Myths Everyone Should Know

Introducing people of all ages to mythology... in pre-college educational curricula, youth orgs, the media, etc. Share your knowledge, stories, unit and lesson plans, techniques, and more.

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bodhibliss
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Myths Everyone Should Know

Post by bodhibliss »

There are so many.

I caught a discussion about this a few days ago on the Joseph Campbell Mythology Group on Yahoo - and several people offered lists of what they felt were myths that need to be taught.

Given the breadth and depth of the associate membership, i thought it would be interesting to take your pulse, and see what many of you believe are essential myths.

I approach it from the perspective of a public school teacher in the United States, so i tend to think of what myths are important in terms of understanding our culture (e.g., what do they need to understand the mythic references that infuse literature, religion, history, contemporary journalism, and the popular media),

and then in understanding world culture,

and finally in conveying core values.

I'm not using "core values" as code for moral instruction – for example, one of the key values the knowledge of mythology (and, come to think of it, literature) conveys is awe of and trust in the human imagination - a realization that is morally neutral.

Today's dominant culture emerged from the Greco-Roman cultural nexus of the Mediterranean world. Hence, a familiarity with Greek mythology seems essential to understanding so many developments of western culture, from art and philosophy to government and law. This is a no-brainer – and, indeed, the Greek (and, to a lesser extent, its Roman cousin) is often the only mythology to receive more than passing attention in public schools today – though even that is dwindling.

Usually, at the end of my literature unit on mythology, I would ask my seventh-grade students to compile a list of at least 50 examples of mythic imagery in contemporary usage today. Most of the examples come courtesy Madison Avenue – but it speaks to the power of the archetype when we realize images from archaic mythologies can still move millions today (if advertisers realize that, and can wield mythic motifs to make money, seems this dynamic could be channeled in more positive directions as well).

From Mercury (Hermes) delivering flowers for FTD, to a Mars candy bar, or the USC Trojans in a bowl game, or the Apollo space flights, or best-selling novels like Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," mythic references surround us – and most are to classical Greek or Roman figures. But absent any mythic framework, these are just names floating in space, with as much meaning as "Nissan" or "Datsun" or "Toyota" had to the American ear when Japanese exports first hit the auto market.

Hence a basic familiarity with Greek myth and the Olympic pantheon makes sense – the origin tale of each of the twelve gods (Zeus & Hera and their brood), their relationship to one another, how they succeeded the Titans, etc.. Apart from the gods, I would specifically include the tales of Pandora's Box, the Twelve Labors of Hercules, Jason & the Argonauts, Perseus & Medusa, Theseus & the Minotaur, the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the tale of Psyche & Eros.

One needn't get a doctorate in classical mythology, or even need read Homer to do this. A single work – say Ovid's "Metamophoses," Edith Hamilton's "Mythology," Robert Graves' "The Greek Myths," or even Bullfinch's "Mythology," should suffice to provide a sense of this mythic framework embedded in modern culture.

Western culture has one leg in the Hellenistic world – hence an emphasis on some sort of comprehensive survey of Greek myth – but the other leg is firmly planted in Jerusalem. Hence a familiarity with the Judeo-Christian mythic structure as well is key to understanding and living in contemporary western culture (one needn't subscribe to Judaism or Christianity to recognize the relevance of these myths, anymore than one would have to sacrifice a goat to Jupiter to understand Greco-Roman mythology).

Biblical myths everyone should know:

Adam & Eve & the Serpent in the Garden of Eden; Noah & the Flood; Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac (or Ishmael, from the Quran); Sodom & Gomorrah; Joseph & His Brothers; Moses, Pharaoah, & the Exodus; Samson & Delilah; David & Goliath; Daniel & the Lion's Den; the Birth of Jesus; the Life & Ministry of Jesus; the Crucifixion & Resurrection of Jesus; the Apocalypse and the Return of Christ.

Again, it's not necessary to earn a degree in theology – in fact, it's difficult to avoid being exposed to most of these stories in one form or another in the western world. These basic myths provide the foundation for the complex and elegant theologies that evolved in Judaism and Christianity, and that fueled major movements from the Diaspora, to the adoption of Christianity as official religion of the Roman Empire, to the Reformation, and beyond; on a practical level, they present the mythic background to the tribal conflicts still roiling the Middle East today, and are essential to understanding the mindset of many in the current political administration.

I approach the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman in terms of the "complete" mythology, rather than specific myths one should know, as the full package proves crucial to the western mindset.

However, I am also drawn to a number of specific myths or motifs from other cultures.

