Purpose of Myth Review

1. Name 4 fundamental questions that myths address.
-What is the nature of the universe in which I live? How do I relate to that universe? How much control do I have over my own life? What must I do in order to survive?

2.Name 4 themes in world mythology.
-The first parents are often the gods of sky and earth. The creator usually fashions the first human beings from parts of the earth. The gods destroy at least one world of mortals by causing a great flood. In the world as in nature, birth maturity and death are often followed by rebirth.

3.What is the beginning of the universe for most popular cultures?
-Divine beings who separate earth and sky. Most of the major cultures start with the beginning of the universe: a chaotic formless mass that a god or pair of gods separates.

4.What do hero myths and epics teach members of society?
-The heroic myths and epics of a society teach its members the appropriate attitudes, behavior, and values of that culture.

5.Why do ordinary people identify with heroes?
-The heroes' special qualities and imperfections allow ordinary people to identify them.

6.What is the foundation of the Matriarchal Society?
-The political, economic, social, and religious foundation of the Matriarchal Society was the agricultural year.

7.What is Sigmund Freud's view of myths?
-Sigmund Freud and his followers view myths as the expression of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives.

8.Myths demonstrate that people possess...
- Myths demonstrate that people possess the intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they lived.