What word refers to the founding myths?

A “founding myth” or etiological myth (Greek aition) explains either: the origins of a ritual or of the founding of a city.

What does arete meaning?

Definition of arête : a sharp-crested ridge in rugged mountains.

What are the synonyms for mythology?

synonyms for mythology

  • belief.
  • legend.
  • lore.
  • tradition.
  • conviction.
  • myths.
  • stories.
  • folk tales.

Which is the best synonym for mythology?

Synonyms of mythology

  • folklore,
  • legend,
  • legendry,
  • lore,
  • myth,
  • mythos,
  • tradition.

Whats a origin story?

a backstory, or established background narrative, that informs the identity and motivations of heroes and villains in a comic book or similar fictional work: The superhero’s origin story begins with a tragic accident that left him scarred, but also resulted in his supernatural powers.

What is the Greek creation story?

The Greek creation myth. The Ancient Greeks believed that in the beginning, the world was in a state of nothingness which they called Chaos. Suddenly, from light, came Gaia (Mother Earth) and from her came Uranus (the sky) along with other old gods (called primordials) like Pontus (the primordial god of the oceans).

What is the meaning of Mesotes?

Mesotes (μεσότης, Greek “middle”) is a term from ancient philosophy that was introduced into ethics by Aristotle. According to Aristotle, it describes the position of a virtue between two opposing vices, “excess” and “lack”.

How are arêtes formed?

An arête is a thin, crest of rock left after two adjacent glaciers have worn a steep ridge into the rock. A horn results when glaciers erode three or more arêtes, usually forming a sharp-edged peak.

What is the etymology of mythology?

mythology (n.) early 15c., “exposition of myths, the investigation and interpretation of myths,” from Late Latin mythologia, from Greek mythologia “legendary lore, a telling of mythic legends; a legend, story, tale,” from.

What is the best definition of mythology?

Definition of mythology 1 : an allegorical narrative. 2 : a body of myths: such as. a : the myths dealing with the gods, demigods, and legendary heroes of a particular people. b : mythos sense 2 cold war mythology.

What is another word for mythical creatures?

synonyms for mythical creature

  • demon.
  • dwarf.
  • giant.
  • gnome.
  • goblin.
  • hobgoblin.
  • leprechaun.
  • monster.

What is Greek mythology?

Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore.These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures, and the origins and significance of the ancient Greeks’ own cult and ritual practices.

What is the origin of the Greek gods called?

Hesiod, a possible contemporary with Homer, offers in his Theogony (Origin of the Gods) the fullest account of the earliest Greek myths, dealing with the creation of the world; the origin of the gods, Titans, and Giants; as well as elaborate genealogies, folktales, and etiological myths.

What are some examples of Greek mythology in literature?

Greek mythology. Two poems by Homer’s near contemporary Hesiod, the Theogony and the Works and Days, contain accounts of the genesis of the world, the succession of divine rulers, the succession of human ages, the origin of human woes, and the origin of sacrificial practices. Myths are also preserved in the Homeric Hymns,…

What are the sources of Greek mythology?

Greek Mythology: Sources. Instead, the earliest Greek myths were part of an oral tradition that began in the Bronze Age, and their plots and themes unfolded gradually in the written literature of the archaic and classical periods. The poet Homer’s 8th-century BC epics the Iliad and the Odyssey, for example, tell the story of the (mythical)…