Innanna's Descent to the Underworld and the Epic of Gilgamesh are myths central to the Sumero-Akkadian civilization and it's successors for over two thousand years (with motifs from each rippling through other myths, from the flood of Genesis, to Hades' abduction and rape of Persephone or the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ).

Similarly, from Egypt, the tale of the love of Isis, and her search for, and remembering of, the dead Osiris.

The Birth, Life, and Enlightment of the Buddha, from India – simple, sweet.

King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table – which opens the door to the entire Arthurian cycle. Poignant as is the love of Tristan & Isolde, powerful as is the compassion that reveals the Grail to Parzival, it is Merlin and Arthur and companions who open the door to that realm. The Arthur cycle not only points the way to the potent realizations of a Wolfram von Eschenbach or a Gottfried von Straussburg, but provides a bridge back to half-forgotten myths and deeds performed in the guise of Celtic gods and heroes.

Coyote tales – very short, and there are so many, drawn from the indigenous cultures in pre-columbian North America – everyone should know one or two or ten (I'm drawn to the one where Coyote eats the plant that makes you shit – he eats a lot of it, and, well, with friends like that, who needs enemas?).

And not just Coyote, but I might suggest a separate section for trickster tales of all cultures

... and speaking of Trickster, how can I leave out Loki? The Teutonic and Norse pantheons are never explored enough (apart from Wagnerian opera), and contain a colder northern perspective than the Mediterranean warmth of their Greek counterparts – Asgard an Ibsen/Strindberg/Bergmann spin on Olympus?.

I would certainly include the tale of Baldur and Loki as one of the myths everyone should know.

There are so many more.

What have i left out?

mything you,
bodhibliss

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<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Bodhi_Bliss on 2007-01-13 22:59 ]</font>
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Clemsy
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Post by Clemsy »

Bodhi, last year my 7th graders, hands down, liked Orpheus and Eurydice and Daedelus and Icarus best of all the stories we covered. Something about these two really resonated with them.

Thae latter's parent/child relationship with the lesson of 'extremes can kill you', and the former's theme of romantic love (which even the boy's are interested in, even if they won't admit it) with its 'don't look back' offered material they could identify with and process.

Actually, I was surprised the Orpheus story was so successful. Usually 12 year olds will give a 'talk to the hand' to a love story.

Chalk it up to the power of myth!
Give me stories before I go mad! ~Andreas

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Post by A J »

There are some very good African tales, including animal fables which many of us, unfortunately, only got to know through Harris' Uncle Remus and his Brer Rabbit stories. The tales themselves are based on an older tradition. There are some good sources in Caribbean literature that don't have the taint of racism attached.

AJ

bodhibliss
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Post by bodhibliss »

On 2007-01-14 08:06, Clemsy wrote:
Actually, I was surprised the Orpheus story was so successful.
Wow - that's the thought that occurred to me the moment i read the words "Orpheus & Erydice" - in fact, that halted me in my tracks - i paused a moment and replayed the myth in my mind's eye, looking at it with a new eye, before i read the rest of the sentence.

The tale of Daedalus & Icarus is standard fare, part of every mythic package taught today ... but it would never have occurred to me to teach Orpheus & Eurydice to my junior high school students!

Makes me wonder in what other ways my thinking is box-bound - for, playing with the imagery, i see the potential. But then, i was surprised last year to hear so many students - particularly girls - lauding the Tristan & Isolde movie (which i have yet to see).

On reflection, Orpheus & Eurydice is more powerful than Romeo & Juliet - a musician with rock star status, a love so powerful it defies the bonds of death, a perilous descent into the Underworld on a quest that succeeds - but a success that proves fleeting in the waking world.

(Did your students also learn about Orpheus' demise, torn apart by the Bacchantes? ... i can't help but think of female groupies clutching at articles of a rock star's clothing ... )

I share your surprise, Clemsy.

That's why i love that age - adolescence, with all those hormones and fragmented thoughts and emotions and instincts and images churning, bubbling up - eventually these physical, chemical, emotional, and imaginal components will cool and gel and set - but for a brief few years they contain all potentials and possibilities.

Thanks for adding another arrow to my quiver, Clemsy - i look forward to loosing it in the classroom ...



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nandu
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Post by nandu »

Bodhi, you seem to have left out all the Hindu myths. I am hurt <IMG SRC="/forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif"> .

I'd say that the Ramayana and Mahabharata should be known to everyone. The Mahabharata has a special relevance because it is basically the story of a war.

