General Characterisics of Myths
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No authorship; passed down orally
Told as fact but not proven true
Subgenre of fiction (so has char., setting, conflict, and plot)
-Characters:
* deities (gods/goddesses)
* heroes/mankind in general/beasts (e.g., Cerebus-3headed dog)
* were superhuman
* were dualities(contrasts of one another: good vs. evil; light vs. darkness)
* heavily motivated by human emotions (love, anger, greed, jealousy)
-Setting:
*ancient times (before a time o written records)
* B.C times
Purposes
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To explain how the world was created
To explain how natural phenomena came to be (e.g., the wind, seasons)
To teach a lesson or moral
To explain their beliefs (e.g., religious)
To reveal mankind’s hopes and fears