Purpose of Myth Review

1. Four fundamental questions that myths address:

• Who am I?
• How much control do I have over my my own life?
• What must I do in order to survive?
• How can I lead a satisfying life? 

2. Four themes of myths:

• The first "parents" were gods of sky and Earth.
• A cycle of birth, maturity, and death, then you are re-birthed.
• The first humans were made out of trees or clay.
• A large flood occurred and destroyed Earth.

3. The beginning of the universe for most major cultures was that Earth was filled with chaos. As a result, the Gods separates everything, from planets to oceans. During this process, the Gods create humans form clay or trees.

4. Hero myths and epics teach members of society the appropriate behavior, attitudes, and values of that culture.

5. Ordinary people identify with heroes because heroes have human weaknesses that humans can relate to. Examples may be arrogance or selfishness.

6. The foundation of the Matriarchal Society was the political, economic, social, and religious foundation was the agriculture.

7. Sigmund Freud's view of myths is that myths are the expression of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives. This basically illustrates how a person wants to do/be something that is unattainable. So, myths are a way of releasing what your greatest desire is.

8. Myths demonstrate that people possess the intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they live in; myths show that people had the ability to understand this world.