Nandu.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

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Post by bodhibliss »

Thank you for correcting my oversight. I had planned to mention the Bhagavad Gita (within the context of the Mahabharata), but spaced it

... then, specifically, i believe the Krishna cycle - Krishna the little butter thief, Kirshna and the Gopi cow herdesses, etc. - belongs on this list.

namaste,
bodhibliss


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Post by nandu »

Don't include the Bhagavad Gita alone. It has been seriously criticised as a casteist document by Dalit (backward-caste) groups in India, with some justification. However, the Mahabharata is a superb story, in my opinion the greatest story ever told.

I think Ramayana is required because it portrays the Hero cycle so perfectly.

Of course, Krishna's stories are a must: they are so funny and endearing! But there are so many. The tenth chapter of the Bhagavatha is the appropriate source for the Krishna myth.

But Krishna transcends all boundaries. As a devotional poet of Kerala, Yusuf Ali Kecheri (a Muslim!) wrote:

Even after countless poets
have dipped their quills into you,
you remain full...


Nandu.
Loka Samastha Sukhino Bhavanthu

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Post by noman »

Myths everyone should know? This is a difficult question. Who is to decide which myths are more important – which cultures are more important. And how do we classify a story as myth and not legend or folk tale. I know of no hard and fast rule.

I think it would be best to divide the world of myths into two groups; first, the myths associated with the’ high culture’ arc that runs roughly from Japan through China, India, Persia, the Near East, Europe, to Iceland - and second, the myths from primary cultures of sub-Saharan Africa, Indonesia, Australia, Polynesia, Arctic regions and most of the New World.

From the high cultures:

1) The life of Christ
2) The life of Buddha
3) Genesis
4) Exodus
5) Epic of Gilgamesh
6) The Odyssey
7) The Iliad
8.) Oedipus Rex
9) The Ramayana
10) The Mahabharata
11) The life of Krishna
12) Beowulf
13) The Popal Vuh
14) The Fenian Cycle
15) Morte D’Arthur
16) Tristan and Isoude
17) Parcival
18) The Quest for the Holy Grail
19) The death of Balder
20) Tales of Herakles (Hercules)
21) Prometheus and Pandora
22) The Phaeton myth
23) Apollo and Daphne
24) Eros and Psyche
25) Demeter and Persephone
26) Europa’s abduction
27) Dedalus and Icarus
28) Perseus and Andromeda
29) The birth of Athena
30) Theseus and the Minotaur
31) Isis, Osiris, Seth and Horus
32) Ishtar and Tammuz
33) The eight immortals of Doaist mythology
34) The twenty-four examples of Filial Piety
35) Izanagi and Izanami
36) Tales of Jimmu-tenno
37) Tales of Yamato-takeru
38) The 47 ronin
39) Prometheus and Pandora
40) Orpheus and Eurydice
41) Narcissus and Echo
42) The theft of Thor’s Hammer
43) Bridge of the Requiter (Zoroastrian)
44) Paradise Lost (Milton)
45) The Divine Comedy (Dante)
46) The legend of Faust (Christopher Marlowe or Goethe)
47) The Aeneid (Virgil)
48) Hamlet
49) 2001 Space Odyssey (Arthur C. Clark & Stanley Kubrick)

Of course, high culture myths aren’t really superior to primary culture myths, but they are more widespread and tend to show up in the arts in various guises.

The best myths – the most important myths – the best stories – Truth is, everyone should have their own list.

- NoMan


<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: noman on 2007-01-18 21:35 ]</font>
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Vissi
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Post by Vissi »

One of my favorites of the Greek myths is the tragically romantic story of Hero and Leander. Pygmalion and Galatea is a much used cultural reference and worth knowing particularly for those who might want to rethink the glory of having one's creations come to life. <IMG SRC="/forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

Since I think of Western culture as an amalgam of many cultures, I would suggest for those living in the Americas that a knowledge of myths arising from the older civilizations of this land might be beneficial. A few that come to mind:

1) The mythos of Quetzalcoatl, the once-and-future king of many MesoAmerican societies

2) Tales of the pantheons of the Olmec, Mixtec, Toltec, and Aztec societies along with those previously mentioned

3) Yoruba tales of Yemaja and her children along with other West African myths that are prominent in the Caribbean and South America

4) The contemporary myth of the Virgin of Guadalupe

5) Tales of Iktomi or old Spiderwoman (including the Hopi creation cycles) along with other animal deities such as Raven, Bear, Eagle, Deer, Salmon

6) Tales of the kachinas including clowns such as Mudhead

7) The stories of White Buffalo Calf Woman, the War Woman/Pretty Woman, Sky Woman, Rainbow Woman, the Pollen Maiden --- the feminine energies as bringers of rituals, plants, and as leaders

