Purpose of Myth Review

1. Four fundamental questions that myths address are: Who am I? What is the nature of the universe in which I live? How do I relate to the universe? How much control do I have over my own life?
2.  Four themes in world mythology are: The first parents are often the gods of sky and earth. Creator god usually fashions the first human beings from parts of the earth. The gods destroy at least one world of mortals by causing a great flood. In the world as in nature, birth, maturity, and death are often followed by rebirth.
3. The beginning of the universe for most major cultures is a chaotic, formless mass that a god or pair of gods separate.
4. Hero myths and epics teach members of society appropriate attitudes, behavior, and values of that culture.
5. A heroes imperfections allow ordinary people to identify with them and to like them for everyone has similar psychological needs and conflicts.
6. The foundation of the Matriarchal Society is the agricultural year.
7.  Sigmund Freud's view on myths is that they are expressions of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives.
8. Myths demonstrate that people possess intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they live.