Word Finder - mythology

definition

The collection of myths of a people, concerning the origin of the people, history, deities, ancestors and heroes.

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A similar body of myths concerning an event, person or institution.

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Pervasive elements of a fictional universe that resemble a mythological universe.

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The systematic collection and study of myths.

It precedes the green and flowery spring, as mythology precedes regular poetry.

Ultimately in post-Vedic mythology he becomes the Hindu Neptune.

But in the Syrian mythology foreign influences frequently betray themselves.

The figure of Ares appears in various stories of ancient mythology.

It was famous in Greek mythology, and is frequently mentioned by the great poets, especially by Sophocles.

The knowledge of Greek mythology, to which they were thus introduced, set poets and antiquarians at work in a field wholly foreign to the Roman religious spirit, the task of creating a Roman anthropomorphic mythology.

But, although not a critical scholar, he was the first to attempt a scientific treatment of Greek mythology, and he gave an undoubted impulse to philological studies.

According to northern mythology, Forseti, a son of Balder and Nanna, the god of justice, had a temple on the island, which was subsequently destroyed by St Ludger.

Their mythology so far as we know it, has a melancholy and mystic tone, and their religion partakes of the same character.

This view, however, has not met with general acceptance, on the ground that, in Semitic mythology, the moon is always a male divinity; and that the full moon and crescent, found as attributes of Astarte, are due to a misinterpretation of the sun's disk and cow's horns of Isis, the result of the dependence of Syrian religious art upon Egypt.

They studied criticism, grammar, prosody and metre, antiquities and mythology.

Thus when we speak of " the mythology of Greece " we mean the whole body of Greek divine and heroic and cosmogonic legends.

When we speak of the " science of mythology " we refer to the various attempts which have been made to explain these ancient narratives.

Az in the Avestan mythology was the demon serpent who murders Gayomert in the old Persian legend, and an ally of Ahriman, as also are the Pairikas or Penis.

For Sanchuniathon is a mere literary fiction; and Philo's treatment is vitiated by an obvious attempt to explain the whole system of religion on the principles of Euhemerus, an agnostic who taught the traditional mythology as primitive history, and turned all the gods and goddesses into men and women; and further by a patriotic desire to prove that Phoenicia could outdo Greece in the venerable character of its traditions, that in fact Greek mythology was simply a feeble and distorted version of the Phoenician.'

Other destructive agencies were epidemics, such especially as measles and small-pox, which swept away 30,000 Fijians in 1875; the introduction of strong drinks, including, besides vile spirits, a most pernicious concoction brewed in Tahiti from oranges; Maori Religion and Mythology, p. 26.

Yet another explanation from Egyptian mythology is given by Bousset (Offenbarung Johannis, 2nd ed., pp. 354, 355) in the birth of the sun-god Horus.

For attempts to find a mythological interpretation of Isaac's life, see Goldziher, Mythology of the Hebrews; Winckler, Gesch.

Philochorus also wrote on oracles, divination and sacrifices; the mythology and religious observances of the tetrapolis of Attica; the myths of Sophocles; the lives of Euripides and Pythagoras; the foundation of Salamis.

His work shows little or no originality; he simply versified in iambic trimeters the fables current in his day under the name of "Aesop," interspersing them with anecdotes drawn from daily life, history and mythology.

It is largely owing to the peculiar character of this god and the prominent position which he occupies that the mythology of the north presents so striking a contrast to that of Greece.

This derivation is, however, fanciful; the name bucentaurus is unknown in ancient mythology, and the figurehead of the bucentaurs, of which representations have come down to us, is the lion of St Mark.

In 1873 Dr Murray published a Manual of Mythology, and in the following year contributed to the Contemporary Review two articles - one on the Homeric question - which led to a friendship with Mr Gladstone, the other on Greek painters.

In other words, thought, which will 'not stop, takes to mythology; and in the place of reason we have superstition.

Moreover, in the unbridled exercise of speculation, the number of divine beings was increased indefinitely; and these fantastic accessions to l Olympus in the system of Iamblichus show that Greek philosophy 'is returning to mythology, and that nature-religion is still a power in the world.

But little need be said on the relation of animism and mythology.

While a large part of mythology has an animistic basis, it is possible to believe, e.g.

