What is "mythology"

Mythology \My*thol"o*gy\, n.; pl. Mythologies. [F. mythologie, L. mythologia, Gr. myqologi`a; my^qos, fable, myth + lo`gos speech, discourse.]

1. The science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths.

2. A body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks.

early 15c., "exposition of myths," from Middle French mythologie and directly from Late Latin mythologia, from Greek mythologia "legendary lore, a telling of mythic legends; a legend, story, tale," from mythos "myth" (of unknown origin) + -logy "study." Meaning "a body of myths" first recorded 1781.

n. (context countable and uncountable English) The collection of myths of a people, concerning the origin of the people, history, deity, ancestors and heroes.

1. n. myths collectively; the body of stories associated with a culture or institution or person

2. the study of myths

Mythology can refer to the collected myths of a group of peopletheir collection of stories they tell to explain nature, history, and customsor to the study of such myths.

As a collection of explanatory stories, mythology is a vital feature of every culture. Many sources for myths have been proposed, ranging from personification of nature or personification of natural phenomena, to truthful or hyperbolic accounts of historical events to explanations of existing rituals. Although the term is complicated by its implicit condescension, mythologizing is not just an ancient or primitive practice, as shown by contemporary mythopoeia such as urban legends and the expansive fictional mythoi created by fantasy novels and comics. A culture's collective mythology helps convey belonging, shared and religious experiences, behavioral models, and moral and practical lessons.

The study of myth dates back to ancient history. Rival classes of the Greek myths by Euhemerus, Plato, and Sallustius were developed by the Neoplatonists and later revived by Renaissance mythographers. The nineteenth-century comparative mythology reinterpreted myth as a primitive and failed counterpart of science ( E. B. Tylor), a "disease of language" ( Max Müller), or a misinterpretation of magical ritual ( James Frazer).

Recent approaches have rejected conflict between the value of myth and rational thought, often viewing myths as expressions to understand general psychological, cultural, or societal truths, rather than as inaccurate historical accounts.

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes is a book written by Edith Hamilton, published in 1942 by Little, Brown and Company. It has been reissued since then by several publishers. It retells stories of Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology drawn from a variety of sources. The introduction includes commentary on the major classical poets used as sources, and on how changing cultures have led to changing characterizations of the deities and their myths. It is frequently used in high schools and colleges as an introductory text to ancient mythology and belief.

Mythology is a collection of myths, or the study of them.

Mythology or Mythologies may also refer to:

• Mythology (fiction) or canon, the official notion of the overarching plot of a media franchise
• Mythology (comic book), an Indian comic book created by Illustrated Orchids

Mythology é um álbum do artista de new age Eloy Fritsch. O CD geralmente é considerado um de seus melhores trabalhos solo. Assim como em Apocalypse, Fritsch toca uma variedade de teclados. Na capa interna há um Modular Synthesizer System-700, Sintetizador Minimoog e teclados eletrônicos. Mythology trabalha com diversos mitos do mundo. Desta forma, foram visitadas várias culturas, inclusive brasileiras, astecas, incas, assírias, gregas, hindus, egípcias, nórdicas, da Atlântida, romanas, chinesas, etc. No álbum todas as composições eletrônicas basearam-se em sua própria interpretação das características de cada elemento mitológico escolhido para sua obra.

Mythology is the fourth solo album by keyboard player Derek Sherinian. Sherinian again draws upon some of the greatest talent from the worlds of rock and jazz music. Among the artists appearing on Mythology are jazz fusion player Allan Holdsworth ( U.K., Soft Machine, Level 42), Steve Lukather ( Toto), Simon Phillips (Toto, Jeff Beck, The Who), Zakk Wylde ( Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society), Grammy award winner Steve Stevens ( Billy Idol), Jerry Goodman ( Mahavishnu Orchestra, Dixie Dregs), and a very rare guest appearance from guitarist John Sykes ( Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Blue Murder).

Mythology is a comic book created by Illustrated Orchids, based upon the legends of India. It will be available in Singapore, India, Malaysia and Europe.

Mythology were an English blues band based in Carlisle that formed in early 1967, out of The Square Chex. The band featured future Black Sabbath founding members Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.

Mythology is a box set compilation of recordings by the Gibb Brothers, mostly performed as the Bee Gees, arranged in a four disc set each highlighting a Gibb brother. Barry and Robin chose their own songs (presumably their personal favourites), with Maurice's songs selected by his widow Yvonne and Andy's songs selected by his daughter Peta. Several U.S. and U.K. hits are absent from this collection including " Lonely Days", " How Can You Mend a Broken Heart", " You Should Be Dancing", " Nights on Broadway", " World" and " One".

Mythology (also referred to as a mythos) is the term often used by fans of a particular book, television, or movie series to describe a fiction franchise's overarching plot and often mysterious backstory. Daniel Peretti argues that mythology "is often used emically to refer to back story". The term was pioneered by the American science fiction series The X-Files, which first aired in 1993. With this being said, many other forms of media have some sort of mythology, and the term is often applied in regards to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost, and the Batman and Superman comics, among others.

Some fictional series more literally have a mythology, i.e. a cycle of fictional myths, as part of the in- universe material. An unusually well-developed and comparatively early example is that of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth stories, for which he developed written myths and epic poems, some in fictional languages like Elvish.