Thanks to some brilliant research undertaken by my niece, I now know the real meaning of the Hellenic word, myth (μύθος).
The word ‘myth’ has generally come to identify any story that is believed to be a work of fiction; however, when analyzing myths and legends, it is important to understand the evolution of the word and how, using the word as it was originally understood, it is crucial to the unraveling of our human origins. The word ‘Myth‘ originates from the Greek word mythos, meaning ‘word’ or ‘tale’ or ‘true narrative’, referring not only to the means by which it was transmitted but also to its being rooted in truth. Mythos was also closely related to the word myo, meaning ‘to teach’, or ‘to initiate into the mysteries’. (The meaning of the word Myth)
Over the last few years, I have discovered that many Hellenic words have had their meanings distorted, in one way, or another. If myth is another word for tale, or narrative (i.e. story), then myths can be true stories. Stories can be based on either fact, or fiction: over time, what was once fact, can be turned into fiction. I have already found evidence that the Hellenic Gods of Olympus were real (mortal), so who knows… (Learn more here: Scroll down to the paragraph beginning with the sentence, “I used to think this was far-fetched.”)
It will be difficult to determine what is real, what has been embellished and what is allegorical in literature, however, we will attempt to unravel what we can in the years to come.
Helen
P.S. This work on myths will eventually tie into my Biblical research: stay tuned.