At the same time, with the rise of ideas as to a future life and spiritual beings, this field of mythology is immensely widened, though it cannot be said that a rich mythology is necessarily genetically associated with or combined with belief in many spiritual beings.

Of all the minor creatures of mythology the fairies are the most beautiful, the most numerous, the most memorable in literature.

Keightley's Fairy Mythology is full of interesting matter; Rhys's Celtic Mythology is especially copious about Welsh fairies, which are practically identical with those of Ireland and Scotland.

The cumbrous mythology and cosmogony of Mithraism at last weakened its hold upon men's minds, and it disappeared during the 4th century before a victorious Catholicism, yet not until another faith, equally Iranian in its mythology mad cosmological beliefs, had taken its place.

He certainly shows that the old Assyrian mythology influenced Mani, but not that this element did not reach him through Persian channels.

What gave it strength was that it united an ancient mythology and a thorough-going materialistic dualism with an exceedingly simple spiritual worship and a strict morality.

The only part of the Manichaean mythology that became popular was the crude, physical dualism.

Though less superstitious than the Tahitians, the idolatry of the Sandwich Islanders was equally barbarous and sanguinary, as, in addition to the chief objects of worship included in the mythology of the other islands, the supernatural beings supposed to reside in the volcanoes and direct the action of subterranean fires rendered the gods objects of peculiar terror.

Besides the anthropomorphic " giants, " mentioned above, Northern mythology speaks also of theriomorphic demons, the chief of which were Midgar6sormr, the " worldserpent," and Fenrisulfr, a monster wolf, the enemies of Thor and Odin respectively.

One of the most striking conceptions of Northern mythology is that of the " world-tree," Yggdrasil's Ash, which sheltered all living beings (see Yggdrasil).

Beside this belief, however, we find another which seems hardly to be compatible with it, viz., that the souls of the dead passed to the realm of Hel, who in Northern mythology is represented as the daughter of Loki.

Some scholars hold that they were peculiar to the mythology of Norway and Iceland and that they arose at a late period, largely through Christian influence.

To these must be added a large number of Old Norse writings including the older Edda and the prose Edda (the chief authorities for Northern mythology), Islands Landnamabok and many sagas dealing with the history of families in Iceland (such as Eyrbyggia Saga) or with the lives of Norwegian and other kings, both historical and legendary (in Heimskringla, Fornmanna Sogur and Rafn's Fornaldar Sogur Norr landa).

This mountainous character and the absence of any tolerable harbour - Pliny, in enumerating the islands of the Aegean, calls it "importuosissima omnium" - prevented it from ever attaining to any political importance, but it enjoyed great celebrity from its connexion with the worship of the Cabeiri, a mysterious triad of divinities, concerning whom very little is known, but who appear, like all the similar deities venerated in different parts of Greece, to have been a remnant of a previously existing Pelasgic mythology.

In the Apology, after contrasting the judicial treatment of Christians with that of other accused persons, he refutes the accusations brought against the Christians of atheism, eating human flesh and licentiousness, and in doing so takes occasion to make a vigorous and skilful attack on pagan polytheism and mythology.

His views on the connexion between magic and mythology are explained in 19.133 and 17.305; those on folklore are described in 10.601.

Here you find articles in the encyclopedia on topics related to religion and mythology.

Thus, if Epicurus objects to the doctrine of mythology, he objects no less to the doctrine of an inevitable fate, a necessary order of things unchangeable and supreme over the human will.

In mythology Oeta is chiefly celebrated as the scene of the funeral pyre on which Heracles burnt himself before his admission to Olympus.

Its importance for the history of religion and mythology is, in truth, very considerable, a fact which it is the great merit of Emin 7 and Dulaurier S to have first pointed out.

It is no wonder that the godless Korrishites thought these stories of the Koran not nearly so entertaining as those of Rostam and Ispandiar, related by Nadr the son of Harith, who had learned in the course of his trade journeys on the Euphrates the heroic mythology of the Persians.

The cow was the animal specially sacred to Hera both in ritual and in mythology.

They deal for the most part with the hearing of diseases, the bites of snakes and scorpions, &c., but incidentally cast many sidelights on the mythology and superstitious beliefs.