The Function Of A Myth Essay — страница 2

of a people. The Creation, Death and Rebirth of the Universe was created in line with the ideology of the Norse peoples.All of the myths included sections that communicated the importance of good ethics among the people of the society. Another point that is demonstrated by all the myths is penalties for not obeying the laws that have been passed on through generations.i) This point is well demonstrated in the myth the Quarrel between Sagbatta and Sogbo . The greed of Sagbatta is punished, he has to give up the riches that he rightfully inherited from his mother, so that he is able to help the people of earth and enable them survive. ii) In the myth Raven and the sources of Light , the old man that has kept the light for himself, is deceived by the Raven, and loses the light to

the people of the world. This leads me to believe that another function of a myth is to exemplify values that the gods or supernatural beings feel are important. They also often show the punishment possibilities that come from not obeying these values.A value that is taught by many myths is the importance of obedience. Myths illustrate obedience by illustrating the outcome of being disobedient. I believe that myths focus on showing the importance of obedience to younger readers to urge them to be obedient. An example of this occurs in The Quarrel between Sagbatta and Sogbo . By not being obedient to his mother, Sagbatta ends up losing much of the fortune that he inherited to his younger brother in return for favors.Therefore another function of a myth is to create a sense of

importance of obedience in people. Obedience is also an ideology that is passed on from one generation to the next. Having myths that express ideologies insures that the ideology is not lost from generation to generation.Another function of a myth is to give a group of people cohesiveness with each other. Myths are part of the culture and tradition of a people group that serve to give them a sense of belonging to the group. The myths can also give hope to lower class peoples, such as peasants in a land ruled by a king. They create a sense of worthiness among people, at the same time keeping the highest mortals in line.For these reasons, myths were a very important part of people s lives. They give people purpose for life, explain the unexplained and give them a rulebook on which

to base their lives.