Defining Myths

Defining Myths Before there was knowledge of why phenomena occurred, people told tales called myths to explain them. Origin myths were told through oral tradition, and they were passed down from generation to generation to explain the beginning of Earthly life. The nature and characteristics of myths help to support the purpose, which was essentially to explain what was unknown. Native Americans did not have a written language, forcing them to pass myths on through oral traditions. The myths were changed as they were told and retold, but they still portrayed the same message. Myths included characteristics such as supernatural and realistic elements and a conflict to make the content more interesting and memorable, rather than just sharing facts within their tribes. Longer, more elaborate stories explaining baffling occurrences were easier to remember and learn from. One of the more predominant characteristics is Superior Spirits. In The Earth on Turtle's Back by the Onodaga, there is an Ancient Chief who was the only person able to lift the Great Tree out of the ground showing his incredible strength. The Sky Spirit carved a hole in the sky and pushed all of the snow down to create a new world in When Grizzlies Walked Upright by the Modoc. The Navajo Origin Legend by the Navajo contained Mirage People who were made of corn and could create life. While these events cover the supernatural aspect of myths, there are also realistic elements to give them verisimilitude. Each tribe's story has elements relating to their territories. The Onondaga and Modoc both talked about animals that are native to their lands. The Modoc tribe lived in California which has an excessive amount of bears still today. The main purpose of all myths was to explain the unknown. Since there was no scientific knowledge to explain natural events, myths were created so phenomena would make sense. Because the myths were origin legends they all explain how life began. For example, the