U.H.S. Mythology @ The Modyland Institute

I was very intrigued by the thought of comparing mythology and folklore as I have never really considered them next to each other but now the more I realize it I have been shown the light on the two.  Although folklore does not have the all powerful gods, the clay-made humans, nor the world being held up by a strong dude (not too unlike myself), I think that in general the two are one in the same.  Both mythology and folklore have a purpose, a lesson if you will.  In a sense both also have a hero and a journey of that hero with stops along the way to insight beliefs and teachings to its audience.

I think however that something is missing from this discussion… the word Legend.  Although all three are very similar for the sake of argument I can see distinct differences that could be cause of seperation.  To break it down simply:

Myth: A story that is pretty much regarded as false that may have been a belief at one time (silly Greeks)

Folklore: Sometimes a combination of both myth and legend at least containing one, the term “tale” sums it up.

 Legend: A story that could be based on fact (most likely exageratted) that has a signifigant cultural impact (shout out to the man in the green tights)

I am confident on one thing, folklore, myth and legend all convey cultural values.  The difference comes from the level of significance. Lore is passed around groups of people, with similar backgrounds, like the telephone game. This would mean that at one point Greek myths were essentially folklore.   Legends are based heavily on real people and events that were mostly true. And then you have Myth which not true but was believed at one time to be be factual.

In all honesty if I had to pick one to follow it would be Legend and if I had to pick two I would add folklore to that list.  I almost feel bad throwing away myth in a course titled “Mythology,” but in reality the content of myths provide little to none life application wheras the other two being based a little on real life seem to have the fix any lesson-learning person needs.

Robin Hood seems to fit the description of a legend turned folklore and I think his story is the most valuable to us currently.  In a day and age where we don’t question existence and creation as much because we have to be “PC,” “feather hat” over here serves the better influence on modern culture due to the morals conveyed as well as the curiosity towards the legend.  I’m a man who likes the truth so I’m sorry Zeus but you are no longer invited to my party of relevant story characters.

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Mythology vs. Folklore

Although many people see folklore and mythology as virtually the same topic, I see them as completely different. There are a few similarities in that they both discuss morals, vital human traits, and adventures that teach important life lessons. However, mythology is a much stronger class of stories, it represents culture where folklore, as I see it, is solely a type of entertainment. Something that is told around a fire while someone plays the banjo. While mythology was also a form of entertainment to ancient peoples, it is a much stronger class of stories, a class that reflects values and lessons that are the core of certain cultures. Folklore also teaches important lessons and values, however it is much more informal and not as important to a civilizations culture.

Robin Hood and Beowulf

Robin Hood is a tale of folklore. It has adventure, a hero, and a storyline that teaches the lesson of generosity and doing what is right. Robin Hood fought the wicked rich and gave to the innocent poor. In a way, he saved his people, he was a hero. This is a very similar story to Beowulf, a man who saved his own people from wicked monsters. Both of these stories are considered to be English folklore. They have many of the same characteristics as more ancient mythologies, such as the story of Heracles or Jason. All of these tales convey important messages that the people of their respective cultures valued. However, stories such as Heracles and Jason were the foundations of Greek culture and a model of how people should act and respond to challenges in life. We study these myths to futhur our knowlege of how these people lived and what they believed in. This is not the case with English folklore. Although Robin Hood shows values of justice and generosity, which was most likely important traits to the English, I do not believe these stories were as important to the developement of English culture as the Greek myths were. They were mostly just stories, something fun to pass the time with and to envoke a sense of adventure and excitment in the English people. Stories to be exchanged around a fire, not cultural building blocks.

In Conclusion

It is easy to see the similarities between folklore and mythology. They are both collections of stories with a hero, and adventure, and an underlying message. However, it is important to look deeper into the meaning of these stories and what role they played in their respectives cultures. By digging deeper one can see that mythology doesnt only teach life lessons, but gives explination for why the world is here, why we are here, and what will happen to us after death. Folklore are simply stories that were created to keep people entertained.

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What’s the difference?    

     In my opinion there is absolutely no difference between the two. Joseph Campbell said it himself, “folklore is the common man’s myth.” myth Folklore and mythology are both made up of myths, and the only way these two mythos differ is the setting in which they are most often told. Generally, myths regarded as folklore are told for their entertainment qualities whereas ”mythology”  is percevied in a more academic light and therefore examined with a finer lense. However, the difference that is perceived is not inherent in the myths themselves, it is manmade. In actuality it doesn’t exist at all. They are the same exact types of stories but for some reason we separate them in our minds. There is definitely a predjudice that is present when we approach stories regarded as folklore versus when we approach stories regarded as myths, just look at the two words. Mythology is a verifiable science, it means “the study of myths”. Compare that to the word folklore, which is simply a combination of two colloquialisms, folk and lore, the first being used for someone who would be considered more of an Avergare Joe than a dignified academic and the latter term is used more often that not for a story that is exaggerated or false. Judging from the connotations of the terms alone it would appear that mythology is more respected and credible than it’s counterpart, folklore.

Folklore as Mythology

     Now many would argue that mythology is in a class all it’s own because myths convey the deep cultural themes of a society, and I would agree. However, folklore accomplishes this same goal but it doesn’t require an intellectual background to appreciate it. In this way I would consider folklore a more effective venue for conveying a theme, because this opens up the story for everyone to enjoy.

