What is myth? What is mythology? The mythology course, taught by Marilyn Torres, gave me in-depth insight into the world of myths and mythology. I started the lesson thinking I knew what a myth was but I was far from the truth. Like most people, I believed that a myth was fiction, false, or a lie. Almost every definition of myth includes the statement that a myth is a story, but there is much more behind a myth. After five weeks of the course there were so many articles and information that advanced my understanding of myth and mythology. The following explains how my understanding of myth and mythology has been altered. The article “Myth and Knowing” by Michael McClure emphasizes the transformation of myths. Initially, I thought mythology was the study of myths. This may be somewhat true but, in reality, defining mythology is much more complex and requires an in-depth understanding of the myths. According to McClure, “Myths are ancient narratives that attempt to answer enduring and fundamental human questions” (McClure 1). I believe this is one of the best definitions of myth, which also explains the meaning of myths. In my opinion, myths can be used as a life manual to create a better form of life. Myths not only give life lessons or answer questions about the universe, but also show a person's development or growth. To begin with, the term myth must be used when referring to the stories themselves, while mythology must be used when referring to the study and analysis of stories. The English word "myth" comes from the Greek mythos, meaning word or story. Mythos was used in conjunction with logos, another Greek word, meaning “opinion” or “expectation”. To understand the myths and m...... middle of paper ......al-poetic tradition and which could only be told in sacred times. Characters in a myth can be significant in answering questions about themselves or demonstrating obstacles in their future. Just as there is no specific “correct” definition for the word myth, there is no “correct” way to analyze it. There are many ways to analyze a myth, and each type of analysis creates some understanding, but each can also distort our perception of the myth as a story. A true or living myth expresses something fundamental about the worldview, values, and lifestyle of the people who accept it. To me a true myth gives an impression of human life as having a purpose in the world and therefore makes life seem meaningful and worth living. In conclusion, I would recommend familiarizing yourself with mythology and its many methods for reading myths on multiple levels at once..