Week 7_2/26/16_Mythology

         Mythology literally means the study of myths. When most people think of mythology, we think of flying horses and thunder bolts from the always amusing Greek myths. Besides the Greeks, each culture has a cherished mythology, whether they're ancient or not. In addition, the word 'mythology' exudes a certain mysterious and fictional feeling. I know that when I think of the word 'mythology', I think of Gorgons, Kronos eating his kids, and Zeus sexually harassing every other mortal. I also think our own experiences will tend to affect how a reader will react to it. For example, when I see the word 'mythology', I can't help but think about the art camp that I attended as a kid, which is where I learned most of what I know about Greek mythology today. Since connotation is literally how our feelings affect how we perceive a word, it is impossible to say that our past experiences don't give each of us our own individual connotation, besides what society as a whole tends to think of it.

         When Lewis uses the word 'mythology', he associates it with Plato. This gives the word credibility simply because it was mentioned in the same sentence as Plato. Today, we think of Plato as a master of logic and wisdom. Several of his contributions to the medical profession and science are still cited to him. Surely, if Plato had a 'mythology', it could not be too mystical or stupid as we think of it. Lewis' writings speak about how society today should not make fun of what our ancestors have believed to be true. He is giving back their dignity by trying to have us keep the context in mind. Lewis mentions 'mythology' several times with a positive connotation. For example, Lewis writes, "Nature may be the oldest of things, but Natura is the youngest of deities. Really ancient mythology knows nothing of her. It seems to me impossible that such a figure could ever arise in a genuinely mythopoeic age; what we call 'nature-worship' has never heard of what we call 'Nature'. 'Mother' Nature is a conscious metaphor" (37). Here, Lewis is discussing how our ancestors were not simply stupid for believing what they have in the past. Our ancestors, from whom we descended from, have always tried to make sense of their surroundings and natural phenomenon through the ages. Trying to make sense of your environment does not seem particularly stupid to me. I actually see 'mythology' as a sign of intelligence because at least our ancestors were interested in explaining why things occurred the way they do.

         Another notable mention about the word 'mythology' can be found earlier on in the text. Lewis mentions, "Plato was modifying, in the interests of ethics and monotheism, the mythology he had received from his ancestors" (2). I find this passage to mean that mythology was simply a stepping stone to a higher intelligence. If you think about it, mythology was necessary before we could scientifically prove facts because it organized a belief system that was poised for change. Mythology is not simply a series of stories, either. If we study a culture's myths critically, we can learn so much about the society and their social constructs from that time. For example, the stories about Pegasus, the flying horse, could have been created simply because the Greeks like stories about flying horses, or it could have been created as a metaphor for how the Greek people saw divinity in animals and how they must have yearned to reach that divinity like Pegasus was able to.

Citation:

Lewis, C.S. The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. London: Cambridge University Press, 1964. Print.