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International Journal of Research Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019

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International Journal of Research Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 THE INFLUENCE OF MYTHOLOGY ON LITERATURE: A STUDY Mrs. Prija Nair, Assistant Professor of English Teachers‟ Academy Degree College (Affiliated to Bangalore University) Bangalore 560043 Mob: +91 72592 44443, Email: mailto:[email protected] --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Abstract A myth is 'a story handed down through history, often through oral tradition, that explains or gives value to the unknown'. It is an attempt to explain a certain custom or practice of a human society. Myths were used to teach humans behaviour that helped people live in concert with one another. Myths can show us the marvels that existed long before scientific reasoning shed its progressive light on our perceptions. Many classical civilizations, including Greek, Egyptian and Hindu, developed rich mythologies centred on the actions of gods and goddesses. Literary forms such as the epic have frequently served as vehicles for transmitting myths. The Homeric epics were both an example and an exploration of heroic values, and the poems became the basis of education in classical Greece. The great epics of India (Mahabharata and Ramayana) came to function as encyclopaedias of knowledge and provided models for all human existence. Writers from Chaucer to Robert Graves have been steeped in these old myths and hence their works can scarcely be appreciated without some knowledge of them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Key words: Etymology, Mythic Fiction, Functions, Allegory, Modern Mythology, Re- Interpretation, Greek, Roman and Indian mythology. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.1. Introduction The definition of mythology is derived from the word 'myth'. The word itself comes from the Greek word 'mythos', which means fable, legend or sagas. The word "myth" is a story that seeks to rationalize the universe and the world around us, passed down orally from generation to generation explaining religious origin, natural phenomena or supernatural event. The study of myth must not and cannot be separated from the study of religion, religious beliefs, or religious rituals. A classical myth is a story that, through its classical form, has attained a kind of immortality because its inherent archetypal beauty, profundity, and power have inspired rewarding renewal and transformation by successive generations. Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019 Page No:135 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 1.2. Mythic Fiction Coined by authors Charles de Lint and Terri Windling to describe their own work, the term "mythic fiction" has become more widely recognized in recent years, though its exact definition is somewhat difficult to elucidate. The simplest and best definition of mythic fiction is fiction that draws essential substance from myth, folklore, fairy tale, and legend. These stories also use a real world setting for some portion of the story. This subgenre can overlap with magical realism, but mythic fiction does not always treat magic as mundane or expected. Mythic fiction can also overlap with urban fantasy, but the stories are not necessarily tied to an urban setting. 1.3. Functions ―It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestations.‖ ~ Joseph Campbell. Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, described mythology as having four basic functions: The mystical, the cosmological, the sociological, and the pedagogical. Mystical Function This function is about experiencing the awe of the universe. It‘s telling stories that touch the cornerstone of what it means to be a human being engaged with the unexplainable. We‘ve tasted the fruit from the Tree of Good and Evil over and over again throughout the history of the human leitmotif. We‘ve told countless stories of this sacred tasting through art, poetry and music. The mystical function is a sacred reconciliation because it helps us to honour fundamental change and insurmountable impermanence, while helping us to make sense of being or not being in a universe that has no meaning other than the meaning we are able to bring to it. Cosmological Function This function is about formulating and rendering an image of the universe. The universe we live in is unfathomably huge, inexplicably scary, and perplexingly mysterious. It is so awe-inspiringly enormous that we cannot even wrap our minds Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019 Page No:136 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 around its immense structure. From Hesiod‘s Theogony to Genesis in the Old Testament, from Brahma merging with Vishnu and Shiva to the current scientific- based Big Bang theory, cosmological myths are at the heart of each culture. Sociological Function This function is about supporting and validating a certain social order. These stories help to bind people to a certain tribe or social group. Sociological myths are the essential building blocks behind all codes of moral conduct. It maintains the meaning of culture while shaping the meaning of our lives. Even when we‘re not aware of it, cultural mythos is working behind the scenes. The Greek myth of Pandora is another good example of a myth that upholds a misbalanced culture. The Greeks were a patriarchal society that subjugated women, and the myth helped to uphold and justify that belief. Pedagogical Function According to Joseph Campbell, this is the most important of the four functions. This is the psychological function of myth, which lies at the heart of the other three functions. Pedagogical myths help to shape individuals to the aims and ideals of a particular social group or tribe, guiding them from birth to death through the course of a human life. These are myths that show by good and/or bad example how to live a human life. They provide patterns of thought that bring meaning to life. Such powerful guidance stories as the Jewish Ten Commandments, Buddha‘s Eight- fold Noble Path, Lord Krishna‘s Bhagavad Gita, and Joseph Campbell‘s The Hero‘s Journey, for example. 1.4. Allegory Some theories propose that myths began as allegories for natural phenomena: Apollo represents the sun; Poseidon represents water, and so on. According to another theory, myths began as allegories for philosophical or spiritual concepts: Athena represents wise judgment, Aphrodite desire, and so on. Müller supported an allegorical theory of myth. He believed myths began as allegorical descriptions of nature and gradually came to be interpreted literally. For example, a poetic description of the sea as "raging" was eventually taken literally and the sea was then thought of as a raging god. Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019 Page No:137 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 1.5. Re interpretation of mythology Though Hindu mythology continues to remain a favoured genre, contemporary interest in Hindu mythology adopts a different approach and is consumed in different ways unique to the times. ‗Randamoozham‘ - This is a translation of the Malayalam book ‗Randamoozham‘. ‗Randamoozham‘ is one of the finest pieces of literature written by one of India‘s literary giants – MT Vasudevan Nair, fondly called as MT. The English translation from Gita Krishnankutty, ‗Bhima – Lone Warrior‘, is an attempt to bring this masterpiece to a larger audience. ‗Bhima – Lone Warrior‟ is the story of Mahabharata from the perspective of the second Pandava – the mighty Bhima. How he sees the sequence of events that led to the Great War? The book strips the characters of their immortality and godly statuses. It is devoid of any superficiality, a believable one, presenting a logical viewpoint. Through this book we discover a hero in the powerful Bhima who has been portrayed time and again as the gluttony and blockhead Pandava who was always hidden between the righteous Yudhishtira who time and again stood for Dharma and the skilful warrior Arjuna who was unbeatable. The Bhima that MT brings out is a warrior unparalleled in strength and valour, a human being who had a soft and tender heart, who savoured and nurtured emotions as any other being, who had sexual longings, who loved his family and could go any lengths for them, who silently watched over them while they slept peacefully, who yearned for Draupadi‘s love knowing that she always loved Arjuna the most. Yuganta studies the principal, mythical-heroic figures of the Mahabharata from historical, anthropological and secular perspectives. The usually venerated characters of this ancient Indian epic are here subjected to a rational enquiry that places them in context, unravels their hopes and fears, and imbues them with wholly human motives, thereby making their stories relevant and astonishing to contemporary readers. Irawati Karve, thus, presents a delightful collection of essays, scientific in spirit, yet appreciative of the literary tradition of the Mahabharata. She challenges the familiar and formulates refreshingly new interpretations, all the while refusing to judge harshly or venerate blindly. The Volume VIII, Issue VI, JUNE/2019 Page No:138 International Journal of Research ISSN NO:2236-6124 essay also questions the sincerity of Bhishma‘s commitment to the throne of Hastinapura because of which he stood by it through thick and thin, eventually leading its army against
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