myth in anthropology study religion

One of the most ubiquitous features of human culture, myth relies on storytelling as its primary vehicles. As a type of storytelling, myth depends on symbolism, which is why the substantive nature of a myth remains the same even when the details of the story may change or assume new meaning when it is applied to another society or historical epoch. The cross-cultural study of myths may explore similarities and differences between the overarching narratives told in different societies. Or, focusing on one society, an anthropologist might demonstrate how myth functions as a means of perpetuating the norms and values that bind together members of the community. Moreover, anthropologists study the way myth embeds itself into dimensions of culture such as art, music, language, or politics. Myth embodies meaning, adding tremendous weight to the differentiation between the sacred and profane aspects of life. Ultimately, myth is integral to the construction of identity, ethos, and ontology.
Myth becomes central to the construction of identity. In his analysis of Melanesian culture, for example, Malinowski shows how myth informs all the other dimensions of life that give purpose and structure to the society: aspects like morality and how to navigate ethical complexities. Myth is the basis for externalized activities that also define identity or membership in the community. Ritual is the best example, including the rituals that comprise initiation rites or rites of passage. Anthropologists work within a theoretical orientation similar to that of sociology, too, showing how the content of a culture’s sacred stories and myths have a strong bearing on the construction of gender roles and norms in a society. Myth also contributes to the construction of identity in that it forms the building blocks of semantics within any given society. Ellis points out that myth functions as a symbolic language and that language is then used to imbue other elements like dance with meaning. Tribes or large societies differentiate themselves from one another via the use of symbols and myths.
Myth is not a static dimension of a culture, but a dynamic one that evolves and changes as the society evolves. In some situations, the society adopts myth in response to both internal and external threats. In her analysis of the ways workers in Bolivia simultaneously practice their indigenous traditions while still claiming to be fully Christian, Nash shows how a culture uses myth in part to adapt to change while still clinging to a proud identity or status. Eliade also points out that the Cargo Cults of the South Pacific similarly adopted their myths to adapt to life in the modern world. The great irony is that dominant cultures often deride subordinates by referring to the Other’s sacred tales as being mere myth, while fervently claiming that their own sacred stories are genuine, real, or even historical fact. Christianity often lacks the self-awareness needed to recognize that with few exceptions, the stories in the Bible appear as myths to the Other.
Because they use symbolism and metaphor to convey concepts of cosmology, ethics, or eschatology, myth can become one of the best sources of data for exploring and understanding any culture. Turner, for instance, notes that historians and archaeologists have gleaned much of what they know about ancient civilizations from studying myths and symbols: which are left behind in works of art or architecture as if a form of code. While there may be some variation in the way a myth is interpreted, particularly the value placed on the choices made by key figures in those myths, the symbols tend to be universal in scope and therefore transcend the limitations of language. Symbols function in multiple ways: to encode, maintain, and revitalize a culture's ethos and worldview as well as its identity.
Myth functions as an ontological framework pointing the audience towards knowledge or cognitive schema. In fact, one of the most important functions of myth is ontological: demonstrating how knowledge is created, and validating the systems of knowledge creation. Myth may be derided in the modern or postmodern world as being a childish affront to rational thought or science. Alternatively, myth may be considered a quaint vestige of the past or an endearing feature of cultures still viewed of as “primitive.” Scientific inquiry has largely supplanted myth in Western ontology and yet science has not completely obliterated the power of myth to explain that which science cannot or has yet to do. Beyond the overly simplistic view that myths explain natural phenomena, they also describe features of human life and culture in ways equally as valuable as, say Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. Even when the individual members of a culture know that the content of a myth is fiction, the myth can still have substantial power to inform worldviews, attitudes towards health and wellness, and the rituals surrounding birth, marriage, and death. People in societies that rely more on science than religion may also continue to enact rituals and rites as a means of reinforcing identity and preserving the unique features of the culture to which they belong. Even when they no longer count as sacred stories, myths still provide keys to understanding the nature of heroism, or the importance of endurance in the face of suffering.
One of the ways anthropologists study myth in different cultures is examining symbols not just in the narrative content but also in performance, ritual, and other manifestations including rites of passage. Even when the substantive content of myth is similar among disparate cultures, the myth may function totally differently in other ways. For example, in one culture the myth may not have any bearing at all on ritual practices whereas in another it would. Myth also parallels the creative arts in the societies that sustain them, informing dance, art, and other forms of literary expression that carry symbolic value.
Bibliography
Eliade Mircea. “Myth.”
Eller, Jack David. “Studying Religion Anthropologically.”
Lee, Dorothy. “Religious Perspectives in Anthropology.”
Lewis, M. “The Anthropologists’ Encounter with the Supernatural.”
Malinowski, Bronislaw. “Rational Mastery by Man of His Surroundings"
Nash, June. "Devils, Witches and Sudden Death"
Turner, Victor W. “Religious Specialists.”