What's your favorite Myth?

@VideCorSpoon,

My favourite myth is when lightness and darkness dance together, do a swirl together.

@VideCorSpoon,

I always thought the resurrection of Jesus was a funny myth.

Out of all of his followers one guy doubted that Jesus rose from the grave? This guy supposedly witnessed Jesus do a bunch of other miracles but all of a sudden doubts this miracle? Was he thick headed? I mean think about it. You witness him walk on water, you see him turn water into wine. You see him magically produce a bunch of food for people. Heal the blind, cure the sick and even bring someone back to life. What else does a guy need to see? If it wasn't a myth it wouldn't be believable for this point alone.

I won't believe it until I can put my hand into his wounds.

Nice that the apostle Thomas was allowed to have this sort of evidence while the rest of humanity gets nothing but a corrupted book to read.

@VideCorSpoon,

I think Jesus was a wise man and people interpretated in many ways, myths, facts, whatever, you need to take a closer look at the bible, have you read it? And K. you're actually denouncing Christians their religion and there a lot of Chistians out there and who no doubt might stumble on this fourn, have you not noticed I'm directing more traffic here by using Twitter and I don't think it's a good idea to denounce Christianity without taking a closer look at the Bible, do you? As it's only fair. Infact Justin said he wants to open up a Bible study here on the fourm soon.
Thanks.

@VideCorSpoon,

Yes I studied it.

So you can denounce other myths but not a christian one? How is that fair? So what if I said something about Greek mythology? That would be fair game but if it's christian it's off limits?

@VideCorSpoon,

I don't think you have studied it because it looks like you dont understand it because there are a lot of good things in the Bible, such as Love Thy Neighbour, which I stand by myself. I have found myself a lot of spiritual guidance from the Bible and other Religions and we should be looking at those too soon here on the philosophy forum, but I havent had a chance to study it all and debunk some of the myths that seems in my humble opinion made for the time and reflecst the barbarity of those times. Justin has made a suggestion that we do this, look at the Bible more closely with a tiny micro-scope perhaps, (hey I have one by the way).
Thanks and take care. I must dash, I need to go.
Thanks.

@Caroline,

Caroline;91518 wrote:

I don't think you have studied it because it looks like you dont understand it because there are a lot of good things in the Bible, such as Love Thy Neighbour, which I stand by myself. I have found myself a lot of spiritual guidance from the Bible and other Religions and we should be looking at those too soon here on the philosophy forum, but I havent had a chance to study it all and debunk some of the myths that seems in my humble opinion made for the time and reflecst the barbarity of those times. Justin has made a suggestion that we do this, look at the Bible more closely with a tiny micro-scope perhaps, (hey I have one by the way).
Thanks and take care. I must dash, I need to go.
Thanks.

Well I can tell you, that is what I have done, and you won't like what you find.

@VideCorSpoon,

Why, please, pray tell?

@Caroline,

It is a fact. anything that can be considered myth should be appropriate here. The myths that I posted are never called Myths by the elders with whom I work, even though they don;t take them to be literal truth.

Also myth is a very encompassing category. on this forum we have discussed everything from myth proper (classic religious mythology) to the mythification of certain social groups and political parties. Myth is simply a narrative or charicature of an ideal, geared either for explanation or alegory. I don't think it is unreasonable to say that no matter what Jesus was like as a person current practical application is based on his myth not his being.

@VideCorSpoon,

Well we should be taking a closer look soon Gosh as Justin wants to open up a bible study forum.
Thanks.

@Caroline,

I quite shocked that the Myth of Icarus hasnt been mentioned yet, it has to be one of my favourite myths. Greek mythology is full of beautiful stories. With many that I have unfortunately forgotten.

Wikipedia wrote:

Icarus' father, Daedalus, a talented and remarkable Athenian craftsman, attempted to escape from his exile in the place of Crete, where he and his son were imprisoned at the hands of King Minos, the king for whom he had built the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur (half man, half bull). Daedalus, the superior craftsman, was exiled because he gave Minos' daughter, Ariadne, a clew of string in order to help Theseus, the enemy of Minos, survive the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur.

Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea. Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos.

@VideCorSpoon,

Yes it does, its very beautiful indeed and we need to read more about them I think. Wink

Thanks.

