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Folklore lets people escape from repressions imposed upon them by society. Folklore validates culture, justifying its rituals and institutions to those who perform and observe them. Folklore is a pedagogic device which reinforces morals and values and builds wit. Folklore is a means of applying social pressure and exercising social control.
Origin myths are narratives that explain how a particular reality came into existence. [3] They often serve to justify the established order by attributing its establishment to sacred forces [3] (see § Social function). The line between cosmogonic myths which describe the origin of the world and origin myths is not always clear.
A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural, religious or traditional myth which describes the earliest beginnings of the present world. Creation myths are the most common form of myth, usually developing first in oral traditions, and are found throughout human culture.
In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. [10] Origin myths explain how a society's customs, institutions, and taboos were established and sanctified. [2] [8] National myths are narratives about a nation's past that symbolize the nation's values.
Creation myths have been around since ancient history and have served important societal roles. Over 100 "distinct" ones have been discovered. [20] All creation myths are in one sense etiological because they attempt to explain how the world formed and where humanity came from. [21] Myths attempt to explain the unknown and sometimes teach a lesson.
The myths of origin or age of gods (Theogonies, "births of gods"): myths about the origins of the world, the gods, and the human race. The age when gods and mortals mingled freely: stories of the early interactions between gods, demigods, and mortals. The age of heroes (heroic age), where divine activity was more limited.
The study of folklore originated in Europe in the first half of the 19th century with a focus on the oral folklore of the rural peasant populations. [citation needed] The "Kinder- und Hausmärchen" of the Brothers Grimm, first published 1812, is the best known collection of the verbal folklore of the European peasantry.
Table illustrating the kami that appeared during the creation of Heaven and Earth according to Japanese mythology.. In Japanese mythology, the Japanese Creation Myth (天地開闢, Tenchi-kaibyaku, Literally "Creation of Heaven & Earth") is the story that describes the legendary birth of the celestial and creative world, the birth of the first gods, and the birth of the Japanese archipelago.