The word "myth" has several meanings. The current popular meaning is a factual falsehood. However, a myth also acts as an allegory, which points to a lesson that is true. The factual accuracy of the myth as an allegory is not important. Modifications to the story to fit in with the background of the hearer may even make the myth's lesson clearer.
Myth As Falsehood
Is it correct to say that a myth is something that is not true? The answer depends on what is meant by the word "myth."
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English (6th Edition 1976) or "COD," has a number of definitions of myth including a "fictitious person or thing or idea." The idea that myth is fiction has now taken center stage. But this has not always been the meaning of myth.
Myth As Truth - Allegories
The COD also defines myth as an "allegory" (Platonic myth). In this sense myth is a fictitious story which points to a truth.
A good example is Aesop's fable or myth about the dog who crosses a bridge with a bone in his mouth. The dog looks over the side of the bridge and sees a magnified reflection of the bone. Greed takes over. The dog lets go of the real bone and tries to get the reflected bone. In the process the dog loses the real bone and ends up with nothing.
The myth points to the truth that if a person is not content with what he or she has and greedily seeks more, they can end up with nothing.
Note the following about the Aesop myth:
- It does not matter whether or not the story is factually true - it is the lesson that is true.
- The facts of the story can be changed with no change to the truth of the lesson. For example, the dog could be a cat and the bridge could be a plank over a pond. The teaching remains unchanged.
- If the lesson were being taught to Eskimo children it would help to use information from the Eskimo child's world. The story might make more sense if it was about a greedy husky with a piece of seal blubber in his mouth that sees the reflection in icy water.
The Two Contradictory Creation Myths In The Book Of Genesis In The Bible
Does the fact that there are two contradictory creation stories or myths in Genesis mean that one myth must be true and the other false or that both may be false? Not necessarily.
If the two creation stories or myths are myths operating as aetiological allegories, then both can be true. Each creation myth may be pointing to a different aspect of how the universe came into being.That there are factual differences does not matter. The COD defines "aeitology" as an "assignment of a cause" or the "philosophy of causation."
The Value of Understanding That There Are Two meanings of Myth
Common language usage will underscore that myth usually means falsehood. However, realising that myth as allegory is a very powerful medium for conveying truth, will not only help the understanding of the Genesis myths but greatly enhance appreciation of myth in general.
Sources
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English. Sixth Edition 1976. ISBN 0-19-861121-8.Published by the Oxford University Press, London, Great Britain.
Karen Armstrong: The Case for God. Published in 2009 by The Bodley Head, London, Great Britain. ISBN 9781847920348 (HBK) and ISBN 9781847920355 (TPB)
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