Mythology

performed in a fixed way, at regular times, by authorized persons who possessed the specialized knowledge of the correct way in which these actions should be carried out. The whole elaborate pattern of activities was designed to secure the well-being of the community by controlling the incalculable forces by which man found himself surrounded. But we now know that the ritual did not consist only of actions; the actions were accompanied by spoken words, chants, and incantations, whose magical efficacy was an essential part of the ritual. In other words, the ritual consisted of the part which was done, which the Greeks called the dromenon, and the spoken part, which they called the muthos, or myth. In the ritual the myth told the story of what was being enacted; it described a situation; but the story was not told to amuse an audience; it was a word of power. The repetition of the magic words had power to bring about, or recreate, the situation which they described. We shall see later that, at a central point in the Babylonian New Year Festival, the priests recited the chant called Enuma elish, which was the myth of Creation; and the recitation did something; it brought about a change in the situation which the ritual was enacting. Thus we may understand that in a society where such rituals formed an essential part of the life of the community, the historical truth of the story contained in the myth was irrelevant. The function of history is to find out and to record as accurately as possible the behaviour of communities in the past, i.e., to discover and impart a certain kind of knowledge. The function of the myth was not knowledge but action, action essential for the very existence of the community. Mankind has in the past existed for vast periods of time without feeling any need for history; but, long before the appearance of the earliest forms of historical records, the myth had a vital function in the life of the community; as an essential part of ritual it helped to secure, those conditions upon which the life of the community depended. This is why we have called this type of myth the ritual myth. It takes its name from its function, which is to aid in securing the efficacy of the ritual. It is possible that this was the earliest type of myth to come into existence. The Myth of Origin This type of myth is more generally called the aetiological myth. This myth is also very early; some scholars would regard it as the earliest. Its function is to give an imaginary explanation of the origin of a custom, a name, or even an object. For example, we shall see that the Sumerian myth of Enlil and the Pickaxe is a story intended to explain how that most valuable agricultural implement came into existence through the activity of a god. Another example is the Hebrew myth of Jacob’s conflict with a supernatural being. This story offers an explanation of an ancient Israelite food-tabu. The Cult Myth In the development of the religion of Israel a new use of myth makes its appearance. The three seasonal festivals prescribed in the Book of the Covenant were celebrated at the various local shrines, such as Bethel, Shechem, and Shiloh, during the early stages of Israel’s settlement in Canaan. Offerings were brought, and each of the festivals, Passover, Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks, and Tabernacles, had its own special ritual, preserved and carried out by the priests at the local shrines. On these occasions an important part of the ritual consisted in the public recitation by the priests of certain central events in the history of Israel; the recitation was accompanied by antiphonal responses from the people. One of the most deeply rooted traditions of Israel was that of the deliverance of the people from Egyptian bondage. At

Note: If you are looking for good and high quality web space to host and run your java application check Lunarwebhost java web hosting services