Why Do Humans Create Myths? (ritual, moral, Earth, scriptures)

[cardero]

Why Do Humans Create Myths?
I suspect the reason might be because there isn't anything good on TV.

[doppelgänger]

We create myths to attempt to communicate our experiences of stepping beyond ourselves.

[Sunstone]

Originally Posted by doppelgänger

We create myths to attempt to communicate our experiences of stepping beyond ourselves.

What about as an attempt to communicate the experience of personal growth? As when a person transistions from child to adult?

[doppelgänger]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

What about as an attempt to communicate the experience of personal growth? As when a person transistions from child to adult?

Yes, I agree with that. Real growth is painful and inordinately frightening. One of the purposes of stepping beyond ourselves, I think, is to bring the struggle with such growth into a community to help the individual weather the struggle and impute some meaning or order to it. That's not necessarily a positive thing, though. Especially if the myth retards the growth process.

[michel]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Let's assume they're myths for the purposes of this thread. That way, we won't get off topic. So, why do humans create myths? (Obviously, even if you think the Flood stories are not myths, there are some stories that are myths: Why do humans create those?)

Because of the "Chinese Whisper Game factor". When someone tells someone else a story, it is not unusual to 'embelish' the story a little.

In the middle ages, Court Jesters did that as a living. They would hear a tale, build up on it (to make it more 'fun') and recount it............whomsoever heard it does the same......and so it goes. I suppose the modern "Gossip" is a consequence of that custom.

[darkpenguin]

Originally Posted by Sunstone

Let's assume they're myths for the purposes of this thread. That way, we won't get off topic. So, why do humans create myths? (Obviously, even if you think the Flood stories are not myths, there are some stories that are myths: Why do humans create those?)

for the same reason we create gods, life is boring without them apparently!

[CDRaider]

Originally Posted by michel

Because of the "Chinese Whisper Game factor". When someone tells someone else a story, it is not unusual to 'embelish' the story a little.

In the middle ages, Court Jesters did that as a living. They would hear a tale, build up on it (to make it more 'fun') and recount it............whomsoever heard it does the same......and so it goes. I suppose the modern "Gossip" is a consequence of that custom.

Good point!