Difference between revisions 1761101 and 1771379 on metawiki

{{essay|specifiedcategory=Essays on general topics}}
This page is for discussion of [[w:folklore]], [[w:religion]], and [[w:mythology]].

=== Use of the words 'Myth', 'Mythology', etc. ===

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Maybe it is just that the ancients preferred alegory?
A true myth: Wheat grows best if the sower is nude! This may be because a compassionate (but maybe not omnipotent) God sees the sower as too poor to buy clothes, as originally proposed, or perhaps it is because it is not very convenient to be walking naked on either wet or baked land, or when the wind blows, or the weather is unpleasant? Now, guess what conditions are ideal for seed germination?
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Of all the options I support '''Option 4''' best. I think the King Arthur stories are certainly okay to be called 'legend' or 'myth.' However, texts like the Bible or the Torah should be treated with respect and to label it as a 'myth' sounds as if there is no proof that it is real, and that it's sort of a fairy tale. Things that aren't directly in the Bible, for instance, wouldn't offend nearly as many people as calling things actually in the Bible a 'myth.' For instance, calling the flood in the Bible the ''deluge myth'' could be pretty painful to people who truly believe in it. Calling those things a 'myth' might ''not'' be neutral, actually - it could be writing from the side of unbelievers.

If Option 4 is really disliked, then, okay, Option 3. It's not as good as Option 4, because stuff like Greek mythology so few people believe, and so little proof exists that any of it is true, that to term it a myth would be just fine. For some religions, like Judaism, or Christianity, ''not'' calling them a myth might be offensive.

So, I think Option 4 is the best. It would be much less offensive to most people.

And by the bye, I do not think the 'legend' option is very good, if you will allow me to say so. Legend still implies that the belief is false, and this can still be offensive. Though it's a little better than myth there isn't enough difference to make it a good solution.