{Myths & Legends

ENG 201 Intro. to Literature Prof. Everson

{Myths & LegendsDefinitions

MythsA myth is a story that gives a religious explanation for something: how the world or a particular custom or natural phenomena began. It may also recount a heroic deed by a symbolic ancestor or founder of a people.

Setting: the place and time of myths are not usually related to the present day, though myths or a cycle of myths may have their own internal chronology.

Time period: is general and timeless in that the events are symbolic rather than realistic.

Characters: myths usually include the gods or fantastical (mythological) creatures; flat or archetypal characters

Theme: concerns issues related to the religious view of the people, and believers of the religion may take myths as truth.

In modern era (today) many are skeptical about the truth value of myths, and even some Biblical stories in the Christian religion are understood as “myth” and thus not literally true but as a symbolic truth. For example: Adam & Eve, Noah’s Ark, Tower of Babel, among others.

Myths

LegendsA legend is a story which is told like a true, historical event, not as an explanation for something else or a symbolic narrative, as is a myth. The legend may or may not be an elaborated version of a historical event.

Examples of legends in the English tradition are the stories about Robin Hood, which are set in a definite period, the reign of Richard I of England (1189-99), or about King Arthur, which were perhaps originally based on the exploits of a Romano-Celtic prince who attempted to resist the expansion of the Anglo-Saxons in what was to become England. The stories about Robin Hood and King Arthur have been elaborated and expanded on down the years.

Reading 5: The Hummingbird

The Hummingbird Long long ago . . . far up in the hills there was once a small pool fed by a waterfall that tumbled down the side of a mountain. It was the favorite place of Alida, the daughter of a great and powerful Taino cacique.

One day when Alida came to the pool to rest after a long walk, she was startled by a stranger—a young Taino not from her tribe who was picking fruit from the trees. He told her about himself to make her feel at home. He was a member of an enemy tribe who had been left behind after an attack and had lived in the forest by the pool ever since. Alida and Taroo became good friends. They would meet often at the pool. Their meetings were always brief so that no one would discover their secret friendship.

In spite of Alida’s precautions, there came a day when someone saw them and told her father. Alida was forbidden to return to the pool, and her father decided to arrange a wedding to a man of his own choosing in order to put an end to Alida and Taroo’s romance.

Alida was grief stricken and prayed to her god for help. “Do not let me marry this man whom I do not love!” The god took pity on her and changed her into a beautiful red flower. Meanwhile, Taroo, knowing nothing of Alida’s saddness, still waited for her by the pool, but she never arrived.

One night, the moon took pity on him and called out “Do not wait for Alida. Your secret has been found out, and to avoid marrying another man, she cried out to the gods for help and was changed into a delicate red flower.” “Help me to find Alida”, Taroo cried out. The gods took pity on him also and changed him into a small multi-colored bird saying “Fly, Colíbri, find your love among the flowers.” His wings made a humming sound as he rapidly flew away.

In the morning, the Tianos saw the new bird darting among the flowers as swift as an arrow and as bright as a jewel. They heard the humming of his wings and saw him hovering over every flower he passed and kissing the petals. They liked the bird with the music in his wings and called it a hummingbird. Ever since then the little bird has hovered over every flower he finds, but he returns most often to the red ones still looking for Alida. He has not found her yet.

Discussion questions:1. Who are the four characters of the story? 2. Where does the story take place? Does the location have anything to do with the end of the story? 3. Why is it important for Alida and Taroo to keep their relationship a secret? 4. How does Alida’s father find out about Taroo? 5. What happened to prevent Alida’s marriage to an unknown suitor? 6. Who does Alida ask assistance from, to avoid the marriage? 7. What is the significance of changing Alida into a beautiful red flower? 8. Why do you think the gods called Taroo “colíbri”? 9. What do we learn about hummingbirds from the story? 10. Is this a legend or a myth? Why?

Myth“Myths are things that never

happened but always are.” Sallustius, 4th cent. AD

 “A myth is a narrative which discloses

a sacred world.” Lawrence J. Hatab, Myth and

Philosophy

“Mythology is the womb of mankind’s initiation to life and death.”

Joseph Campbell, Bios and Mythos

Defining MythHeld to be Sacred and True

Core Narratives in Larger Ideological Systems

Set Outside of Historical Time“In the Beginning…”

Describes Actions of Divine or Semi-Divine Characters

Explain Key Aspects of World Order

Multi-Episodic

Often Performed in Ritual or Ceremonial Contexts

{The Hummingbird

Assignment #4

A.4 Complete the ChartCopy the Myth Chart into your notebook.

Complete the Myth Chart in class. Use any resources including the professor.

HOMEWORK:

Print the Myth Chart from the Materials page of Wiki, and complete it.

Submit the completed Myth Chart for Tuesday, June 21st.

The Myth Chart will be evaluated as Assignment #4.