
Myth | Definition, History, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Feb 10, 2025 · Myth, a symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that is especially associated with religious belief. Myths often relate extraordinary events in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience.
Greek mythology | Gods, Stories, & History | Britannica
Feb 11, 2025 · Greek mythology, body of stories concerning the gods, heroes, and rituals of the ancient Greeks and Classical antiquity. That the myths contained a considerable element of fiction was recognized by the more critical Greeks, such as the philosopher Plato in …
Medusa | Myth & Story | Britannica
Feb 7, 2025 · Medusa, in Greek mythology, the most famous of the monster figures known as Gorgons. She was usually represented as a winged female creature having a head of hair consisting of snakes; unlike the Gorgons, she was sometimes represented as very beautiful.
Myth - Origins, Rituals, Beliefs | Britannica
Feb 10, 2025 · Myth - Origins, Rituals, Beliefs: Myth and history represent alternative ways of looking at the past. Defining history is hardly easier than defining myth, but a historical approach necessarily involves both establishing a chronological framework for events and comparing and contrasting rival traditions in order to produce a coherent account.
Myth - Origin, Ritual, Belief | Britannica
Feb 10, 2025 · Myth - Origin, Ritual, Belief: The most obvious function of myths is the explanation of facts, whether natural or cultural.
Legend | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Jan 22, 2025 · A legend in literature is a traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place. Formerly the term legend meant a tale about a saint. Some legends are the unique property of the place or person that they depict.
The modern study of myth | Britannica - Encyclopedia Britannica
myth, Traditional story of ostensibly historical events that serves to unfold part of the worldview of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon. Myths relate the events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basic to it.
Myth Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
MYTH meaning: 1 : an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true; 2 : a story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence
Heracles | Myth, Significance, Labors, Meaning, & Facts | Britannica
3 days ago · From Athena to Zeus: Basics of Greek Mythology Heracles breaking the horns of the hind of Arcadia Heracles breaking the horns of the hind of Arcadia, flanked by Athena and Artemis, detail of a Greek vase painting, c. 540 bce ; in the British Museum.
Myth - Origins, Functions, Types | Britannica
Feb 10, 2025 · Myth - Origins, Functions, Types: The importance of studying myth to provide a key to a human society is a matter of historical record. In the middle of the 19th century, for instance, a newly appointed British governor of New Zealand, Sir George Grey, was confronted by the problem of how to come to terms with the Maori, who were hostile to the ...