Mythological Background in

Literature
Introduction
 What is mythology?
In order to understand the meaning
of mythology we need to look at the
origin of the word ‘myth.’

Mythos is a Greek word meaning

‘spoken story,’ ‘speech’ or simply ‘the
plot’
 What is mythology?

Logos is a Greek word meaning ‘account.’

Logos means that the story teller takes personal

responsibility for the ‘account.’ This means that they can
personally verify the story, as it probably happened to
them.

Mythos therefore suggests ‘storytelling’ in comparison to

logos. This is the basis of the word myth.
 Aristotle’s view
Aristotle was a famous Greek philosopher,
and the student of Plato (who himself was
the student of Socrates).

Aristotle equated mythos with fiction and

saw it as a way of producing catharsis
(another Greek word) which means
healing/cleansing
 Aristotle’s reasoning

If Aristotle equated mythos with

fiction as a way of producing
catharsis,
what does this suggest he was
saying about the role of mythology
within culture?
 Influence
Greek Mythology has had a profound
effect on western thought and literature.

Can you think of any examples?

We will be looking at this in more details

over the coming classes