Hine 113

Front 1

tylor

Back 1

early anthropologist, believed myths were a primitive religion that worked to explain natural phenomenon like seasons etc. gods explained events to the people.

myth is counterpoint to science, science is impersonal BC attributes the explanation of events to natural laws while myth is personal.

believes myth and science incompatible, both offer direct explanation to the same event. Rain god v. meteorological processes. feels that a myth means what it says, no euphemisms.

Front 2

fraser

Back 2

similar to tylor, believes Myth is primitive religion and act as a counterpoint to science. Myth can both explain physical world and affect it, myth and ritual. doesn't take myth by itself but in relation to ritual as well. By reenacting death/rebirth of god of vegetation the primitive religion seeks to assert control over crop growth. myth and ritual together.

Front 3

levy bruhl

Back 3

myths are plainly illogical or prelogical. myths conceive a different world for primitives, where are things may participate in the mystical realm and become different things but remain distinct at the same time.

tribe in brazil, think they're red parrots. use myth not to explain or affect world but to communicate with it.

Front 4

malinowski

Back 4

saw the active role of myth in society. believes myths didn't only explain physical world or method to commune with it, but shape world for the primitives. myths seek to control, they reconcile primitives to natural phenomenons and catastrophes like death/illness/accidents, etc. myths work to shape society by est basis for rituals, customs and laws.

Front 5

levi strauss

Back 5

like tylor, myth attempts to explain physical world. humans think/classify the world in pairs of contradictions and project those onto the world.

like rain and drought, life and death. myth words to resolve or temper those oppositions.

invented structuralist approach to myth, moves through a series of interlocking contradictions.

Front 6

radin

Back 6

deals with physical world and metaphysical topics. believes that primitives have capacity to understand deeper meaning of life. goes against levy bruhl who thought myth not compatible with phil.

Front 7

eliade

Back 7

by explaining something, the myth is able to regenerate itself when it is heard/read/reenacted. the myth magically transports the listener/reader/audience to when the myth took place. allows people to see dividnity.
myths are made by attributing supernatural ability to people who accomplished great things. even modern day myths like george washington.

believes myths prevalent in today's stories.

Front 8

smith

Back 8

pioneer of myth and ritual theory, argues that ritual is central to ancient religion. ritual primary focus an dmyths were secondary. myths supported and gave credence to ritual. first to connect myth with ritual. myths rely on existence of ritual.

Front 9

myth and ritual

Back 9

states that myths do not stand by itself but is tied into rituals. They are not statements but are actions. there are many different versions, but most importantly, this approach to myth focuses on the connection between (obviously) myth and ritual.

Front 10

Freud

Back 10

applied psych to myths looked deeper in meaning. famous for Oedipus complex interpretation. F thinks underneath myths lies the autobiography of the myth maker, their inner psyche.

Oedipus complex, desire to sleep with mom and kill dad. desire exists in all men to F and must be repressed when you age.

repression myth, of what inner self wants. F says myths allow people to do what they repress without facing reprecussions.

Front 11

Jung

Back 11

unconsciousness in myth, divides life into two. first half is forming a consciousness of external world, second is forming consciousness of the unconscious. one must not be severed from internal world. archetypes.

Front 12

Campbell

Back 12

discusses hero myth and development of a hero. separation initiation return, path for myth hero. hero's rite of passage.

hero leaves home, with his father in power, and enters a mystical world where he has his supernatural adventure. returns home with spoils. this is psych rite of passage for reader/listener. live vicariously through hero.

Front 13

Propp

Back 13

Discusses mythical archetype. analyze russian fairy tales, able to see certain structure to mythical stories. ID 31 characteristics of a myth and how it develops.

Front 14

Girard

Back 14

myth ritualist who believes that myth stems from ritual in order that it may justify the ritual. Girard discusses the ritual in which a king is often times killed or sacrificed for the good of the community during bad times so that he may restore balance to the community. He says that the myths that discuss this ritual came about AFTER the ritual in order to justify it. The act of scapegoating the king or anyone for that matter during times of famine or no rain is, to Girard, a natural human response. So in order to justify their actions, a myth is created to support the ritual.