What is a myth? He tells the story of the life of the ancient gods, heroes and great feats. Thanks to these stories, we get acquainted with the worldview of the people of that time, their culture and customs. Usually myths explain to us the mysteries of the modern world, for example, why the sun rises, why the seasons change, why sea foam is white. We could answer all these questions today, relying on scientific knowledge, but the ancient people did not possess them, so we assumed that the gods led the cycle in nature.
Each of us is familiar with at least one myth. Translated from Greek, this word is translated as “tradition”, “legend”. Especially known are the biblical creation myths . It should be noted that different peoples of the world have very different versions of the appearance of the universe. In Orthodoxy, the creation of the universe took seven days; in China, it is believed that all life came from an egg. Therefore, when asked about what a myth is, one can answer that this is a narrative of various peoples of the world about the reality surrounding them. But the emergence of the world should lead to development or end, therefore myths about the end of the world are no less frequent than about its origin.
In a myth, nature is humanized in people, properties attributable to a living being are attributed to it. For example, rivers are associated with the blood of giants who died in battle, the Sun is a deity who starts his journey every morning on a golden chariot, while it should be borne in mind that God has different names for different peoples.
Based on this, the most important sign of the myth can be noted - this is symbolism. Therefore, in mythology, two different objects can be perceived as a whole. For example, the bride in Slavic mythology is symbolized with a swan in a flock of geese, that is, relatives of the groom who peck a noble bird. A single line is also drawn between bread and wealth, an egg and life, a towel and a darling. Moreover, the first is characterized by the signs of the second.
So what is a myth? This concept can be described as the experience of knowing the world of an entire generation that has been going on for centuries. It serves us as a bulwark of wisdom and fidelity to our traditions and people, the faith of our ancestors was based on it. Just as many of us today believe in God, so did the ancient peoples believe in heroes and gods, which their fantasy created.
Scandinavian myths say that the One God is One. This is a great warrior who accompanied the Vikings in their battles. It was believed that a warrior who died in battle with a sword would certainly fall into the kingdom of this god. In another case, a man quietly dying in bed will never be near Odin. Most likely, this is precisely what can partially explain their shocking power and power, which was held in faith.
Slavic myths open for us a completely different world, which is closer to the Russian mentality and is understandable to us by the general principles of creation, although it contains no less mysteries. In this mythology, the world is saturated with powerful supernatural power, which is not so dangerous for a mortal, but also not subject to him. The Slavs believed in the transmigration of souls, in the soul of stones, flowers, fire and much more. At the head of this world is the god Rod and his beloved Lada, as well as their descendants - Svarog, Mother-Swah god, Iria, Ra, Mokosh, Siva, Svyatogor, Chernobog, Dyy. These deities ruled our world, maintaining balance in it.
What is a myth? For today's generation of science fiction films and video games, it's hard to imagine what it is. Are these really gods on whose shoulders the universe stands, or is this a fantasy of an uneducated ancient man? But you can for a moment think that perhaps a myth is a reflection of reality that passed through the prism of the souls of our descendants ...