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Mythology like any other learning niche has kept evolving throughout human history. As you know, mythology is more than a thing that is learned in a literature class because almost every day there are new myths that come your way.
Mythology is full of stories and beliefs from the past. They usually try to explain why some things are the way they are today. Many legends believe that mythology is a “reconciliation of consciousness to the preconditions of its existence.” Here, you are going to learn from some of the great legends of mythology.
Joseph Campbell:
Campbell came up with the hypothesis that religion is a result of the misinterpretation of mythology whether with intent or not. Do you agree with what Campbell is saying?
Religion is an organized, simple adaptation of particular spiritual facts. If you apply Campbell’s hypothesis to this, you will come to the conclusion that indeed his argument holds water.
The primary objective of religion is to maintain direct communication with a Deity which is expressed through language. Before you do any further examination of this statement, you need to determine what Campbell is referring to in his hypothesis.
Joseph Campbell was influenced by the works of Carl Jung, a renowned trans-personal psychologist. Now, Jung’s concepts of archetypes and collective unconsciousness had an untold influence on Campbell which was in themselves by religious ideologies of the East. As you can see, the content of collective unconsciousness serves to drive you as a human being into self-discovery or as quoted above, "reconciliation of consciousness to the preconditions of its existence.” Truths such as these are being transmitted from age to age through art and in the symbolism of mythology.
Homer:
In Homer’s “The Odyssey”, Odysseus, the main character, presents as constantly battling with his enemies, pride, arrogance, sensual urges all of which as you read through will discover are nothing but a reconciliation of his unconsciousness.
As you study through this piece of work, you will learn that he gives in to his unconsciousness, through his promiscuous behaviors, and finally, all his men get lost on the island. He, however, cheats on death because he was sleeping and his men were engaged in crime.
According to Homer, he likens sleep to a mystical state of communing with a deity. From this example of Odysseus, you can see how mythology tries through the use of metaphors and symbols to bring to your knowledge the not so common mystical wisdom – a preconceived self-discovery.
Roman Mythology:
Like any other mythology, Roman mythology has several stories about humans and gods. According to these fantastic stories, Romans lived in fear of gods. There are myriads of Roman gods which they associate with different daily activities and occasions.
You might know about the fantastic story of how Rome came into being. In their mythology, a legend known as Romulus is said to be the founder of Rome. In this myth, Romulus and Remus were standing between two hills and all of a sudden birds surrounded Romulus indicating that he was the king.
Conclusion:
Mythology is just an embellishment of history. It is a reflection of real events and real people that happened in the past unless you prove them otherwise.
