The word 'myth' comes from an ancient Greek word, 'mythos', which means 'a spoken or written story'. People often think of a myth as simply a story, but this is not the
complete picture. A myth is a story with a purpose. Generally, it tries to explain the way the world is, or the relationship between gods and goddesses, and human beings. Although the events that take place may seem impossible, the message behind the story may have an important religious or social meaning. The message sets myths apart from ordinary stories. People have always tried to understand the world's mysteries. They have looked for answers to questions as varied as 'Who made the Universe?', 'What .causes a storm?' or 'Why are humans different from animals?' Myths were developed so people could make sense of the different things that happened to them. This is why every society has had its own collection of myths - called its mythology:

Why do myths survive?

Some myths have survived for thousands of years. One reason for this is that in most societies myths play an important role in religion. They confirm people's beliefs and preserve them for future generations. Such stories are recorded in pictures, written down, or handed on by word of mouth. Of course, a myth is also much more likely to survive if it tells a good story: Many myths are told to teach people how to behave properly:
To get their message across, they need to hold their audience spellbound right from the start.

Good against evil

Myths are often concerned with right and, wrong. What is thought of as good and what is evil differs from one society to another, but most mythologies Include; beings who bring pain and trouble to people, as well as those who protect and comfort them. An evil monster will be defeated by bravery, strength and cunning, but the hero's and villain's actions are also intended to show people the benefits of choosing between good and bad behaviour. In return for good behaviour the hero is rewarded with a prize, often eternal life while the villain receives some terrible punishment, showing wickedness does not pay.

Gods and goddesses

Another important part of mythology is to explain the relationship between human beings and divine beings. The nature of gods and goddesses changes from one mythology to another, but generally they tend to reflect the ideals of the people who worship them, and are exceptionally quick-witted, or beautiful, or strong, and so on. The ruling Inca family claimed to have descended from a god; this made their authority stronger. Quite a few societies believe in a powerful, aloof, supreme god, who is surrounded by many minor gods and spirits. Some peoples see the gods as human in form and behaviour: the Greek divinities often act very like ordinary. The humans and can be jealous or spiteful. Other societies see the divine powers as the spirits behind the elements of nature, such as the Sun. Gods and goddesses are not always thought of as looking like, or even being, human: for example, in myths from North America and Siberia, animals and birds have the status of gods. In Egyptian and Near Eastern mythology, the gods are a mixture of human and animal forms, such as the jackal-headed Egyptian god ANUBIS. Although gods or goddesses might sometimes visit human beings, they are believed to live outside the world. Very often their home is in a land found above the Earth (Heaven) or below it (called the A Underworld). Heaven, Earth and the Underworld are sometimes linked by a World Post or World Tree: for example, in Norse and Siberian mythology

Creation myths

Many myths describe the page 30 creation of the Universe or the origin of the natural world and of human beings. This is often the act of a creator god or goddess who exists before anything else, such as PTAH, the Egyptian god, or the Finnish goddess, ILMATER. Although the divinities involved in the creation vary froni myth to myth, the basic stories are often the same. Creation myths usually begin with nothingness: the Universe has no shape or form. Out of this 'nothing' appear, one by one, the natural elements, such as the Sun, the Moon or the Earth. These are often named as gods and goddesses. Some African and Asian myths describe how winds stirred up water and Earth into a whirling mixture, which finally settled to become the heavy Earth with the sky above. The sky then watered the Earth, and life appeared. A similar Greek myth exists, in which the Earth and sky appear from chaos, but here the Earth and sky become the female GAlA and the male URANUS. Indian, Egyptian and Japanese myths see these first elements as joined together in a huge egg, floating in space. All life is then born from the egg. The first humans In some mythologies, the first humans are descended from a half-animal, half-human ancestor. In some Native American myths they are led onto Earth's surface from underground. In other myths, people grow like plants. In a myth from China, creates the first human beings just because she is lonely: But in many mythologies, people offend the gods early on, and are punished by a devastating flood that practically destroys the human race. This occurs in American, Indian, Near Eastern, Greek and Southeast Asian myths. One family may survive to begin the human race again.

Heroic humans

Every mythology has its heroes humans who perform extraordinary feats of bravery or go on fantastic journeys. They vary from one culture to another depending on the ideals of each society: All heroes seem to have certain features in common, however. The hero tends mainly because most Civilizations, were ruled by men, Women who do behave heroically tend to be acting alongside men, and they often come to grief. However, in Greek mythology heroes are helped and watched over by the goddess ATHENA. Sometimes the hero has one mortal and one divine parent, such as OLOFAT, the Micronesian hero who was the son of the Sun god. They may have immense physical strength; often their intelligence is tested too. The hero pursues a quest, frequently to find a sacred object. Along the way he saves people from monsters, and may be badly wounded, only to be healed by magic. At the end of his quest, the hero may be rewarded by becoming a god himself.

Culture heroes

A 'culture hero' is a character who acts with skill, daring or cunning to establish the basis of human society: For example, such a hero may bring fire to his people, or teach them the rules of civilized society: These characters are normally, but not always, male. In the mythology of the lakota from North America, a woman first brought the people their sacred pipe Myths exist to explain what happens after death often a number places where they go when they leave, depending on actions in this world. In Norse mythology, for example, warriors who die bravely in battle are carried through the sky by VALKYRIE maidens to a hall called VALHALLA. Wicked people are punished in the afterlife, spending eternity in various Hells or Underworlds, in which they are dreadfully tormented by. demons.