Revivalists: Does It Offend You?

[The Sum of Awe]

Since you believe in something such long ago, it is likely it is called a myth.

Does it bother you at all that nearly everyone nowadays would classify it as X Mythology? For example; Norse Mythology, Greek Mythology, Roman Mythology, etc.

[Orias]

Most people just have no idea that their new age beliefs, are built upon the dust of the old.

It is the ancients who have guided us to this path, just because we continue to create new roads does not separate us from origin.

[Quintessence]

Of course not. It *is* mythology.

It seems to me that only those with an extremely simplistic understanding of what "mythology" means would have a problem with labeling it that way. Our modern, simplistic understanding of "mythology" marks it as a synonym with "erroneously fictitious bull ****." That's not what mythology means in a religious context. Mythology represents grand stories and narratives that teach truths about reality and living in it. They're stories that teach about the big questions we ask about reality.

No, what bothers me is the silly tendency - over the past century or so - for people to miss the point of mythology and interpret it as if it was supposed to be some sort of literal "scientific" account of reality. I take no offense at all to mythology being labeled what it is. And if someone doesn't understand the depth of what "mythology" means then I will say to them "go read some Joseph Campbell."

[Orias]

Was it mythology then?

Thats the point. Odin himself, was accounted to be a real man. Even fictitious writings are based off reality.

[Quintessence]

Let me clarify that by "reality" I don't mean a mechanistic, empirical, literalistic understanding of reality. I don't mean logos to exclusion. I also mean mythos. Mythos is what myth does. Odin is a "real man" in the sense of mythos, not logos. Mythos comprises subjective and intuitive beliefs, attitudes, values, etc. Mythos isn't "not real," it's a different approach to understanding truth and reality than what is currently in vogue in our culture (hence our culture tends to call it "not real" simply because you can't measure it with a yard stick or science).

I don't know. This discussion is going to get bogged down in miscommunications very quickly, and given the powerful cultural biases regarding the meaning of "mythology" and I'm not sure how to prevent it. I don't think it can be. Much of what I want to communicate can only imprecisely be put into words; that's the nature of mythos and the truths mythology seeks to tell.