what is the uses and characteristic of a myth?

Question

myth is an ill-founded belief or story or simply just a legend. But i do not know what the uses and the characteritics of the myth are. Please answer my question... Thank you..

Answer 1

I think a myth is a fantasy which is readily believed to be true like you said legends. Uses I dunno, but example - harry potter is a fictional character. Wizards are mythical characters.

Answer 2

A myth is simply another form of story telling. Unlike legends which recorded an account of a grand/triumphant past, a myth was a tale loosely based on actual events and often played on people's fears/beliefs etc to exact some kind of social control on the community or explain an element to the people in the community. As such, they could act as a cautionary tale or as a deterent to bad behaviour in the community.

Also, many myths also helped the community understand the reasons/nature of its existence e.g. the mythological gods in ancient greek culture were used to explain the nautre of the world and man himself.

Answer 3

Myth may refer to:

myth from (mythos) identifies a sacred story or narrative containing supernatural, divine or heroic beings, arranged in a coherent system, passed down orally, and linked to the spiritual or religious life of a community. Myths have existed in all cultures since before recorded history. Myths are often set in mythical time, a time before time or history begins, and are intended to explain the universal and local beginnings ("creation myths" and "founding myths"), natural phenomena, inexplicable cultural conventions, and anything else for which no simple explanation presents itself. In this sense myth is distinct from fiction, legend, fairy tale, folklore, fable and tale.
myth a comparatively recent term that has been applied to stories that purport to have a basis in fact, but when examined are fictional. For example; urban myth, the myth of El Dorado. This usage, which is often pejorative, may have arisen from labelling the religious stories and beliefs of other cultures as being incorrect. As a term it allows no distinction between fiction, legend, fairy tale, folklore, fable, and urban legend, each of which has a precise meaning.
Mythology refers either to the act of relating myths or to the branch of knowledge dealing with the collection, study and interpretation of myths together with mythography, and folkloristics. As a field of study mythology is most closely associated with anthropology, psychology, literary and classical studies, political science and sociology, the later having the distinction of not requiring that a story be 'sacred' to qualify as a myth.
mythic is used to refer to a quality that partakes of myth, it is often used to describe elements of narratives that aren't necessarily myths. for example; superhuman strength, the ability to fly etc. Mythic can also be used as a pejorative to doubt the factual accuracy of an account.
mythical is a term that loosely denotes an element taken from a myth, legend or fable. for example; a frog prince, golden fleeces, elves, unicorns. It is sometimes also used to refer to subjects that cannot be verified empirically i.e. I'm still expecting my mythical pay rise.
Urban myth is an alternate term for urban legend

Answer 4

in simple terms:

myths is storytelling for cultural entertainment and literature productivity. It is mainly used to reinforce an idea or belief that will arouse interest amongst us.