Religion and mythology

Although the two often overlap, Religion and Mythology are different. Religion is generally the belief structure of how people worship, while mythology is the collection of stories behind the belief structure. However, in common usage mythology is oft used to refer to religions considered archaic, and it is important to keep in mind that one man's religion is another man's mythology. Both religion and mythology generally deal with man's attempt to explain the universe and natural phenomena, often ascribing agency to one or more deities or other supernatural forces.

"Myth" refers, in Classical Greek, to a "story" or "tale." By the time of high Classical Greek, the term had already begun to denote "false tale" or "imaginative explanation." Mythology was used to indicate those stories offered to explain natural phenomena (e.g. the sun rise due to a celestial charioteer or the river flood due to the rebirth of a local god), as opposed to "religion," which is the structure of veneration and belief in the essential causes of life and cosmic rule. Mythologies can surround religions, and religions can produce mythologies.

See:

• Religion

• Mythology

• Ritual, Cult

Authors

Joseph Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces.