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myth noun 1 an ancient story that deals with gods and heroes, especially one used to explain some natural phenomenon. 2 such stories in general; mythology. 3 a commonly-held, false notion. 4 a non-existent, fictitious person or thing. So mythical is related to a [particular] ancient story.
I have just read the myth of Orpheus here. The writer used the underworld and the Underworld alternatively - not to mention the upper world and the Upper World - which made me wonder which would be more appropriate to use. I am editing some texts concerning the myth - the reason I should be consistent - and so wanted to hear from you.
2) another word for mythology (sense 1), mythology (sense 3) 3) a person or thing whose existence is fictional or unproven (in modern literature) a theme or character type embodying an idea ⇒ "Hemingway's myth of the male hero" (philosophy) (esp in the writings of Plato) an allegory or parable
Myths can be true, and they are intended to convey truth even when they are not, strictly speaking, true. Myth is a means of communicating non-empirical truth in an oral culture. Superstition can have its roots in mythology, but is usually about actions performed without a proper understanding of the reasons.
to refute a myth. to refute: Prove (a statement or theory) to be wrong or false; disprove. OxfordDictionaries.com. A simple google search shows that to refute a myth is indeed actually used widely enough. It is also used in books, as seen in this Google Ngram Viewer (which also shows how the phrase compares with the more popular to debunk a myth).
Lore is an Old English word that means something like body of knowledge or the knowledge that is taught, which means it has been in the English lexicon for nigh on a thousand years. Folklore, on the other hand, is much more recent. It was famously coined in 1846 by William Thoms, a British writer who was particularly interested in antiquities ...
6. I believe the original term for these sorts of things (certainly the term I heard first) was urban folklore, so called to distinguish it from ordinary folklore which is the prerogative of bumpkins. Turning folklore into legend seems simple enough; the two are close enough in meaning. This source here notes the alternative urban myth.
Allegory, parable, myth, fable, apologue are here compared only as literary forms that typically tell a story for the sake of presenting a truth or of enforcing as moral. An allegory always veils its true meaning (its underlying, or allegorical, sense) by leaving that to be deduced from the story it tells (the outward, or literal, sense). ...
"Daemon" is actually a much older form of "demon". Daemon is the Latin word for the Ancient Greek daimon. Originally in ancient religions daimons were lesser deities. Then Christianity came and "demonized" the other gods, so now you know them as the evil spirits from this mythology. –
The superstition is an old one and has many possible explanations, none sure. It may be of pagan origin, deriving from the practice of rapping on trees to ask protection from friendly spirits who were believed to reside inside. Or it could be a Christian superstition similar to touching wooden crucifixes or rosary beads.