Value of Mythology

Why has classical mythology endured? The belief in the gods on Mount Olympus has faded into history, yet human beings remain fascinated by the heroic deeds and infamous behaviour of Greek gods and goddesses, men and monsters. Donna Rosenberg suggests that “Myths have continued to capture the imagination and the soul of man for thousands of years because they depict and reveal behaviour and problems common to all human beings.”

Stating that myths depict “problems common all human beings” seems self-contradictory and paradoxical; when was the last time three goddesses asked our advice on who is the fairest? How many times have we been asked to design a labyrinth to imprison a king’s bull-headed son? Paradoxical is an understatement. Absurd is perhaps more accurate.

To evaluate myths on such criteria as “realism” or “accuracy” or adherence to the “laws of nature” is to miss the point of myths altogether. Rosenberg continues,

“With little interest in scenic detail or historical background, the myths immediately plunge into a human situation. They use a specific event, such as the entrance of a wild animal, a cataclysmic event, or a human challenge, to examine how man reacts to the problem of living. Through the actions of individuals, who are always portrayed in human terms even when they are divinities, the myths reveal the nature of man.”

The central point is that myths reveal the nature of human beings when faced with temptation, obstacles or injustice of any kind. Myths are perhaps the clearest means by which we can see ourselves. Compared to other forms of story, myths lack all the distractions of plot, poetic language and elements realism; the clothes and fat of story are pealed away, and the exposed skeleton of man’s fundamental and universal nature is laid bare.

Rosenberg concludes her essay by stating that “myths reveal eternal truths about the nature of man and his quests in life. They reflect attitudes and feelings that are common to all men, in any time. Artists and writers constantly allude to them and recreate them as they explore the relationships between man and man, man and society, and man and God.”

Quotes taken from Donna Rosenberg “Value of Mythology” Mythology and You