Since civilisation began, mankind has sought answers to questions such as these: 'How did we get here? What is the Sun and why does it rise every morning? Why do we have seasons? Where do we go after death?' Before scientific experiment and reasoning, stories were told which explained the world. These grew into rituals and religions, and over time each culture developed its own variation – its own gods and heroes - its own mythology. Mythologies are found in every culture on Earth (even modern societies with their urban myths and characters such as Father Christmas), and so they must have... Show more Since civilisation began, mankind has sought answers to questions such as these: 'How did we get here? What is the Sun and why does it rise every morning? Why do we have seasons? Where do we go after death?' Before scientific experiment and reasoning, stories were told which explained the world. These grew into rituals and religions, and over time each culture developed its own variation – its own gods and heroes - its own mythology. Mythologies are found in every culture on Earth (even modern societies with their urban myths and characters such as Father Christmas), and so they must have some king of importance. A culture’s shared stories grant a sense of belonging, a guide to expected behaviour and lessons in morality. It has also been suggested (most notably by Joseph Campbell) that myths are a means of understanding universal psychological truths and a necessary part of life. Show less
Since civilisation began, mankind has sought answers to questions such as these: 'How did we get here? What is the Sun and why does it rise every morning? Why do we have seasons? Where do we go after death?' Before scientific experiment and reasoning, stories were told which explained the world. These grew into rituals and religions, and over time each culture developed its own variation – its own gods and heroes - its own mythology.
Mythologies are found in every culture on Earth (even modern societies with their urban myths and characters such as Father Christmas), and so they must have some king of importance. A culture’s shared stories grant a sense of belonging, a guide to expected behaviour and lessons in morality. It has also been suggested (most notably by Joseph Campbell) that myths are a means of understanding universal psychological truths and a necessary part of life.
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