Myths Legends And Superstition
Most of the existing myths and superstitions can be traced back to early man's fears, his natural curiosity, and his desire to explain and understand the unknown. The same basic questions we may still be haunted by. Where did we come from? What are we? Why are we here?
Human survival instincts tend to make people wary of things that might be dangerous. There were all sorts of animals that might feed on humans, spiders and snakes that might have toxic bites, and geographic environments where these creatures could be found. There was also the threat of other humans, especially those from rival tribes and unfriendly groups. These were all things that man was programmed to be careful about ... through instinct, and through experience.
You're undoubtedly aware there exists a natural tendancy for people to be afraid of the dark. This makes perfect sense if you consider that many predators are nocturnal, and quite honestly, people are not designed to see to navigate very well in the dark. Thus, it becomes only natural for the dark to be a frightening experience. And especially if you don't know why it is dark.
Generally speaking, when humans face the unknown, their primary instinct is to play it safe and distrust it. The default is to be leery, and very cautious. After all, if the human race was naturally inclined to go out hugging every strange animal they came across, we wouldn't have lasted very long after a few encounters with creatures like crocodiles, bears, or mountain goats. In the wild, it wasn't just a rude cat or a barking dog that you had to deal with.
Although it may seem backwards to initially distrust other humans, there is - or at least was - a perfectly good reason for it. The people closest to you, such as your family and/or friends, are probably the people you're most inclined to trust.
You know them, you're familiar with them, and although they may have their problems, overall they're probably not much of a serious threat. Since people prefer safe, familiar territory, they're more likely to instinctively associate with people who remind them in some way of those they are familiar with.
The less familiar someone else appears, the more likely they are to be perceived as a potential threat. In the past, other tribes might be competition for food and living space. The ones who closely resembled you ... the ones who looked like your family ... were more likely to be from your tribe - the friendly ones that you could trust.
For sure, the primitive world was a very frightening place, with dangers and mysteries of every kind around every corner ... day or night. Today, people are more curious creatures ... poking their noses here and there, trying to make some kind of sense of their surroundings. Once in a bit, you're gonna get bit. But you'll have a pretty good idea what it was and how to treat it.
When these folks couldn't get a definitive answer otherwise, they tend to start doing a little reasoning of their own, which could vary in accuracy depending on their pre-existing knowledge of the world around them. Also, language between each other in order to warn or tell of safety or danger.
If knowledge is power, then believing you have knowledge likewise makes you believe you have power - and humans would like to at least believe they have power, as it makes them feel much less anxiety and fear about what is around them.
Any wise species would likely be the same way, since advanced logic and reasoning skills tend to go with the territory. The more they learned, the more they advanced.
And then there's another huge factor - false observation. A human who dropped or threw a rock into the water right when a thunderclap occurred might be inclined to believe that the action of throwing the rock into the water actually caused the thunder. What difference did they know yet?
The last thing to look at today is the simple fact that most humans enjoy positive attention and being paid attention to. By telling stories, they can hold large amounts of people's attention, from wide-eyed kids listening in awe to the stories of the tribe elders returning from their last excursion or adventure. No movies or DVD's back then. Just stories.
By adding colourful details, the storytellers could further ensure that the story would keep the audience listening. Exaggeration was a viable option and easily added to the stories. After many generations of beefing up the story a bit here and there, along with a few misremembered details, a fantastic legend is born. Then, the legends cross civilizations, change names and geography, time periods, cultures, tribes, etc.
So then, how do all these factors help myths and legends take shape? Consider the animals the Western culture has looked down upon - bats, for example. Darkness frightens humans, and bats, being noctournal creatures, become associated with darkness. Also, being the only true-flying mammal makes them even more strange. To the primitive eye, they are some strange combination of familiar daytime creatures such as mice and birds, but are neither. When disturbing a cave at night, thousands of bats may begin storming at you via the entrance to the cave. A very frightening experience no doubt.
The bat, feared because of its seemingly paradoxal appearance and association with the night, has been borrowed upon by artists depicting fearsome creatures such as demons - often shown with features such as a bat's wings, horns, and a tail. This image has become so ingrained into our imaginations that if you asked almost anyone what a demon looked like, you'd probably end up with a very similar description. Darkness was evil ... D-ark + evil = Devil. You can see where this could go.
On the other hand, things that are associated with goodness are often depicted with less frightening features. The phoenix is an exceptionally beautiful bird. Pegasus has feathered wings. Then began the myths of combining wings with mean and other creatures. Angels, the story of Daedalus, etc.