8 ) Stories of Sedna and the Inuit pantheon

9) Polynesian myths such as the tales of Pele and Hina

10) "New World" myths of treasure such as The Seven Cities of Cibola, the Fountain of Youth (maybe that's universal but culturally it was sought in Florida), Columbus's erroneous belief that he had found Asia, the Northwest Passage (quickly becoming a reality, thanks to global warming)

Thanks bodhi and everyone. Fun to think about which myths we should all know. Personally, I'm currently enjoying the tales of the Mahasiddhas and Tibetan myths but realize those are specialized interests. I find the following site has a humorous twist with its editorial slogan "The Gods told us to do it":Godchecker.com

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Vissi on 2007-01-22 19:44 ]</font>

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Post by hobbit »

In line with Vissi, I believe that some familiarity with the Six Nations Peacekeeper, Deganahwedha and the Cherokee Pale One are also important.

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Post by somehopesnoregrets »

They are, in their non-Disneyfied versions, indeed a bit grim, but the Brother Grimm's folk and fairy tale collection holds a bounty of wisdom and beauty (especially when read with Jungian-influenced psychoanalytical commentaries).

Hugs.
:-) Julia

bodhibliss
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Post by bodhibliss »

Speaking of the Brothers Grimm, there is this version with on opening commentary by Joseph Campbell on the subject of fairy tales:

Image

I believe, if you click on the image, you can read the bookstore description

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Post by orpheusmaximo »

bodhibliss wrote:
On 2007-01-14 08:06, Clemsy wrote:
Actually, I was surprised the Orpheus story was so successful.
On reflection, Orpheus & Eurydice is more powerful than Romeo & Juliet - a musician with rock star status, a love so powerful it defies the bonds of death, a perilous descent into the Underworld on a quest that succeeds - but a success that proves fleeting in the waking world.

(Did your students also learn about Orpheus' demise, torn apart by the Bacchantes? ... i can't help but think of female groupies clutching at articles of a rock star's clothing ... )

I can only add that for anybody with a strong musical & artistic interest, the Orpheus & Eurydice story
( historically accurate to the greek myth or as an open interpretation like in Moulin Rouge ) is very, very strong, speaking among others:

- Of charisma and talent facing death in the name of love ( an idea of love as
a personal interaction that predates Romeo & Juliet and the medieval troubadours by centuries ).

- Of music as a powerful, magical force ( something that I believe is archetypical, since music is the basis for all human religious ritual and spoken language )

- Of hero worship and cult of personality. Orpheus is the original Rock star, but he is also the founder of a religion ( music & the supernatural again ), and was assimilated by the early christians into the Jesus Christ myth. That's where " Jesus charming the animals " comes from.

- And with all those forces in action, it speaks deeply of human frailty. Orpheus has the power to walk the halls of Hades, but by his own nature is incapable of bringing Eurydice back to life.

- Finally of charisma and talent overcoming death. Orpheus is torn apart by the Bacchantes but his head still singing floats with his lyre to the Isle of Lesbos. The man dies but the music lives on.

Were I to listen to the songs Orpheus head sang while his lyre resonated the motions of the wind and the lesbians made loud, wet love under the bright starry skies...

...give me my guitar... I'll try to imagine it...

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Post by jonsjourney »

I am sure it would be hard to add anything that has not already been mentioned somewhere, but here are a couple of my favorites...

Black Elk Speaks. I know this is a book (A Biography) about a real man, but his vision and the subsequent re-enactment of his vision is one of the most powerful mythic images I have ever read.

2001: A Space Odyssey. A true visionary myth for the space age.

The Hobbit. So many things happen in this book and it teaches us to be brave and strike out into the unknown world.
"He was a dreamer, a thinker, a speculative philosopher... or, as his wife would have it, an idiot." -Douglas Adams

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Post by Jupiter524 »

A few years ago, I started teaching Greek myths in my Introduction to World Literature class at a local university. Students eat this stuff up! Here's a list of Greek myths that my students have found offer valuable insights into their own lives:

Cupid and Psyche (they love the idea of sorting the seeds of what is within you)
Persephone and Demeter (that whole trip into the underworld gets them)
Narcissus (the idea that he needs to discover his nature beyond its surface level)
Phaeton and Helios

These have been the ones they consistently connect with. Each semester, I ask students to prepare a final project that grows out of their experience with the literature. After all, literature is about the human condition. I am floored by the stuff I get. The presentation may be a simple scrap book, powerpoint, or something more elaborate, such as an oil painting. But the thing that always thrills me is the revelation of deep, personal engagement with the literature. And the myths I listed above are consistently used in these presentations (along with Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken."

This is a great discussion. Thanks for bringing it forth. I'm a new associate, so I'm just reading around in the forums.

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