Religion Mythology, folklore and religion

There are a few threads on this forum that currently deal with Christianity. I would like to move away from the one subject religion and move into all religions in general, or precisely their origins and what makes them what they are today and why other relgions of the past failed.
The questions are:
Q1 When does folklore become a religion or myth?
Q2 When does a religion become a mytholgy?
Q3 When does a mythology become a religion?

With question 1 folklore deals with tales that have usually been passed on by oral traditions. These will include stories of terrible creatures and heros, but also morals and stories on why various plants and animals should not be eaten. This can be seen in the Bible and the Koran for the eating of Pork. Pigs can suffer from a lot diseases that man can. The best way to avoid this is to not eat pigs. This passes into part of folklore, which, in this case, became part of religious following

Question 2 deals with when does a religion become myth. The ancient Egyptians had a working religion. We now refer to it as myth, yet to an Egyptian person at the time it meant as much to them as the God means to Jews today. If the Egyptian, Greek myths are now seen as stories and then why isn't the stories of Cain and Abel not seen this way. The only difference I can see is that one lost its followers and another kept them. Does that mean that the Gods of Greece are less important than Allah?

Question 3 might seem a bit of a strange question, but you consider that in our modern world people are taking the older myths and bringing them back to life. We call it neo-paganism or a variety of other names. There are now people that follow the myths and stories of the Vikings. They call themselves the Asatru. Other neo-pagan religions are starting up based on the myths of Greece and Rome. Does the fact that they are from dead beliefs make them any less of a religion that the ones that are alive and active in the world of today.

I have tried to keep the answers to each question as short as I can. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks

This has got to be a great subject to think over and discuss. I agree that it is important to think about all this mythology (including all those terms) stuff. I think it has great meaning in understanding humanity, its 'cultures', its history, and all. I will get back soon enough, and give some input on those questions, although I will admit, I m weak in this field.


Nice way to go there mycernius !!

Mycernius said:

Question 2 deals with when does a religion become myth. The ancient Egyptians had a working religion. We now refer to it as myth, yet to an Egyptian person at the time it meant as much to them as the God means to Jews today. If the Egyptian, Greek myths are now seen as stories and then why isn't the stories of Cain and Abel not seen this way. The only difference I can see is that one lost its followers and another kept them. Does that mean that the Gods of Greece are less important than Allah?

Click to expand...

This is a question I have often thought about, and I think you have come up with a fine answer. But I think the 'believers' in what we would choose to call myths might answer that they still have followers today because those stories are more than myths.

Does mythology still exist in the modern world? I would argue that it does. I class belief in ghosts, spiritualism, UFOs, crop circles, alien adbuction - the paranormal I suppose is the umbrella term - as modern-day myths. The believers in those things often have a religious attitude towards their belief, and I think the same kinds of thought processes are involved - i.e. faith over proof. Where proof is offered, the 'confirmation bias' is involved - that is to say that believers overemphasise the evidence that supports their conclusion, and downplay or ignore the evidence against, IMHO.

Perhaps, folklore becomes a religion when people bring some awe into it and use it to explain things they are yet unable to grasp. And not just ocassional people but the whole tribe, ethnic group, stories become a role model, a rule to follow, a law to abide

Probably, this is true that current beliefs become mythology when a number of followers is rapidly decreases (whether naturally or by means of power)
Over 1000 years Russians were baptised by both - the word and the sword. Ald gods and stories were forgotten. Only oral tradition of fairy tales and epic let them survive

But there is one thing which can be traced in any world: some of old beliefs blended casually with new ones. If before Christianity thunder was made by Perun, later folks started to say: "`Tis prophet Iliya (Elaya?) on his heavenly charriot" Many pagan significant dates now have Christian colour. So, in a way old myths still alive

We also have some neo-pagan "movements" today. Besides many other reasons there could be foloowing explanations
1) Christianity failed to satisfied the spiritual (and not only) need it claimed it will (speaking about institution of church, not abou the ideals of this religion)
2) sort of nationalism. Some people feel that to be russians doesn`t make many people feel proud anymore, that nation is being humiliated and belittled. Back to the roots as the way tochange tendency
3) almost same as nationalism. Opposition to the western influence which destroyes native culture and ideals substituting them with "alien" surrogate. In XIX and early XX centuries Slavophils also were very active

this that little what i could come up with :blush:

Myth in Classical Art

Mycernius said:

I would like to move away from the one subject religion and move into all religions in general, or precisely their origins and what makes them what they are today and why other relgions of the past failed.
The questions are:
Q1 When does folklore become a religion or myth?
...
With question 1 folklore deals with tales that have usually been passed on by oral traditions. These will include stories of terrible creatures and heros, but also morals and stories on why various plants and animals should not be eaten. This can be seen in the Bible and the Koran for the eating of Pork. Pigs can suffer from a lot diseases that man can. The best way to avoid this is to not eat pigs. This passes into part of folklore, which, in this case, became part of religious following.

Click to expand...

I just found this link to Myth in Art. I have the slightest idea how the definitions should go to make most sense of what has already been said about myths, mythologies, folklore, legends, and oral tradition, but art history might have some interesting material to discuss;
Myth in Classical Art , as part of
The Theoi Project: A Guide to Greek Gods, Spirits, and Monsters.
The question I would like to add to Mike's original ones is; how much are the distinctions natural/logical/scientific and how much are they cultural, that is man-made distinction and therefore solely upto how people have classified and talked about them as opposed to us trying to find an objective and time-independent standard of distinquishing them ?

Good links there Lexico-sama.
From various sources I have read that early tribes had several deities, one of which was the priciple deity of the tribe. As the tribes grew and met and merged with other tribes a greater society was founded. By pooling their knowledge and religion you deities with similar atributes ended up being merged as well. As these societies grew larger wars started and the conquers would also impose their deities on the losers. Again any dieties with the same atributes would be merged, so would names of the deities. You would eventually end up with a pantheon of the deities. As with human society, the pantheon would end up in an heiracy based on the society that created it. As most early societies were headed by the powerful then the pantheon was also headed by the most powerful God. At some time in the past the powerful god would take on more atributes of the others and they would fade. Eventually you would end up with a monothestic faith, as the primary godhead absorbed the atributes of the others (Allah, Yhwh, Aten, Isis). As these societies battled with other societies theior mythologies would become religion epending on which godhead was accepted by the people. If your God is open to all, then it will be more widley worshipped than one that is only allowed to be worshipped by one section of society. Thor and Odin are good example of this. Odin was a god that demanded human sacrifice as part of his worship. Thor was a much more easy god to worship, hence the paesents and workers worshipped thor more than Odin. If left to their ways Odin would eventually fade from the importance in the pantheon and Thor would become the principle godhead
Writings from folklore and tales also help in keeping the word of the Gods alive. An oral tradition will fade if faced with a society that keeps records. In some cases the new religion will merge with the oral tradition and become mixed to create a new religion or myth (Voodoo - mixture of African myths and catholism). the only problem with this is that you end up with the dominat religion becoming staid, as the written records take on a holy arua themselves. Any religion that has not survived or adapted to the dominant religion fade and become myths and stories.