@VideCorSpoon,

I love some of the West African epics, especially Son-Jara (also spelled Sunjata and Sundiata), and Askia Mohammed.

@VideCorSpoon,

The 'myth' of Hippocleides, found in Herodotus.

[quote=Herodotus]"Cleisthenes, the son of Aristonymus, grandson of Myron, and great-grandson of Andreas, had a daughter, Agarista, whom he wished to marry to the best man in all Greece. So during the Olympic games, in which he had himself won the chariot race, he had a public announcement made, to the effect that any Greek who thought himself good enough to become Cleisthenes' son-in-law should present himself in Sicyon within sixty days - or sooner if he wished - because he intended, within the year following the sixtieth day, to betroth his daughter to her future husband. Cleisthenes had had a race-track and a wrestling-ring specially made for his purpose, and presently the suitors began to arrive - every man of Greek nationality who had something to be proud of either in his country or in himself. From Sybaris in Italy, then at the height of its prosperity, came Smindyrides the son of Hippocrates, a man noted above all others for delicate and luxurious living, and from Siris, also in Italy, came Damasus the son of Amyris who was nicknamed the Wise. Then there was Amphimnestus, the son of Epistrophus, from Epidamnus on the Ionian Gulf, and Males from Aetolia - Males, the brother of Titormus who was the strongest man in Greece and went to live in the remotest part of Aetolia to avoid living with other human beings. From the Peloponnese came Leocedes the son of Pheidon, who was tyrant of Argos and the man who brought in the system of weights and measures for the Peloponnese - and also turned out the Eleans whose duty it was to manage the Olympic games and proceeded to manage them himself - the wickedest and most arrogant thing ever done by a Greek. Next there was Amiantus, the son of Lycurgus, from Trapezus in Arcadia, and Laphanes, an Azanian from Paeus, whose father Euphorion, the story goes, received Castor and Pollux under his own roof and afterwards kept open house for all comers; and then Onomastus of Elis, the son of Agaeus. From Athens there were two: Megacles, whose father Alcmaeon visited the court of Croesus, and Tisander's son Hippocleides, the wealthiest and best-looking man in Athens. Euboea provided but a single suitor, Lysanias from Eretria, which at that time was at the height of its prosperity; then there was a Thessalian, Diactorides, one of the Scopodae, from Crannon, and, lastly, Alcon from Molossia. This was the list of suitors.

Cleisthenes began by asking each in turn to name his country and parentage; then he kept them in his house for a year, to get to know them well, entering into conversation with them sometimes singly, sometimes all together, and testing each of them for his manly qualities and temper, education and manners. Those who were young he would take to the gymnasia - but the most important test of all was their behaviour at the dinner-table. All this went on throughout their stay in Sicyon, and all the time he entertained them handsomely.

For one reason or another it was the two Athenians who impressed Cleisthenes most favourably, and of the two Tisander's son Hippocleides came to be preferred, not only for his manly virtues but also because he was related some generations back to the family of Cypselus of Corinth.

At last the day came which had been fixed for the betrothal, and Cleisthenes had to declare his choice. He marked the day by the sacrifice of a hundred oxen, and then gave a great banquet, to which not only the suitors but everyone of note in Sicyon was invited. When dinner was over, the suitors began to compete with each other in music and in talking in company. In both these accomplishments it was Hippocleides who easily proved his superiority to the rest, until at last, as more and more wine was drunk, he asked the flute-player to play him a tune and began to dance to it. Now it may well be that he danced to his own satisfaction; Cleisthenes, however, who was watching the performance, began to have serious doubts about the whole business. Presently, after a brief pause, Hippocleides sent for a table; the table was brought, and Hippocleides, climbing on to it, danced first some Laconian dances, next some Attic ones, and ended by standing on his head and beating time with his legs in the air. The Laconian and Attic dances were bad enough; but Cleisthenes, though he already loathed the thought of having a son-in-law like that, nevertheless restrained himself and managed to avoid an outburst; but when he saw Hippocleides beating time with his legs, he could bear it no longer. 'Son of Tisander,' he cried, 'you have danced away your marriage.' 'Hippocleides doesn't care,' was the reply. Hence the common saying, 'Hippocleides doesn't care.[/quote]

@VideCorSpoon,

Since one's drive toward philosophy is truth, a triumph over myth, I would think that asing about a favorite myth is asking about a favorite thorn in one's tush.

