The proper usage of “myth” is up for argument, but the meaning on the actual word is not. The word myth was created from the greek word “mythos,” which translate (in English) to “story.” A myth is defined (in insert book name here) as the human brain’s attempt at making sense of the way that the world came to be as it currently is. Perhaps the hardest and most important factor when studying myths is knowing what the study means to you. After asking my peers and reading this chapter (Chapter one) I have taken a lot of different ideas and views about the definition of mythology and myths alone. I have decided that myths are an individual's way of compensating for the unknown factors that are in the understand of how our lives have become the way that they are. Myths are worldwide. …show more content…
All cultures, countries and religions use their own myths. The most common themes of mythology that I have found is the mythology is most commonly used to create a model for us all to look up to. A great one. I have found that no culture is excluded from this. Modernized America idolized the kennedy’s and their success. Native American’s idoled the God’s nature and the Greek’s created numerous God’s that explained all events that could occur. All cultures had their own type of myths, which all held some truth and held even more missing pieces that were filled in by mankind's words, creating myths. One other similarity I have found in that most cultures believe in an life after death. I don’t know that I have it in me to consider this a myth, as I do believe in it, however since it has never been proven true I can see that this could be considered mythical. One last similarity I have found is that many cultures symbolized animals. Biblical stories talk about serpent, doves, lamb and lions. Native American and Aztec stories often mention animals and see them as sign of luck or fortune. In the Koran the camel is a sign of the all mighty Allah. The Chinese see the pig as a smart, tempered and easily persuaded character. I feel that cultures share similar beliefs or, similarities are present because (in my opinion) it is human tendency to want explanations and to rationalize what we cannot understand. It is a hard concept to grasp that after death there could be nothing, so the human mind is left to wonder, as nobody has lived to tell us what is after death. The brain can make up for a lack of knowledge and thus created the belief of life after death that many cultures believe. I feel that many cultures believe the same myths because of how a myth is created. We create myths when there is an unknown factor. Different cultures share the same unknown factors, thus creating the same myths. While countries, cultures and religions share myths, time doesn’t always share