Purpose of Myth Review

1. Four fundamental questions that myths address are "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 life?", and "What must I do in order to survive?"

2. Four themes in mythology are that first parents are often the gods of the sky and the earth; the creator-god usually fashions the first humans form parts of the earth; the creator-god destroys at least one world of mortals by causing a great flood; and heroes are children of gods who have an unusual birth, possess extraordinary strength, kill monsters with a special weapon, journey into the underworld, and have an unusual death.

3. The beginning of the universe for major cultures was a chaotic, formless mass that a god or pair of gods separate. The gods multiply so that they each can have their particular role in the universal scheme, and the creator-god brings life to earth.

4. Myths and epics teach members of society the appropriate attitudes, behavior, and values of that culture.

5. Ordinary people identify the heroes' imperfections with heroes because everyone has similar psychological needs and conflicts.

6. The foundation of the Matriarchal Society was the agricultural year.

7. Sigmund Freud views myths as the expression of the individual's unconscious wishes, fears, and drives.

8. Myths demonstrate that people possess the intellectual capacity to understand the world in which they live.