What are some common myths that are based on factual events and people?

Question

According to some modern critics, Christianity embraces myths and legends. Many scholars reject as myths the virgin birth of Jesus, his miracles, and his resurrection. Some even say he never existed but that his myth is a carryover from more ancient mythology and sun worship. As mythology expert Joseph Campbell wrote: “Several scholars have suggested, therefore, that there was never either John [the Baptizer] or Jesus, but only a water-god and a sun-god.” This however flies in the face of historical evidence. Jewish historian Josephus testified to the existence of both John and Jesus. What are some other myths that have developed out of historical events?

Answer 1

Johnny (Chapman) Appleseed has a lot of folklore myths attached to his persona...

Answer 2

George Washington and the cherry tree. Old west outlaws and sheriffs were made bigger than life.

BTW You may have missed that Josephus never recorded King Herod killing first born Hebrew boys, or there being a bright star, or a great earthquake following the death of Jesus. All very newsworthy events that would have corroborated things, no?

Answer 3

Johnny Appleseed

Answer 4

The famous Akkadian myth called the Epic of Gilgamesh. Our knowledge of this is based mainly on a cuneiform text that came from the library of Ashurbanipal, who reigned 668-627 B.C.E., in ancient Nineveh.
It is the story of the exploits of Gilgamesh, described as being two-thirds god and one-third man, or a demigod. One version of the epic states: “In Uruk he built walls, a great rampart, and the temple of blessed Eanna for the god of the firmament Anu, and for Ishtar the goddess of love . . . , our lady of love and war.” However, Gilgamesh was not exactly a pleasant creature to have around. The inhabitants of Uruk complained to the gods: “His lust leaves no virgin to her lover, neither the warrior’s daughter nor the wife of the noble.”
In response to the people’s protest the goddess Aruru created Enkidu to be the human rival of Gilgamesh. However, instead of being enemies, they became close friends. In the course of the epic, Enkidu died. Shattered, Gilgamesh cried: “When I die, shall I not be like Enkidu? Woe has entered my belly. Fearing death, I roam over the steppe.” He wanted the secret of immortality and set out to find Utnapishtim, the deluge survivor who had been given immortality with the gods.Gilgamesh eventually finds Utnapishtim, who tells him the story of the flood. As found in Epic tablet XI, known as the Flood Tablet, Utnapishtim recounts instructions given to him concerning the flood: “Tear down (this) house, build a ship! Give up possessions, seek thou life. . . . Aboard the ship take thou the seed of all living things.” Does this not sound somewhat similar to the Bible’s reference to Noah and the Flood?

Answer 5

welp. When Saint Patrick was a missionary, he used the clover to demonstrate the trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)
and some how that got twisted into him wearing green all the time, which he didn't.

Answer 6

And Josephus never met either of them. Robin Hood is a better one.

The cartoon was much more entertaining too.

Answer 7

the line you draw between fable and actuality is a faux one. "fable" would not recommend "untrue" by way of its etymological definition. fable comes from the Greek "mythos" or tale. A fable is any tale touching directly to divine figures that provides us clues approximately a thank you to stay our mortal lives. Pagans settle for Greek mythology as mythology because of the fact all of us recognize that the memories with regard to the gods are merely that: memories with regard to the gods, or myths. the classic Greeks did no longer see them as actually real, or a minimum of observed them as actually real in basic terms in various ranges. cutting-side Pagans are comfortable with this theory of the myths as no longer actually real yet nonetheless significant to their faiths. The word "fable" isn't insulting to us because of the fact all of us recognize its meaning. in spite of the indisputable fact that, monotheistic religions have a tendency to recoil on the term "fable" getting used to describe their holy texts besides the actuality that it rather is an precise term that would not influence the validity of their faith. they have drawn the line between fable and fact and attempt to declare that their faith is real and ours are all myths. The Bible, the Torah, and the Koran are all books of legends and myths, yet that would not recommend that they are inevitably fake, merely that they subject divine figures. They weren't written to be taken because of the fact the literal fact the two, the Bible least of all. in spite of the indisputable fact that, in our cutting-side-day way of existence, monotheistic religions savor a public theory of a few quantity of legitimacy that Pagan religions do no longer. that's partly because of the fact of ways plenty greater mainstream monotheism has grow to be and how polytheism is a reasonably small minority in our day and age. it rather is totally effortless for individuals to be familiar with the assumption of one god, despite if or no longer they suspect in that god or no longer, yet while they hear approximately polytheism, they think of of historical, lifeless cultures, or of Hindus, so it shocks them to take heed to that the Pagan religions are returning and that individuals nonetheless worship Zeus, Odin, Jupiter, or Osiris. It has to do with what all people is used to and what they are not. Venus and Hermes Bless

Answer 8

Homers Odyssey speaks of real places and of gods such as Zeus, Zeus must be real.