Guest Author - Elizabeth Bissette

Myths were originally passed down by word of mouth. This tradition probably began in the neolithic period or earlier. It continued through the emergence of writing and development of printing and publishing. It continues now.

Not all myths are about gods and goddesses. They do, however, all contain elements of the fantastic. They also have a larger-than-life quiality, found either their characters or the situations these characters face.

The first myths were songs. This is because the structure of songs allows easier memorization of a greater amount of material. In this way, people transmit explanations for a broad range of human experience, both internal and external. These include everything from the meaning of life and death to the meaning of rain or erupting volcanoes. Because we are people, these concepts are personified.

Because ideas are not static, Mythology is not static, and continued to devlop along with reading and writing. It continues to develop now. As reading and writing developed and memorization was no longer essential, the poetic structure of mythology faded somewhat. So, now the myths and other religious ideas we most immediately identify as such are not songs.

Some myths and other religious writings reflect both oral and written tradition. The New Testament Gospel of Mark is an example of this. It is not a poetic document, but we find a cyclical, repetitive format throughout. This tells us the author was one of the first to write down what previously was heard rather than read. The cante-fable structure of fairy tales, which combines both rhyme and straight narrative, is another example of this.

One way mythology continues to develop is through folk songs. In America, these began with ancient songs the first settlers brought from Europe and Africa. These have been passed down here over hundreds of years. Each time they are re-told, changes are made to apply them to evolving questions and perceptions of the human condition. Many of these were brought to popular attention in the 50s, then applied to our times in the 60s. Artists have been doing the same ever since.

Perhaps our greatest contemporary mythologist is Bob Dylan, who took traditional songs and presented them with contemporary applications. So, you have an ancient ballad like, "Lord Randall",combined with African music, turned into a commentary on Vietnam in "A Hard Rain is Gonna Fall". He has also created new myths for us, based on his own perceptions.

These and the songs of others like him are what will probably be found thousands of years from now and viewed as mythology. This is because, with little exception, what survives millenia is either carved in stone, (or clay), or passed down orally. Since we no longer carve writing, it's not incredibly likely that our writing will survive 50,000 years from now.

This site will, over time, contain a vast store of world mythologies and will be a wonderful, traditional reference. It will also look at the role of myths throughout recorded history in popular culture. This will make it a uniquely useful reference, because we learn most quickly and completely when material is presented in a way we relate to.

So, before we go backwards through time to ancient Sumer, Greece, and Egypt to understand mythology, we're going to look at the myths we're making now. The two are more similar than you might imagine and are part of an ongoing tradition. Whether recorded by Homer or Bob Dylan, a good song lasts forever. It only takes one person on the planet per generation knowing it to keep it alive until the time is right for it to be brought forward again.