methodology

Mythology
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Mythology
Introduction
The term mythology has been widely utilized in the English language and is associated with the study of myths. According to the definition by Ancient History Encyclopedia, mythology is a combination of two Greek words, ‘mythos’ which is story-of-the-people and logos which means spoken or word. Therefore, the direct translation is the spoken word of the people (Mark, 2009). However, a comprehensive definition of mythology according to Mark (2009), it is the study and extensive interpretation of sacred stories or fables of individual’s culture known as myths. Additionally, the myths or stories usually have moral lessons and teach people on the rewards of being good and the consequences of being evil or bad. Myths give an insight into the people’s belief and values on matters about the origin of life, life, and death as well as afterlife and gods (Mark, 2009). Mythology is a collection of myths of a particular people and studying its inception, evolution and current traits are imperative in understanding the culture of people of a particular community.
Inception of Mythology
In reality, no literature gives the dates in which mythology was started. However, the existing literature agrees of one thing, that myths were stories about the ancient people that were distorted over time and repeatedly told through a long period that they were almost believed to be true (Murnaghan, 2009). The other way that mythology came to inception is through allegory where the myths are meant to interpret different distinctive natural features as well as spiritual or philosophical.

The allegorical inception of mythology can be confirmed especially since most myths try to explain certain things in nature as well as the beginning of certain beliefs and values which include the existence of gods or life after death as well as the origin of humankind.
Though every culture or groups of people around the world have their unique myths which explain their beliefs and values, as well as origins, the most common myths, are from ancient Greece. The Greek mythology is mostly made up of allegories as identified by Nilsson (1972), where gives several examples of allegories which include Athena representing judgment as well as Poseidon representing water. Additionally, some of the Greek myths such those of the gods which include Hades and Zeus have become common even in the today’s world such that they are even featured in movies but with some distortion to represent some ideas of the modern world. According to Nilsson, survival of mythology including the Greek ones depend on the fact that there is no credible information about the pre-historical period and that’s why stories have been distorted to suit specific people’s cultural values and beliefs (Nilsson, 1972).
Evolution of Mythology
The study and interpretation of mythology are dated back to the pre-Socratic era where the scholars wanted tried to explain the reality of the myths. During those times, myths were considered to be true events or creatures existed in the past or some mythical world. The significance of the myths of the period is that they were mostly polytheistic and had close ties with rituals and magic. As time passed, during the period of Socrates and other philosophers around the world, the magic was replaced with philosophy and most of the myths and the religious beliefs in which myths are mostly constructed shifted into either monotheistic or polytheistic. When science started becoming popular around the globe which is around the mid-19th century, philosophy was again replaced, and most of the myths became scientific. The changes included scientific myths such as the Big Bang theory as well as the Theory of Evolution to explain the origin and existence of humankind.
However, in spite of the significant changes in the mythology, still, the evolution has not managed to replace the original myths which involved magic and rituals. To some extent, science has been able to explain some of the occurrences in nature which has made it successful in replacing some of the myths such as those involving the weather patterns and climate changes among others. However, there are some things that science has not been able to explain yet which makes its myths have some gaps. Consequently, some of the gaps include the issue of life and death where in spite of the existing theories, some questions remain unanswered such as why apes no longer evolve into human beings or how the apes came into existence before they started evolving. Furthermore, these gaps make the ancient myths about creation and existence of gods continue to be popular. However, in the modern world, most myths are regarded as, and people rarely believe in them (Bowman, 2007).
Current Traits
In today’s world, there has been a great change in the mythology, and the way myths are spread. Unlike in the past where myths were commonly spread through word of mouth, in this era of technology, the spreading has moved to the media including movies and films such that it is becoming difficult to understand the origin of the myth and the people it belongs to. Besides, myths in the current century and generation remain as just stories and are told and nothing that is considered to be real unlike in the past where they were respected. However, in spite of the disregard of myths and the generalization by the media and the entertainment industry, most cultures still hold on to their specific myths, and they still pass them across a generation. Additionally, still in the present day’s myths are made, but most of them are science related especially since they are spread through movies and films. It is significant to understand that myths have become widely spread which has been made possible by the existence of technology and media (Levy, 1981).
Conclusion
In summary, mythology is the study and interpretation of myths that are passed on through generations. Myths are stories that belong to a certain culture or a group of people and explain their values and beliefs. Though myths are sometimes similar among different cultures, each culture has their unique myths, and they usually revolve around the story of the origin of life, living, and death as well as the existence of gods, some occurrences in nature. The inception of myths is through telling of stories which were distorted as people moved to different places and from one generation to another. The repetition of the same story made it believed to be truth and become a myth. Moreover, another way that myths were incepted was through allegories, especially among the Greek. The mythology has evolved with time from magical to philosophical and most recently to scientific. However, the magical myths still exist as science has not been able the entirely explained everything. Finally, some of the current traits are that myths are widely spread which has been made possible through movies and films.
References
Bowman, L. (2007). Theories of Mythology. The University of Toronto Quarterly, 76(1), 365-366.
Levy, S. J. (1981). Interpreting Consumer Mythology: a Structural Approach to Consumer Behavior. The Journal of Marketing, 49-61.
Mark, J. J. (2009, September 02). Mythology. Retrieved January 30, 2018, from Ancient History Encyclopedia: https://www.ancient.eu/mythology/
Murnaghan, S. (2009). Myths of the Greeks: The Origins of Mythology in the Works of Edith Hamilton and Robert Graves. Classical Bulletin, 84(1), 81-89.
Nilsson, M. P. (1972). The Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology. University of California Press.