Blog 3: Myth

"In popular usage, myth is something erroneous yet widely believed— something to be refuted by rational adults, such as “the Myth of Climate Change,” or MYTH OF CALORIES EXPOSED; EAT ALL YOU WANT AND GET THIN! Another misuse of the word is patronizing, in the sense of “old stories once believed by naive people in a prescientific age that didn’t know better.” (p.35)

I find it interesting that myths are not always some fantastical story of gods and demons or earth and water but can be used in a number of ways. This quote i think points out one of the many things that myths could be used for. I've always heard things like, " well it just a myth", and associated them with things that aren't true. But myths don't have to be true as they usually have some king of meaning or them that its trying to convey. Myths don't have to be a story about why the wind blows or how humans were created but can be anything that people use to tell a story or teach a lesson. In this way I think myths are great because they can be used for a multitude of things and aren't restricted to life's mysteries.

"The original Thor, the Norse god of thunder, appears prominently in Germanic myth, wielding his hammer and serving eventually as a pagan symbol in opposition to the Christianization of Scandinavia." (p.36)

Something I have always enjoyed reading and learning about is myths or gods from other cultures throughout history. I love the well crafted story's about gods of war or goddesses of love from Japan to Mexico and anywhere in the world that has them. As a History major studying these are very rewarding because they give an insight into what values people had at the time based on what certain values were being expressed through these story's. However I still find things like the Minotaur and the Maze very entertaining simply as just fun and exciting story's to read. Many of these story's were made popular through movies, such as Thor and the avengers, or books like Percy Jackson and growing up I always loved them and found them fascinating.

"This literary movement was inspired by the philosophy of primitivism, which held that those who lived far from cities in what was called a “state of nature” were happier, less apt to commit crime, and more willing to share the fruits of the land than their more educated and wealthier counterparts." (p.44)

The idea of primitivism I find a little degrading when in comes to people who come from the country. As someone who grew up in the rural area of central Florida its a little insulting to define a way of life as primitive just because they don't live in the city. I understand that is not what the authors intended and are only describing what certain academics called it as it relates to the topic of myths but its not like everything described in the text is bad or wrong. For example they state that people who live in these areas are less prone to crime but I think that's just because of the lack of people. When you live in a small town its hard to commit crimes against people who you go to church with especially if you know them personally. However its still nice that academia though this way about peaceful country life.

Janaro & Altshuler, The Art of Being Human - The Humanities as a Technique for Living 11th Edition, Pearson 2016