The Role of Myths in My Life As long as America has been a country, myths have been told. From the United States to Europe and beyond, many myths are a part of culture everywhere. Myths are the ultimate “gather round’ the campfire” type of stories, the kind a grandfather would grab the attention of his grandson with. Some are good, some are bad, some are scary and some are joyful, but they all have values and principles that bleed out when each one is told. In this essay I will describe my favorite myth from each place I have lived, and how they have influenced me. Coming from a near ancient American city in South Carolina, I have heard an immense number of myths and legends, most of them pertaining to past wars, slavery, Gullah culture,
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(“BYU Harold B. Lee Library.” Skin-Walkers (Navajo Legend) | World History & Culture | L. Tom Perry Special Collections | HBLL, Brigham Young University , 3 Sept. 2014, sites.lib.byu.edu/worldhistory/folklore-william-a-wilson-folklore-archives/popular-search-topics/skin-walkers-navajo-legend/) I first heard this myth from a friend who is a Shoshone descendent here in Wyoming. He had me so intrigued when the story came to an end I wanted to know more. I later researched it for this paper and found out his descriptions to be in favor of the research. He described the skin walker, saying he, his mother, and a few native friends of his had seen skin walkers before. He said the skin walker is a bad spirit that the natives believe in. A person will become a skin walker if he or she commits some form of murder or rape of a family member, or something similar. It is said that if you come in contact with a skin walker, and stare it directly in the eye, it will curse you into a slow and apparent death. The only way to fix this is by a visit to a medicine man. (“BYU Harold B. Lee Library.” Skin-Walkers (Navajo Legend) | World History & Culture | L. Tom Perry Special Collections | HBLL, Brigham Young University , 3 Sept. 2014) My friend described the skin walker he saw as in its “natural form”- a human like creature, except a pale, long torso, with arms and legs, hips like a dog, that protrude …show more content…
Myths have became a part of my life because of the places that I have lived and I am grateful for that. Myths often n give me a reason to believe how sane I am, and how crazy some people have to be to come up with them, and others inspire me. I think of superstitions often, and I believe they are real. I have awaken from a long nights sleep exhausted, possibly from a boo hag. I have not yet seen a natural skin walker, nor a shapeshifting animal, but I could have seen one in human form, maybe you have too. Who knows. All I know is these two myths and ones that are similar will remind me of the “bad spirits” in my life, and to always live positively, and
(“BYU Harold B. Lee Library.” Skin-Walkers (Navajo Legend) | World History & Culture | L. Tom Perry Special Collections | HBLL, Brigham Young University , 3 Sept. 2014, sites.lib.byu.edu/worldhistory/folklore-william-a-wilson-folklore-archives/popular-search-topics/skin-walkers-navajo-legend/) I first heard this myth from a friend who is a Shoshone descendent here in Wyoming. He had me so intrigued when the story came to an end I wanted to know more. I later researched it for this paper and found out his descriptions to be in favor of the research. He described the skin walker, saying he, his mother, and a few native friends of his had seen skin walkers before. He said the skin walker is a bad spirit that the natives believe in. A person will become a skin walker if he or she commits some form of murder or rape of a family member, or something similar. It is said that if you come in contact with a skin walker, and stare it directly in the eye, it will curse you into a slow and apparent death. The only way to fix this is by a visit to a medicine man. (“BYU Harold B. Lee Library.” Skin-Walkers (Navajo Legend) | World History & Culture | L. Tom Perry Special Collections | HBLL, Brigham Young University , 3 Sept. 2014) My friend described the skin walker he saw as in its “natural form”- a human like creature, except a pale, long torso, with arms and legs, hips like a dog, that protrude …show more content…
Myths have became a part of my life because of the places that I have lived and I am grateful for that. Myths often n give me a reason to believe how sane I am, and how crazy some people have to be to come up with them, and others inspire me. I think of superstitions often, and I believe they are real. I have awaken from a long nights sleep exhausted, possibly from a boo hag. I have not yet seen a natural skin walker, nor a shapeshifting animal, but I could have seen one in human form, maybe you have too. Who knows. All I know is these two myths and ones that are similar will remind me of the “bad spirits” in my life, and to always live positively, and