Mythology and Allusion Why are myths still relevant?
Dec 31, 2015
Mythology and Allusion
Why are myths still relevant?
What is mythology?
• Myths are stories that were created
to answer the basic questions about
the world, the gods, and human life
• They tell about events from the
distant past and were considered
truthful and sacred
Three types of myths• “Origin” myths, or Creation myths,
answer questions about natural events: why voices echo, how mountains/deserts were formed, how spiders came to be, etc.
• “Alienation” myths answer questions about why things go wrong or why there is pain and suffering
• “Eschatological” myths are stories about the end of time and “after-life”
Gods and Goddesses, Heroes and Monsters
• Myths tell about the
adventures of gods or
humans who come into
contact with them
• Gods and goddesses
possess extraordinary
powers
• They usually have their
own special area of power
Why are they STILL relevant?• Myths, especially
Greek myths are popular and well-known across the world
• They are often used by artists, authors, comedians, etc. in ALLUSIONS.
What is an ALLUSION?
• An ALLUSION is a reference to an
outside work.
• Allusions can be made to a book,
song, poem, film, painting, even to
current events.
Mythological Allusion
• One of the most commonly alluded
to subjects is mythology
• There are mythological allusions in
our everyday lives
“Herculean Strength”• A very common
allusion, one that has
become cliché, is the
phrase, “Herculean
strength.”
• This phrase/cliché is
used to describe a
person of incredible
strength or possessing
amazing stamina.
“Pandora’s Box”
• When a person gets in
trouble for being so
curious about
something that it leads
to severe consequences
and punishment, we
say, “She opened
Pandora’s box.”
“The Midas Touch”
• When someone has
uncanny success,
especially
businessmen/wom
en, we say, “they
have the Midas
touch.”
“Sisyphean Task”
• Sisyphus’s story personifies a
modern man’s zeal to work
hard everyday to no avail.
• A task that is overwhelming
in its magnitude may be
referred to as “a Sisyphean
task.”
• A person that may have
been involved in fraudulent
transactions may be called a
“Sisyphus.”
Let us begin!
• We will begin with our “God Logs”
and continue with them through out
• We will put on three “readers’
theater” performances
• We will finish with an Allusions
Project