What does the term myth mean to you?

Question

I have always viewed it as a positive term. It refers to a narrative or a story that while not factually accurate contains elements of truth that tells us about who we are and our relationships with others (creatures, things and the divine).

Answer 1

In saying that a myth is a sacred narrative, what is meant is that a myth is believed to be true by people who attach religious or spiritual significance to it. Use of the term by scholars does not imply that the narrative is either true or false.

Answer 2

Very good point. "Myth" means a story that is not factual, but the connotations of it differ depending on the situation.

When I say, for example, that there are myths in the Old Testament, I am saying that there are stories that are not factually or historically accurate but that are told and retold because they have a lesson to teach.

Answer 3

Think outside the box. Some myths these days contain a lot less truth than the myths of old.

Answer 4

I agree -- it's meant to convey something that is difficult or impossible to explain literally with symbolism. It may be the mystery of existence (impossible to explain literally and, so, symbolism points us toward it), different stages of human psychological and societal growth (while this is not impossible to express, a mythological story that contains symbolic elements for the common stages that a person's human development goes through offers more), etc. Joseph Campbell has done some excellent work on this stuff.

Answer 5

a myth is a fact that we have probably lost or a fact still waiting to be proven. Atlantis is a myth, King Arthur is a myth, Aliens are myths. We believe in the possibility of myths and its that possibility that will in time come to prove these myths true.

Dare i say it...? God/Allah/Krishna

They say that Dragons and Unicorns are myths but they can through science make flies eyes grow on a rat or stop a tail from forming using DNA strands. Theoretically scientists could make a horn grow on a horse or give bat wings to a skink. the genetic makeup of all these myth entities are stored within every DNA strand. You have the potential of having wings stored in your DNA it just needs to be sparked at the right time of your development for them to grow.
Scary?
Exciting?

Answer 6

It brings to mind no negative connotations for me. I like the legend of King Arthur for example.

Good to see you here, my friend.

Answer 7

Someone saying miss with a lisp...lol