We need a new word in place of myth... (Y-not question the Sunday Readings)

by Brian Coyne , LINDEN, NSW, Sunday, May 20, 2012, 11:05 (365 days ago) @ CathyT

BTW, on this topic of "myth" which came up in this thread, it would be good if we could come up with another word other than "myth". In common parlance in our society, "myth" either means something which is widely believed to be true but in fact isn't, or else just a fanciful story, usually from an ancient culture, like the lovely story which Billy recounted. Even if you know that "myth" in the Biblical sense doesn't mean that, it's still hard to completely disassociate your mind from that more common meaning. Not sure what other word we could use though.

Cathy, I particularly agree with your last paragraph above. In common usage the word "myth" carries with it the understanding that something is not real and the person who believes it is childish or deluded. The less commonly used words "mythos" or "mythology" I don't think carry the same connotations. Karen Armstrong tends to use "mythos" in her writing perhaps for this reason.

When we are speaking of some story that is mythological while we might understand it to be "not real" in the sense that it is a story rather than some scientific or historical description of some event, we also have an appreciation that it is a story containing some depth of wisdom or insight. The nursery rhymes we tell to our young children or grandchildren we don't believe to be literally true — for example that there were once three little pigs that could talk, or a big bad wolf that could talk, or a person named Little Red Riding Hood. We continue to recite these stories to our children not just because the combination of words in them appeal to children but because they impart what we consider to be important paradigmatic messages. For example in the case of the story of the three little pigs that it is wise to invest in quality in building a home or community rather then being a cheapskate or utilitarian or slapdash. All of the great stories in our mythology have what is called a "moral to the story".

In contrast to that some people might believe that hanging a rabbit's foot around one's neck or carrying it in one's pocket or handbag will bring good luck, or ward off evil spirits. But many would consider that to be unbelievable and dismissed as "a myth" in the sense that it does not carry any wisdom. It is considered to be merely a superstition.

Perhaps one of the problems is that all religions do seem to be a mix, like life in general, of things that are genuinely "mythological" (i.e. carrying a deeper insight or wisdom) and a lot of beliefs and practices that are merely "superstition" or "myth" in the common understanding of that word. Perhaps an important part of the spiritual challenge we all face is the one of sorting the mythology from that which is merely superstition and myth in much the same way that a farmer has to sort the grain from the chaff if they are to increase the value of their product?

Brian Coyne
[Editor & Publisher]