/
Myths and Folklore
Save to my account
Sign up
Myths and Folklore
Myths and Folklore
Study
1
Question
What does Claude Levi-Strauss suggest about mythical thought?
Answer
Mythical thought derives from the awareness that oppositions progress toward a natural mediation. It reduces the anxiety one feels during conflicting or paradoxical life experiences and resolves fundamental paradoxes.
2
Question
What is a myth?
Answer
A myth is a traditional narrative or story that typically explains the origins of a culture's beliefs, practices, natural phenomena, or societal customs. They often involve gods or supernatural beings and are deeply rooted in culture and religion.
3
Question
How are myths transmitted through generations?
Answer
Myths are passed down orally from generation to generation.
4
Question
What roles do myths play in culture?
Answer
Myths serve to convey essential truths, values, and teachings about the nature of the world, human existence, and the relationships between the divine and mortal realms.
5
Question
What is one interpretation of the function of myths according to some scholars?
Answer
Some interpretations argue that myths were invented by wise men to clarify and point toward a truth, but after a time they were taken literally.
6
Question
What do some theologians believe about myths?
Answer
Some theologians believe that myths, due to their close association with ritual and religious beliefs, are only corruptions of scripture or early religious truths.
7
Question
What did the group of German scholars believe about myths?
Answer
They believed that myths were entirely personifications of nature, associating mythic beings with light, the sun, or the moon.
8
Question
How did Freudians explain myths?
Answer
Freudians explained myths as a mechanism of wish-fulfillment.
9
Question
What was Carl Jung's perspective on myths?
Answer
Jungians considered myths as expressions of unconscious dreams.
10
Question
What were Sir James Frazer's contributions to the study of myths?
Answer
Sir James Frazer believed that all myths dealt with the themes of death, birth, and resurrection and his book 'The Golden Bough' dominated the study of myths for years.
11
Question
How does Sir Maurice Bowra define myth?
Answer
Sir Maurice Bowra defines myth as a story which aims not at giving pleasure for its own sake, but rather at alleviating the perplexities of prescientific man because his reason was not ready to grasp them.
12
Question
What is Ernst Cassirer's theory about myths?
Answer
Ernst Cassirer developed the theory that myths of primitive peoples contain the purest form of a unique symbolic way of perceiving the world, termed 'mythical consciousness'.
13
Question
What is the first characteristic of myths?
Answer
SACRED SIGNIFICANCE: Myths are often associated with religious or spiritual beliefs and are considered sacred by the cultures that uphold them.
14
Question
What is the second characteristic of myths?
Answer
INVOLVEMENT OF DEITIES: Myths frequently feature gods, goddesses, and other divine entities as central characters that shape the narrative and influence human affairs.
15
Question
What is the third characteristic of myths?
Answer
EXPLORATION OF ORIGIN: Myths often explain the origins of the universe, natural phenomena, rituals, and customs, providing an understanding of a culture's worldview.
16
Question
What is the fourth characteristic of myths?
Answer
LESSONS AND VALUES: Myths convey moral and cultural lessons, offering insights into proper behavior, ethical choices, and the consequences of actions.
17
Question
Who coined the term 'folklore' and when?
Answer
William John Thoms coined the term 'folklore' in 1846.
18
Question
What does folklore encompass?
Answer
Folklore encompasses all knowledge transmitted by word of mouth, crafts and techniques learned by imitation or example, as well as the products of those crafts.
19
Question
How do some sources define 'folk' and 'lore'?
Answer
In some sources, 'folk' refers to ordinary people and 'lore' refers to knowledge.
20
Question
What are the contributions of Mac Edward Leech to the definition of folklore?
Answer
Mac Edward Leech defines folklore as the accumulated knowledge of homogeneous, unsophisticated people.
21
Question
What does E.S. Martland contribute to the understanding of folklore?
Answer
E.S. Martland describes folklore as anthropology dealing with the psychological phenomenon of uncivilized people.
22
Question
What is G.W. Boswell's view on folklore?
Answer
G.W. Boswell views folklore as the unwritten history of ancient societies preserved in the minds of the people and handed down through ages by the medium of language or practice.
23
Question
What are the characteristics of folklore?
Answer
The stories help keep the past alive, teach moral lessons, illustrate valued qualities, introduce young people to history, beliefs, and religion, and similar stories across cultures point to shared values.
24
Question
What is a folktale?
Answer
A folktale is a traditional narrative, more narrowly defined as a traditional fictional story in prose, told as entertainment, which educates by illustrating or explaining cultural ideas and cautioning against undesirable behavior.
25
Question
What are the genres of tales in folklore?
Answer
Genres of tales in folklore include: Animal tales (stories of tricksters and their victims), Tall tales (stories of lying), Formula tales (similar to formulaic prayers, sacred subjects), Cumulative tales (chain tales where action or dialogue repeats and builds up as the tale progresses).