Mythology (tradition, creation, myths, conventions)

[Green Gaia]

For the purpose of this forum:Mythology is the study of myths: stories of a particular culture that it believes to be true and that feature a specific religious or belief system.

Myths are generally stories based on tradition and legend designed to explain the universal and local beginnings ("creation myths" and "founding myths"), natural phenomena, inexplicable cultural conventions, and anything else for which no simple explanation presents itself. Not all myths need have this explicatory purpose, however. Likewise, most myths involve a supernatural force or deity, but many simple legends and narratives passed down orally from generation to generation have mythic content. The Brothers Grimm demonstrated that there is mythic content embedded even in the least promising fairy tales.