Myths In Neolithic Cultures Around the Globe

QUESTION

World Cultures I

Week 1 – Discussion

Myths In Neolithic Cultures Around the Globe

Describe the functions of ancient myths, using examples from two (2) different neolithic cultures, and comment on whether myth is inherently fictional. Using modern examples, discuss ways modern belief systems, secular or religious, function for modern cultures in a similar fashion.

Discussion: 

The function of myth is:

A myth is an attempt to make sense of things. The second function of mythology is the Cosmological  which provides the boundary conditions of the universe, explaining the origins, shape, size, location, and birth and death dates of things such as time, space, matter, energy, biological organisms, and the universe as a whole. Humanity’s mythology and philosophy in this respect is incredibly sophisticated.

Two examples of Neolithic myths are:

The creation myth of the Maidu tribe of California. Like the Cahuilla, the Maidu pictured a primordial universe that was prior to the earth as we know it. It was water, all water, with no air, earth, light, or darkness. And in the beginning we find an individual who is called Earthmaker and who is responsible for the creation of earth as well as most other things that ultimately come to inhabit earth. Interestingly, Earthmaker never literally makes earth himself but always works through others.

In another Maidu story, also collected by Dixon, Turtle and Father-of-the-Secret-Society are floating on a raft when Earth-Initiate descends to them. Earth is ultimately made when Turtle is sent under water at the end of a very long rope and finally emerges, six years later and covered with green slime, with mud under his nails. Earth-Initiate makes the mud into earth by scraping it out into a ball and allowing the ball to grow into the earth as we know it.

Are myths inherently fictional or not? 

• I think myths started out as stories with some truth to them and through out the years have become these legendary things. It’s like the story of Jesus, it is  referred to as the greatest story ever told. Now while there may be some truth to it I think a lot of it is just stories that have been told over the years.

An example of a modern myth is:

• In Wyoming, as darkness falls on Devils Tower, a different kind of light illuminates the night sky. That light, comes from objects in deep space, and transforms the night from a place of darkness into a place of wonder.The Tower is an astounding geologic feature that protrudes out of the prairie surrounding the Black Hills. It is considered sacred by Northern Plains Indians and indigenous people.

ANSWER

Myths in Neolithic Cultures around the Globe

Functions of Ancient Myths:

Myths play the role of forming and shaping the society and the behavior of individuals. The primary function of a myth is to explain concepts and occurrences that are considered ‘unexplainable’ or phenomena. Myths provide answers to social dilemmas and are used to tailor or mold the behavior of people in society through instilling fear for the supernatural or portraying the benefits of being well-behaved. They are considered sacred narratives and are mostly stories about superhuman and powerful beings or gods. They may consist of a religious aspect and are detached from the present since they tell of a mythical age that is closer to the divine.

Examples of Neolithic Myths:

The San people believed that dancing for a long period activated a concept of potency or personal energy and that the whole community could acquire that energy (num). The dance was directed by a shaman (who was an individual thought to possess a unique ability to communicate with the world of spirits) and encouraged the num to heat up until it boils over and rises through the spine to explode, resulting in the dancers entering into a trance. The dancers would then start trembling and sweating, or even convulse and become rigid. The San claimed that the dancer’s num was capable of curing illnesses, controlling the weather, or managing game.

The Maidu tribe of California have a myth that explains creation. The story claims that people had been speaking the same language for many years until suddenly everyone began speaking in a different tongue. The creator, known as Kulsu, was able to speak all the languages. He called the people together and told them the names of all the animals in their own languages, taught each tribe ways to get food, and provided them with rituals and laws. Each tribe was then sent to a different place to live in.

Are myths inherently fictional or not?

Myths are fiction since there is no proof of the accounts that are provided in mythical narratives. Myths are formed and told in the quest of providing answers to unexplained situations in the world.

An example of a modern myth is:

In the prison of Alcatraz, there is a myth about a demon that was kept in one of the cells. Prisoners claim that the prison has ghosts of prisoners who died there, with some claiming to see them at night. Even though there has been no evidence of the myths and claims, many people believe the story.