Definitions for mythology
mɪˈθɒl ə dʒimythol·o·gy

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.5 / 4 votes

1. mythologynoun

   myths collectively; the body of stories associated with a culture or institution or person

2. mythologynoun

   the study of myths

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.2 / 6 votes

1. mythologynoun

   The collection of myths of a people, concerning the origin of the people, history, deities, ancestors and heroes.

2. mythologynoun

   A similar body of myths concerning an event, person or institution.

3. mythologynoun

   Pervasive elements of a fictional universe that resemble a mythological universe.

4. mythologynoun

   The systematic collection and study of myths.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Mythologynoun

   System of fables; explication of the fabulous history of the gods of the heathen world.

   Etymology: μύϑος and λόγος; mythologie, French.

   The modesty of mythology deserves to be commended: the scenes there are laid at a distance; it is once upon a time, in the days of yore, and in the land of Utopia. Richard Bentley.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. mythology

   Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrative as a myth can be highly controversial. Many adherents of religions view their own religions' stories as truth and so object to their characterization as myth, the way they see the stories of other religions. As such, some scholars label all religious narratives "myths" for practical reasons, such as to avoid depreciating any one tradition because cultures interpret each other differently relative to one another. Other scholars avoid using the term "myth" altogether and instead use different terms like "sacred history", "holy story", or simply "history" to avoid placing pejorative overtones on any sacred narrative.Myths are often endorsed by secular and religious authorities and are closely linked to religion or spirituality. Many societies group their myths, legends, and history together, considering myths and legends to be true accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. Other myths explain how a society's customs, institutions, and taboos were established and sanctified. There is a complex relationship between recital of myths and the enactment of rituals. The main characters in myths are usually non-humans, such as gods, demigods, and other supernatural figures. Others include humans, animals, or combinations in their classification of myth. Stories of everyday humans, although often of leaders of some type, are usually contained in legends, as opposed to myths. Myths are sometimes distinguished from legends in that myths deal with gods, usually have no historical basis, and are set in a world of the remote past, very different from that of the present.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Mythologynoun

   the science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths

2. Mythologynoun

   a body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks

3. Etymology: [F. mythologie, L. mythologia, Gr. myqologi`a; my^qos, fable, myth + lo`gos speech, discourse.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 3 votes

1. Mythology

   A mythology is a body or collection of myths as well as the study of them. In folkloristics, a myth is a sacred narrative usually explaining how the world or humankind came to be in its present form, although, in a very broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story. Bruce Lincoln defines myth as "ideology in narrative form". Myths may arise as either truthful depictions or overelaborated accounts of historical events, as allegory for or personification of natural phenomena, or as an explanation of ritual. They are transmitted to convey religious or idealized experience, to establish behavioral models, and to teach. Early rival classifications of Greek mythos by Euhemerus, Plato's Phaedrus, and Sallustius were developed by the neoplatonists and revived by Renaissance mythographers as in the Theologia mythologica. Nineteenth-century comparative mythology reinterpreted myth as evolution toward science, "disease of language", or misinterpretation of magical ritual. Later interpretations rejected opposition between myth and science, such as Jungian archetypes, Joseph Campbell's "metaphor of spiritual potentiality", or Lévi-Strauss's fixed mental architecture. Tension between Campbell's comparative search for monomyth or Ur-myth and anthropological mythologists' skepticism of universal origin has marked the 20th century. Further, modern mythopoeia such as fantasy novels, manga, and urban legend, with many competing artificial mythoi acknowledged as fiction, supports the idea of myth as ongoing social practice.

U.S. National Library of MedicineRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Mythology

   A body of stories, the origins of which may be unknown or forgotten, that serve to explain practices, beliefs, institutions or natural phenomena. Mythology includes legends and folk tales. It may refer to classical mythology or to a body of modern thought and modern life. (From Webster's 1st ed)

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:3.0 / 1 vote

1. Mythology

   From the Greek muthos, a fable, and logos, a discourse. This was essentially a religion built upon fable.

Matched Categories

1. • Collection
   • Mythology
   • Social Anthropology

How to pronounce mythology?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say mythology in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of mythology in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of mythology in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of mythology in a Sentence

1. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva:

   After the 1960s and early 1970s, somehow we developed the mythology that systemic racism disappeared.

2. Christopher Nolan:

   This is not only a great honor for all of us who worked on' The Dark Knight,' this is also a tribute to all of the amazing artists and writers who have worked on the great mythology of Batman over the decades.

3. Mike Rothschild:

   This is absolutely pro-QAnon, it's the same version of the enlistment oath that Q followers have been filming themselves taking for the last week. And the phrase at the end,' Where we go one, we go all,' is a key catchphrase in the Q mythology.

4. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj:

   The relationship between India and Nepal is as old as history itself. We share ties of culture, religion, tradition, language, literature and mythology.

5. Barbara Hall:

   LEONARD I've failed, Chris. I can't locate the white collective unconscious. CHRIS I wouldn't feel too bad about that. You know, western culture hasn't really carried the baton on folklore and mythology. The rise of Christianity put the kibosh on it--the gospel hits the number one best-seller list and everything else gets remaindered.

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