ABSTRACT

A myth is originally not a fantasy or a falsity, but a narrative verified by faith, forming part of a corpus and reinforced by ritual. The corpus is tightly bound into culture and social structure which are legitimated by the narratives, just as the narratives are reconfirmed by ideology. Certain mythical structures, such as those of the major religions, still fulfil these criteria and function as living structures of public belief. In the present age, it is also generally agreed to admit to mythical status those obsessive narratives which spring from the unconscious and assume the role of personal systems of belief.