However, there is a very good use of myth. The function of the human mind is to process information so that it can effect human will. The limitations of the mind can be circumvented by myth. Plato used the technique, it is used in the Bible. One can master it through metaphor, never actually having to lie. One simply puts the truth in a metaphor and then the reader will understand the metaphor to the limits of their mind.

Metaphor is based on a fact of the dual naming convention of common grammar. The name of a thing equals the names of that things various forms and material differences. Things will have, as part of their set, the same names then in the dual convention side of the equation, forms and material differences.

Through many metaphors one can use the process of intersection to learn what a metaphor stands for. Very similar to abstraction and learning the universal by the simili in multis of Plato. Metaphor is used in Lucid Dreaming where once prophets were taught because the lessons are aimed at making one think by abstracting universals--standards of judgment. The strange images, as men call them, are metaphors--one learns to say what they see, the foundation of language itself.

The bests of myths provide the most good for man.

@NoOne phil,

NoOne;93673 wrote:

Since one's drive toward philosophy is truth, a triumph over myth, I would think that asing about a favorite myth is asking about a favorite thorn in one's tush.

First, I disagree that a drive towards philosophy is necessarily to seek or achieve truth; and in some cases people who believe that haven't yet explored their motivations authentically enough.

Be that as it may, it's an unrealistic standard to believe that a human cannot simultaneously want truth and yet enjoy fiction. After all, some of the greatest philosophical works ARE works of fiction. All of Plato's dialogues, except maybe the ones surrounding Socrates' death, are works of fiction. Think about Also Sprach Zarathustra, or The Plague, or Nausea, or among non-Philosophers the fiction by Dostoyevsky.

@Aedes,

Aedes;93674 wrote:

First, I disagree that a drive towards philosophy is necessarily to seek or achieve truth; and in some cases people who believe that haven't yet explored their motivations authentically enough.

Be that as it may, it's an unrealistic standard to believe that a human cannot simultaneously want truth and yet enjoy fiction. After all, some of the greatest philosophical works ARE works of fiction. All of Plato's dialogues, except maybe the ones surrounding Socrates' death, are works of fiction. Think about Also Sprach Zarathustra, or The Plague, or Nausea, or among non-Philosophers the fiction by Dostoyevsky.

Perhaps in your case, I might agree, that the love of wisdom could cantain the priviso, without truth. In regard to the Platonic works, let me see if you can see the real beauty of Plato--Take a principle of logic, and use it for a form, and say that form is an outline of a piece, then fill the form with examples of the material in that form. This creates a thing. Can you then call this thing a fiction? Can you call any real thing a fiction because, as in any real thing, one cannot assert or deny reality of either form or material difference?

Let us say that one does not see the form of a thing, do they see the thing at all? Or only imagine they do?

Plato used a form for creating a work that no one befor him had done, nor anyone after him. Mankind is not yet up to it.

I have nothing to say about you missing every implication of what I did say the good of myth could be. Obviously it fell into that range of non-truth in your mind.

@NoOne phil,

NoOne;93726 wrote:

Plato used a form for creating a work that no one befor him had done, nor anyone after him.

He had characters and dialogue. He used them as mouthpieces for ideas. Some works, like the Republic, may as well have been a treatise -- but the Symposium? That is fiction, it's literature -- it's filled with ideas, but it's more than a work of philosophy.

NoOne;93726 wrote:

I have nothing to say about you missing every implication of what I did say the good of myth could be.

I didn't object to that part, which is why I didn't choose to parrot it.

@Aedes,

I don't know if it's necessarily my favorite, but a myth I go back to over and over is that of Odin going down to the base of the world tree to drink from the well of wisdom in order to discover the truth about Ragna Rok. He had to give up his right eye for the priviledge.

I read it in a book by Padraic Collum. It's beautiful.

@Arjuna,

Arjuna;95152 wrote:

I don't know if it's necessarily my favorite, but a myth I go back to over and over is that of Odin going down to the base of the world tree to drink from the well of wisdom in order to discover the truth about Ragna Rok. He had to give up his right eye for the priviledge.

@VideCorSpoon,

I enjoy African mythology, especially the Yoruba myths. Icarus is also one of my favourites. The Iliad isn't bad, i'd have to place it in my top 3 as well.

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