Mythology, Lesson Two: The Worldwide versus the Folk. by Danielle Sainte-Marie Now that we know the four roles mythology plays when it is functioning properly in our societies, it is time to ask the questions: “Why did these myths appear? What are the very beginnings of mythology?” The answers seem to be rooted in us. Our reactions to life, and all its attendant ups and downs, help us figure out what it means to be a human being, alive and often very confused. As we make sense of our world, we make sense of ourselves, and vice versa. Maybe, if we look hard enough, we can find a common origin to our myths; but, how to find the dawning of such an ancient subject? Well, it seems logical to begin with a study of the similarities in our myths. As human beings, it is simple to see what makes us different; but, what makes us the same? Adolf Bastian was a German polymath whose work as a global anthropologist produced some very interesting insights into the mythic stories of our cultures. After a lifetime as a world traveler, studying even the rarest of tribes, he came to notice something quite peculiar: there were certain themes in every culture and geographical location that consistently appeared, and yet, those themes were always in the form of some different disguise. He called these two observances: 1. Elementargedanken: The themes that appeared everywhere he labeled “Elementary Ideas.” 2. Volkergedanken: The disguises given to these universal themes by each culture, he labeled “Folk Ideas.” So, to explain this in a more direct way, let’s call a bicycle an Elementary Idea. Why? It is universal, it is everywhere. Every country with people has a bicycle. But, in each country, the bicycle will look different. These are its Folk Ideas. Some are built for 5 people, and some have sidecars. You are most likely to have a similar bike as another when you share a specific culture, or region. Bicycles, however, are not what we are concerned with. They are more like Elementary Machines/Folk Machines. We are talking about myths—our universal experiences and the systems of ideas for transmitting those experiences. What we will be primarily concerned with in this series of chapters are the Elementary Ideas. Why do they appear everywhere? What are they, specifically? Might we be able to get at some hidden “truths” through an exploration of these powerful, global ideas? If we were to still use the bicycle as an example, we would not here be concerned with all of its various disguises around the world. Instead, we want to strip away its paint and superfluous details, and ask, “Why the bike?” The answer to that last question lies in us, rooted deeply in our psychology. This is where we will go next. (Below: In the same manner that a bicycle is an elementary machine--that is, something that is common to the whole world, yet its disguises, or appearances, differ from land to land--so the same with our myths. The big myths appear in every land but have different characters and settings. The following chapters will explore why these same myths in varying disguises appear everywhere.)
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 15:25:01 +0000
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