Mythological Similarity Essay

Submitted By Cao-Linh
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Why myths are similar in diverse and distant cultures? It is widely known that the human society has been made and built up by various tribes and groups; therefore, it contains a great number of diverse and distant cultures. However, when it comes to the topic of mythology, many scholars, myself included, readily agree that despite the difference of cultures, myths are similar. This essay will then explain and verify this assertion by providing three main reasons: similarity in religions, influence among different cultural traditions, and pedagogical purposes. The first fundamental reason that dictates the way myths are created is religion. We are living in a diverse world of religions where most people get to determine the religions that fit them the best. Researchers recently show that there are approximately 21 existing main religions that are still maintained, and each of them holds its particular rules and cultures. Nonetheless, despite these distinctive characteristics, the noticeable common point that most religions have is they all keep faith and worship Gods. In the book “The Odyssey” written by Homer, the Western gods are anthropomorphized, carrying such emotional thoughts and feelings. Indeed, this portrayal is considered an effort of humanity to understand more of the divinity. In contrast, the Eastern mind is comfortable with ambiguity and paradox. To interpret this idea, Joseph Campbell has noted in his book “The Power of Myth” that the Eastern gods are much more elemental, less human, and more in charge of the powers of nature. Besides, they don’t carry sophisticated emotions and complex thoughts compared to the Western gods in general. Ultimately, my goal is to demonstrate that myths hold the same ideas about the worship of Gods under different ways of interpretation due to the diversity of the religious world. The second proper explanation for the similarity of myths is the influence among different cultures and traditions. In the past, our ancestors have been gone all around the world exploring and reclaiming in the process of completing the world map. By migration and traveling, people from different cultures get to know each other and as a result, the influence of ideas has appeared. In other words, as people get closer together, we share our ideas and learn from each other. To simplify the assertion, take the instance of mythologists who go around the world to learn about the variety of cultures and distant traditions. By doing so, myths are more or less created with the impact of different traditions and
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