How long ago did myths appear in our lives? Perhaps, from that stage of human development, when he had a need to explain certain phenomena, but for obvious reasons, he could not do this scientifically. We still need to believe in something. What can we say about the ancient people who found themselves face to face with a huge soulless world. In order not to go crazy and explain the strange behavior of nature, they gave soul to the phenomena and objects around them. A similar way of thinking is inherent in ancient people with mythological thinking.
What is a myth?
Myth is knowledge about the world, which is considered its true bearer and serves to simplify the understanding of the world and to preserve traditions in an ever-changing reality. Although myth is closely intertwined with folklore, it differs from it in that it is perceived as true knowledge, which does not tolerate doubts about its veracity. Folklore is the artistic creativity of the people, which, although based on mythology, contains moredetails and embellishments, which is not perceived by the carriers as pure truth. Mythological consciousness is an integral part of the religious system. It is through mythological thinking that all known religions have arisen.
Rise of myths
They are an integral part of human consciousness. Only on myths can an uneducated person understand processes that in a few centuries he will be able to explain with the help of science. When the formation of human consciousness took place, a person began to perceive himself as an individual, but inextricably linked with the world; when then a person began to consider that he is unique and stands on an equal footing with the world, it was during these periods that mythology appeared as a reflection of the mentality of our ancestors. Based on the myths that appeared in the past, a person with mythological thinking builds all subsequent events. Ancient man seriously believed that he was mentally connected with nature, since his whole life depended on it. In order to have an advantage over her, he began to influence her with the help of words, and then actions. This is how the myths and rituals that accompany them appeared.
Rituals as protection
When a person is afraid of something or someone, he creates rituals in order to avoid the situation in which he does not want to be with their implementation. Rituals are needed so that a person feels confident and protected, so that he stops feeling fear. They are undoubtedly a feature of mythological thinking. Since rituals are inherent in many of us today, it means that thistoday has not lost its significance. We all know superstitions about a black cat, about empty buckets, about a bird that flew in through an open window, etc. We, the people of the twenty-first century, although we understand logically that it makes no sense to take this ancient knowledge on faith, but mythological thinking of our ancestors takes over us, and we again perform various strange rituals, which, in theory, should save us from trouble. Only in this way we become calmer.
Stability of mythological consciousness
Since the mentality of a person changes little over time, all the characteristics of mythological thinking are inherent in many people even now. They are most clearly manifested among the inhabitants of villages, in the settlements of the Old Believers. Until now, in Russia you can find places where residents fully adhere to pagan customs and raise children in the same spirit. The stability of this phenomenon suggests that even the perception of the surrounding world through myth cannot become obsolete at any of the stages of human development. Everyone has the right to decide for himself what to believe in, and the fact that a person adheres to a pagan faith, rejecting Christianity and science, does not speak of his limitations.
Mythological creatures
In the life of ancient people there was a clear division into one's own and another's. A person considered his own kind and good, and someone else's - not evil, but incomprehensible, and therefore frightening. In order to find a connection with a stranger and derive some benefit from this connection, a person came up with his own myth for each frightening phenomenon. Such behaviorexplained by the peculiarities of the mythological thinking of our ancestors. The first and most important mythical creatures were gods and deities - they could be anthropomorphic, zoomorphic or even amorphous. For ancient man, faith in the gods was tantamount to breathing. Without the gods there is no life, and therefore no man himself. Hunting was a vital occupation for archaic man. Therefore, in order for it to be successful, it was necessary to feel a connection with the animals that were being hunted. Also, a person felt himself connected with the world of the dead. The spirits of deceased relatives helped him in hunting, a man asked them for advice in a difficult situation.
Opposing views on the same phenomenon
Another of the main characteristics of mythological thinking is opposing views on any phenomenon related to which has a strong emotional coloring. In simple terms, there are objects to which a person’s attitude is ambiguous. This is something that has a strong energy and thus differs from the objects of the ordinary, human world. Such options cannot be treated with indifference - they require either love or hate. As we know, there is only one step from love to hate. The person feels that this phenomenon is alien to him, but it affects his life too much.
As an example of modernity, we can consider a custom at a wedding associated with a cat. In one Ukrainian village, a cat must be present at the wedding so that the future life of the newlyweds will be successful. In the neighboring village, locatedabout 50 kilometers from this, cats should not be at the wedding in any case for the same reason. In both villages, cats are considered ordinary animals, not endowed with any superpowers. But during the wedding, the cat becomes a talisman, and the success of this enterprise depends on it.
On the considered example, one can understand that a cat, which on ordinary days is considered a simple animal, is credited with magical abilities on a responsible wedding day. The attitude towards the animal at this time turns from indifferent to very emotional, which results in complete acceptance or complete rejection of the emotionally colored object.
Opposition of phenomena
In general, the thinking of an ancient person, as well as the thinking of children, is characterized by the division of objects and phenomena into black and white. For ancient people, there were only extremes. They did not take averages. A clear division into one's own and another's, male and female, life and death, heavenly and earthly, etc. is the specificity of mythological thinking. Our ancestors were not subject to abstract thinking, like modern man. Therefore, the first image from which a person began his mental development is precisely mythological.
Types of myths
Since man gave his own definition to everything that exists on Earth and invented his own story, mythology affects almost all aspects of life and perception. Myths are classified by subject and globality:
Cosmogonic myths - myths about the creation of the world and life on Earth. Heremyths about the creation of the cosmos from chaos are also included. The most common myths about creation: the emergence of the world from the world egg, the creation of the world by a god, or the appearance of land on Earth, which until then was covered only by water thanks to demiurges in the form of animals or birds
- Anthropological myths - myths about the origin, creation of man. Closely related to cosmogonic myths.
- Eschatological myths - myths about the end of the world, the future or already come.
- Calendar myths are myths about changing time cycles. Since calendars are used to this day, it can be said that myths and mythological thinking are to a certain extent characteristic of modern peoples.
- Heroic myths - myths about heroes - children of gods or simply legendary fictional personalities. Heroic myths are very common in folklore.
- Myths about animals - animals have surrounded man since ancient times, so myths about them are widespread to this day.
Thus, we told you about the features of mythological thinking, inherent not only to ancient people, but also to some contemporaries.
