Mythology

            
             The origin of the word myth seems to be a myth in itself. Myths have generally originated from a Greek history that used an oral tradition to explain events that occurred before the written word. Supernatural beings or imaginary characters were often used to explain popular ideas concerning nature or the history of people. The myths that were carried on from generation to generation were very imaginative in an attempt to get the interest of young listeners. These would usually be told at social gatherings. Another purpose of a myth was to relay historical information among groups. Most early myths dealt with the creation of man, religious rights, lives of gods, heroes, and the retelling of bible stories.
             The real meaning of the word myth is a narrative that presents part of the beliefs of people or explains a practice or natural phenomenon (Websters p.489). Often as individuals told the stories, they were changed slightly in context or meaning. One cannot be certain that historical myths are not historically correct. An instance where this fact was the case was in the Old Testament. Even the Old Testament can be looked at as being mythical, true, or false. From a religious standpoint, the Old Testament may be viewed as the history of Judaism and believed to be completely factual and true, but from a mythical perception it may be fictious in context. Mythology suggests that the fact that events were understood and told from many different views, the Old Testament may not be factual and only a myth of Judaism.
             The creation of man is an excellent example of a myth containing gods or superhuman characteristics and beliefs of time. Many cultures have a different myth to explain the origin of man. Some Indian myths say that the joining of spirits created man. These spirits also taught man how to survive. Their myth is similar to that of the Greek's because in both versions the creation of man involved supernatural interaction.