ABSTRACT
Chapter Two was devoted to a discussion of the many theoretical approaches to the study of myth in relation to epics. After a thorough investigation of various socio-cultural and religious theories on the origins and development of myths, the chapter dealt with some of the main problems that exist in fi nding convincing aesthetic evidence to back up such theories. This research revealed for example, that the ritual theory of myth, and other arguments which do not consider the aesthetic quality of myth are not representative of the cultural dynamics of African oral art. The stylistic value of the African epic appears to be a result of the creative capacity of the human mind to reach far back in the past in order to construct and achieve an aesthetic quality.