     If we surveyed everyone in our highschool, the ratio between the amount of people who said they enjoyed Robin Hood or King Arthur to the amount of people who said they enjoyed the myths of any pantheon we’ve studied (including Greece) would, in my opinion, be quite drastic. And while some of this can be attributed to certain stories’ place in mainstream culture, I don’t believe that that is the underlying cause. It is because the idea of mythology immediately carries the burden of intellectual activity, and this will in many cases create a resistance in the minds of the audience, the thought that, “I’m not going to like this, it’s too hard/complex/confusing”. In contrast, folklore will take that same theme and package it in a way that is appealing to the public at large. It essentially gives you the lesson that you need without you knowing you’re learning a lesson at all, thereby preventing the brain from shutting down right off the bat.

Robin Hood and Beowulf

     The story of Robin Hood conveys the importance of righteousness, justice, generosity, empathy, selflessness, humility, and duty to community without a assigning a god for each one of these traits that must be learned and understood. Instead, the story is easier to relate to, presenting all these god-like traits in one extraordinary man which gives both children and adults a realistic example of humanity to attempt to imitate.

     In Beowulf, the indomitable strength of the human spirit is shown in his mutliple heroic encounters with evil creatures as he travels from country to country, freeing the the native people from the tyranny of their local monster.  Even in death he is successful, slaying a dragon but dying from the wounds it inflicted. His story teaches honor, strength, bravery and the duty to protect in the same way that Robin Hood’s does, with a relatable main character and a simple but exciting storyline that keeps the audience drawn in while the theme is slowly released into their consciousness. Beowulf’s life thus becomes somewhat of a guide to an honorable and fulfilling existence, and much like Robin Hood he is emulated for his adirable qualities. For example, the story of Beowulf was read to armies before battle in hopes that they would be inspired to be like the great hero, brave and strong in combat and accepting and honorable in death.

In Conclusion

     Just because English folklore is more popular with mainstream society and less complex than other pantheons we have studied does not mean that they are without the deeper themes that we have found in the more traditional “mythologies”. It simply means that in the environment that these stories are generally told they are not examined closely enough to make these themes obvious. Beowulf, King Arthur and Robin Hood are just as admirable as Jason or Hercules, and in my opinion their stories are more respected than their ancient counterparts. If no one hears about Perseus or Theseus then who have they helped? The overall relatability (Copyright Mike Olbrych, 2009) of the English legends is something that every myth and storyteller should strive to achieve. It uses human nature to your advantage, and it helps convey your message to more people than just the scholarly.

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Not Just Toys 

When we watched the Egyptian myth powerpoint in class I initially thought the animal-like gods were a bit strange and comical. To be completely honest they even seemed a little reminiscent of  misfit toys.  However, after pondering the topic presented for the blog I realized I actually like the way Egypt depicts their Gods over the seemingly traditional methods of Greek and Roman Myth. It is much easier to realize what a God represents through typical animal traits then the odd setting and props Greek gods and goddesses are often pictured with to accent their specific traits.

I guess they are toys? 

 Despite their mildly alarming appearances, the gods Anubis and Ammit get their points across. I mean the fido of funerals would hardly be so alarming if he just looked like Perseus or some other lame Greek guy. His head of a dog and jacked body make a much more menacing and clear appearance. Ammit is equally frightening and the epitome of a demon with its tri-animal body.  All appearances aside, this use of animals and humans mixed indicates that Egyptians considered animals a large part of their world both religiously and realistically. They realized the traits associated with animals, and linked them to their mortal figures.

Why Egypt and not other Pantheons?

Unlike Greece and Rome Egypt utilizes very few symbols in their stories. Other than the ankh, there is very few props in the illustrations of the deities. Greece myth uses quite a few props in their tales including weapons (bows, three pronged fish spears), plants (olive branches), and even foods (grapes of Dionysus.)  I think the Egyptian method of characterizing the deities through animals is simpler. If you see an alligator head, fear is instantly instilled, and also clarifies the purpose of the god. The Greek Pantheon is full of detailed almost soap opera like tales and while the Egyptian Pantheon is not exactly a picture book its definitely simplified and far less tangled. I found the tales of Egypt far easier to understand than the meddled, strange ways of Mount Olympus.

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Is there a Difference?

Mythology vs. Folklore.   Is there actually a difference between the two ideas?  Both tell stories to a society explaining events that occur in the world.  Both present heroes to the people as something to look up to and emulate.  If both mythology and folklore accomplish these things, how can one say that there’s actually a difference between the two?

No gods here

Fortunately for this blog, there is a difference between the two.  The main difference between mythology and folklore is that mythology offers presents gods in their stories while folklore does not.  It may not seem like a huge difference if you understand that heroes are presented in both but the lack of gods in folklore is very unique.

Even the heroes in folklore can’t make up for the lack of gods.  A hero can be as powerful as he wants but if he doesn’t have that all-important “god” title, there’s something holding him back.  How can people begin to worship someone that isn’t considered a god?

English Folklore

English folklore is filled with different heroes.  King Arthur, Beowulf, and Robin Hood are three of the most famous examples of English folklore heroes.  All of these men were successful fighters, protectors of the weak in some way, and all around good people.  Unfortunately for Beowulf and Robin Hood there’s no way anyone could mistake them for gods.  King Arthur on the other hand…

King Arthur is about as close as English folklore ever got to producing an honest to goodness god.  With so many different stories surrounding him the mythical King Arthur is associated with many different powerful qualities.

King Arthur

He was the king of the Britians, a powerful man that ruled over a large amount of land and people (much like a god).  He used the ultimate sword Excalibur and was extraordinarily gifted in battle (much like a god).  This is the one part of English folklore that people can make an argument that it should be considered mythology.

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