with the past and to
future.
In reality, the world of myths does not obey fixed rules: things, the
animals, any being can be animated, all can be done
metamorphosis; a single being, a single thing can take on multiple forms. A
Sometimes, these stories are organized, integrated into a mythological whole. All
these stories appear as having happened in ancient times so there is no
temporal precision although spatial.
The difference between myth and story lies in the fact that the myth is defined by its
religious connotation. This religious connotation means that they can result
true for the person who believes in them even if they are implausible.
The characters are often either gods or heroes who surpass the nature of the
humans, and they face superhuman situations. They can also
to appear supernatural beings such as mermaids, centaurs, cyclopes, etc. The myths
classics (Greek and Latin) have a strong anthropomorphic character which
It means that the gods and other creatures manifest feelings and attitudes.
human. Another difference from tales is that myths deal with themes such as
Cosmogony (creation of the world), Theogony (birth of the gods)
Eschatology (referring to the end of the world or to death), topics that in general
they do not deal with the stories.
Myths have a ritual and symbolic character. In a story, there is no requirement.
of believing in it, but in the myths the community that generates them believes in them. The
myths are passed down from generation to generation, that is, from parents to children
so most of them are listed as anonymous.
How have myths come down to us?
Such narrations or myths may date back a thousand years before birth.
of Christ. They were passed down from generation to generation, first through
songs and poems, and then in writings of the most varied genre. In the
In Western civilization, we find those myths reproduced in famous works of
sculpture, painting, literature, and music. They even influence the vocabulary that
We use. An atlas, for example, owes its name to the giant Atlas, who supported
on their shoulders the Earth.
It is very likely that, if the great classical writers had not existed, they would
ignore this mythology. Part of it is found in short poems and a
large portion of it in longer works, called epics, which
They refer to entire stories. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are the main sources.
celebrities of these myths. Two notable poets, Hesiod and Pindar, and the great
tragic authors Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides contributed in a way
outstanding in the transmission of Greek mythology.
The Romans, imitators of Greece in multiple aspects, limited themselves to copying.
the Greek tales, to the point that in many cases they did nothing more
that gave Latin names to the gods and goddesses they had welcomed. The poets
Virgil and Ovid provide us with the interpretation and Roman traditions of
the myths.