Sunday, August 30, 2015
Aetiological Myth
I would define aetiological myth as a culture's explanation for something that has happened in the past, usually in nature. An aetiological myth is usually one that is very supernatural, especially when it comes to phenomenon in nature. One example of this is in Hesiod's Theogany. The Greeks have a story of how the earth and the heavens came into existence which is quite a simple story. The myth says that the "Chasm" came out of nowhere, and out of it came earth where man would live. Then out of earth came the night, and from the night came air and day. Then earth bore the sea, and the heavens. (Hesiod pg 6). The Greeks came up with this creation explanation to fit their ideas, and this would build into more of their aetiological myths.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I like how you are connecting the very first aetioloigcal myth that we find in the Theogany to the others that follow. The way in which a culture attempts to describe and explain its moment of origin provides us with an important key with which to unlock its worldview and points of cultural value.
ReplyDelete