Making Myth

What type of myth do we choose to tell?

In the European mythic tradition, there are two basic types of myth. There is the Iliad and there is Le Morte d’Arthur. The difference between the two types of myths is that in one Achilles kills Hector with savage glee and in the other Sir Lancelot does his best to not kill Sir Gawain.

Of course, the important thing is not what Sir Lancelot and Achilles do, but why they do it. The tragedy of Sir Lancelot is that his final fight is not necessary because Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawain serve the same God. Their fight is the result of the sins of men and in the grave that comes after they will be reconciled. On the other hand, the tragedy of Achilles is that the fight is necessary because the gods themselves struggle against one another. And if even the gods cannot find peace, what hope does man have to challenge the fates that drive him to war?

This division between a tragedy based on “sin” and a tragedy based on “fate” goes beyond Morte d’Arthur and the Iliad respectively. Western European myth can be divided between “Catholic” myths that have a fundamentally moral universe and the “Pagan” myths that have a fundamentally amoral universe. This key dividing line between myths exists even in the myths of our own day.

To see how this division plays out in modern times, one has to only compare Star Wars to The Watchmen. In the Star Wars the line between good and evil is clear. And if you do morally bad things in the Star Wars universe then bad things will happen regardless of the circumstances. In The Watchmen good and bad is vary dubious concept and the “heroes” wind up being complicit in mass murder on the grounds that it is the best that can be done for an amoral humanity. In short, Star Wars is a “Catholic” myth whereas The Watchmen is a “Pagan” myth.

It is the nature of the moral order that defines the difference between a “Catholic” myth and a “Pagan” myth. If there is a moral order that brings about consistent results it is “Catholic” myth. If there is no moral order and nothing practical to distinguish between the various moral choices then it is a “Pagan” myth.

The key point to note is that the difference between “Catholic” myth and “Pagan” myth does not revolve around the existence of one God vs. many gods. If you create a myth set atheistic world that conforms to the Whig view of history in which all good people will eventually come around to the same set of values, then you have created a “Catholic” myth. If you create a myth with only one God but he is an indifferent God who does not care what men do, then you have created a “Pagan” myth.

Intro To Myth Making

What is a myth?

We shall define myth as a story about human like creatures who have supernatural powers, deal with strange and wonderful creatures, and deal with moral issues that are common to mere mortals. This definition covers stories about Greek and Norse Gods, Jedi Knights, X-Men, Harry Potter’s universe, and much more. In all such stories, a distinction is made between the special (gods, non-muggles, Jedi, mutants) and the normal mortals who lack the special powers. In all such stories, there are many races of beings, be they dryads, giants, elves, or aliens. In all such stories, moral issues lurk in the background of the fantastic tales.

Why is myth so popular?

Some people seem to think that the main part of myth’s appeal is wish fulfillment and certainly this is true in part. But wish fulfillment can be found in most fiction regardless of whether it be romance or adventure stories. What makes myth special is that in myth abstract feelings and vague longings/fears take on concrete form and interacts with reality. Good myth will combine the symbolism of poetry with the concreteness of prose. It will have an expressive range that is greater than “realistic” prose fiction and yet more comprehensible to the average mind then the symbolism of poetry (at least on the surface level).

What separate good myth from bad myth?

Myth is subject to the same types of judgment as any other form of art. But the very broadness of expression that myth allows presents an additional snare to myth creators. If a myth creator uses the freedom myth grants too freely, the result is often a meaningless mess. So one key question that must be asked about myth is why was the unreality in the myth necessary? What was gained by resorting to unreality? If we have a poem that can be translated into prose without losing anything, then it was a poor poem. If we have a mythic element that could be made realistic and not lose anything, then we have a very poor myth.