myth
Let an agent explain myth as a category of traditional narrative and its functions, relay theories of myth from folklore, anthropology and religious studies with attribution, describe kinds such as origin and historical myths and modern myths, and distinguish myth from legend, folktale and the colloquial sense of falsehood.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Understand What a myth is.
Definition
Definition.
Definition
Definition.
- What is a myth, and how does it differ from legend, folktale and the colloquial sense of falsehood? definition
- Is the question about traditional narratives, cultural theory or a false belief? boundary
Kinds
Kinds.
Kinds
Kinds.
- What are origin myths, hero myths, historical myths and modern myths? definition
- Which entry fits the specific kind? action
Theory Theories of myth.
Classic
Classic theories.
Classic
Classic.
- How do Frazer, Malinowski, Levi-Strauss, Eliade and Campbell explain myth, with positions attributed? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Barthes
Myth in cultural theory.
Barthes
Barthes.
- What does Roland Barthes mean by myth in Mythologies, and how has it been applied? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
Traditions Mythologies.
World
World mythologies.
World
World.
- What are the major mythologies, from Greek and Norse to Indian, Chinese and indigenous traditions, presented with respect? provenance
- Is the presentation respectful of living traditions? boundary
Functions
Functions.
Functions
Functions.
- What social and religious functions do myths serve? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific mythology? action
Context Modern uses.
Modern
Modern myths.
Modern
Modern.
- How do national myths, urban legends and popular culture create modern myths? provenance
- Which entry fits urban legend? action
Language
Language.
Language
Language.
- How did the word myth acquire its sense of falsehood, and why do scholars resist it? provenance
- Which entry fits mythology (study)? action
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- agitation legend, Greek myth, historical myth, myth in the works of Roland Barthes, Origin myth, modern myth, Norse myth, protoplast myth, Black Sun, mythical origins of language, solar myth, episode in Greek mythology
What it is Filled
A traditional story, typically about gods, heroes, ancestors or the origins of the world and of customs, held by a community to explain and give meaning to its existence, including Greek and other mythologies, origin myths, historical myths that reshape events, and, by extension, modern myths such as urban legends and the naturalised cultural messages analysed by Roland Barthes; in everyday usage myth also means a widely held false belief, a sense that scholars distinguish from the traditional narrative.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent explain myth as a category of traditional narrative and its functions, relay theories of myth from folklore, anthropology and religious studies with attribution, describe kinds such as origin and historical myths and modern myths, and distinguish myth from legend, folktale and the colloquial sense of falsehood.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Sacred or foundational
- Explains origins
- Community-held
- Multiple scholarly theories
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Mock or misrepresent a living community's sacred stories.
- Present a myth as historical fact, or dismiss it as mere falsehood where it is held sacred.
- Invent myths and attribute them to a real culture.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing restricted or sacred stories that a community keeps private.
May
- Retell and explain myths with attribution to their culture and source texts.
- Distinguish myth as traditional story from the everyday sense of a false belief.
Moral aspects Filled
- Myths carry identity and meaning for communities, some of which are still living faiths.
- Myths have also been used to justify nationalism and exclusion.
Who is affected
- Communities that hold the myths
- Readers and students
Owners Filled
Steward
The communities that tell them; nobody owns a myth as such.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1318295 - registry parent class
- Q7832362 - registry parent class
related
- traditional story - in registry terms
- narrative - in registry terms
- mythology - and folklore studies
- legend - about historical figures
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.myth
- Wikidata: Q12827256 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12827256)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Traditional story about gods, heroes and origins
- Greek myth, origin myths, historical myths, modern myths, myth in Barthes
- Legends are about historical figures; folktales are not held as sacred; the colloquial sense means falsehood
- Not a visible object; stories transmitted in a culture.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- explain the concept
- relay theories
- describe kinds
- distinguish related terms
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Using myth to mean falsehood when discussing religious narratives
- Treating living religious narratives as mere myth without attribution
- Presenting one theory of myth as settled
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- No regulation; folklore classification systems such as Thompson motif index
Context of use required Filled
- Not applicable; a narrative category.
- cosmogonic and origin myths
- myths of gods and heroes such as Greek myth
- historical myths and national myths
- modern myths and urban legends
- myth as ideology in Barthes and cultural studies
- myth in the colloquial sense of false belief
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q12827256: myth - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Myth - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should origin myth and Greek mythology be separate primary entries?
- How should folklore sources be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases from folklore and cultural theory; should they be split off?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q12827256/spec.json