Divine Myth
- Main characters gods, spirits, personification of things
- Generally explain why the world is the way it is
- AKA “true” myths
- involve automorphism of weather/phenomena
Legends/Sagas
- Stories of great deeds of humans/ semi-humans
- Stories that have some truth to them
- I.E Trojan War and exploits of Achilles and other Greek Heroes
- Heinrich Schlomann proved that Trojan War actually happened via archeological excavations: brought attention to truth portions of legends
Folktales
- Characters are animals and ordinary people
- teach individuals customary patterns of behaviour
- Ex. Hesiod’s tale of the hawk and the Nightengale discusses implications of power at the time
Motif
- Regular appearance of an idea
- Ex. doubles(twins, doppelgangers, siblings, dragons) (single motif)
- Ex. water or light in a modern novel repeatedly (recurring motif)
Allegory
Symbolism
Physical Allegory
- Myths about battles between gods represents conflicts between natural forces
False Etymology
- history of a word and how it related to myths
- false relationship between words
Historical Allegory/ Euhemerism
- interpretation created by Euhemerus
- gods were real historical figures transformed by oral tradition into gods
What is important about the early/middle bronze age(3000-1500BCE)?
- Most myths created in this era
Who were the Minoans?
- Worshipped single female goddess
- Linear A script
- Inhabited Crete 2200-1450 BCE
- Bull and double ax important religious symbol
Who were the Mycaneans?
- invaded Minoans in 1450 BCE
- Warlike people
- 1600-1150BCE
- Indo European speakers (Linear B script)
What is Thera?
Rich Minoan culture destroyed in 1630 BCE by earthquake and volcanic eruption
Where was the most important near-east influence for myth?
Mesopotamia(land between rivers)/ modern iraq/iran
- Tigris and Eurphoatus river
What is important about the Mycenaen Age/ Late Bronze (1600-1200BCE)?
Believed to be when the Trojan War happened
Collapse of civilizations
What is important about the Archaic Period(800-480BCE)?
-Greeks start exploring the world for resources, new ideas brought back and technology
What is important about the classical period(480-323BCE)?
- Reemergence of language and writing
- development of many fields of study