Of course, positive figures can also have features from 'dangerous' animals. It all comes down to what a certain tribe or civilization feared or admired. Although many predators are dangerous, humans admire some of them for their overall strength. Therefore, a god of strength or powerful warrior may be depicted as having the mane of a lion. Because the owl was believed to be wise, the Greek goddess Athena, associated with wisdom, was depicted with a pet owl. Cats seemed mysterious and were a favourite among the ancient Egyptians.
Depending on the culture, humans can fear or admire a wide variety of things. Water is one such thing. It's necessary for survival, but at the same time, you can also drown in it. In places where drowning presents a very real danger, the local cultures often have legends of creatures that live in the water waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims and drown them.
In places where water is scarce, a spirit associated with water might be a more welcome entity. People who live in a place where rockslides were frequent might be inclined to think that goblins lived at the tops of mountains pushing on the rocks. Large rocks in more stable positions might be considered to be the homes of friendlier spirits.
Also, legends are quite mobile. If a group of people terrorized by falling rocks moved to a place where large stones were sitting in the ground without bothering anyone, they might still harbor fears toward the stones, perhaps thinking that those nasty goblins are waiting to push more stones on them. After a few generations, they might forget exactly why they don't like the stones; as far as they're concerned, they're just 'unlucky.'
Myths and legends can also be formed to help abate fears. Although the Greeks believed there were malevolent entities living in the sea, they also believed the sea was home to the Nereids, divine women who were helpful to sailors. Some native Americans wove dream catchers to keep themselves free from bad dreams. Many people wore (and still wear) small trinkets with symbols or objects associated with positive figures to ward away negative influences.
Myths are cumulative; new ideas often build and expand upon old ones. If a group of people moved into an abandoned area where a previous culture had left behind some kind of structures, they might form the belief that these structures were left behind by a supernatural entity of their own culture, especially if the means to produce something similar was beyond their comprehension.
The natural human tendancy toward distrust would probably make them more likely to believe that it was left by a negative force than a positive one. Think about the scene in Jurassic Park III where they returned to the abandoned base so many years later and it had been overrun by nature and the beasts.
By the way, remember the rock and the ocean? People might start putting two and two together and decide that if throwing the rock into the ocean makes thunder, then they must be making the sea-spirits angry. Then comes flooding, and rains, etc.
Also, legends with similar motifs can eventually merge. A real-life example of this is the legend of Excalibur. Many people mistakenly believe that Excalibur was the sword pulled from the stone, although originally, it was acquired by King Arthur much later as a gift from the Lady of the Lake.
Likewise, other legends involving similar items or themes can get tangled up and merged. Two charms to ward off evil might get combined by someone wanting to make sure it worked. Or, after hearing a stranger's tale about a legendary warrior, another culture may retell the story, but replace the warrior with a hero from their own stories.
Myths often have several variations apiece. Many folk charms often vary in complexity and detail - and in some cases are contradictory. For example, some maintain that a lucky rabbit's foot must come from a rabbit shot under the full moon, while others believe it must come from a rabbit shot under the new moon. There are dozens of Cinderella stories all over the world, each one tailored to fit the place from which it came. Remember ... Cinder (from the ashes) ella? A common theme of becoming victorious through adversity.
Another thing about myths is that they're remarkably persistant. Even in our time, when science and reason have largely overcome many superstitions, you'll still find that some people carry these objects that they consider to be lucky.
Perhaps people don't entirely believe in their power, but perhaps even the thought that an object is considered lucky - wishful thinking, if you will - has a positive psychological effect. Like a placebo pill is used instead of medication.
Although we now know that unicorns were either a fabrication or a misinterpretation of another animal (such as a rhinoceros), their beautiful, graceful image has become a permanent part of our culture. Most of us have listened to fairy tales as children. Who hasn't heard of Hercules at some point? How about Samson? Atlas?
Myths can also merge with science. For example, the Romans knew that a certain blood vessel lead from the second finger on the left hand to the heart. Believing the heart to be the center of emotion, it was on this finger that they placed iron wedding bands on their brides. It was also a union by the God Saturn ... hence the rings.
Putting It All Together to Form Plausible Myths
Adding myths and superstitions to any fictional world can help make it seem more real, especially in one that hasn't yet reached the modern era. The farther back you can determine its origin and why it's a part of a fantasy culture, the better.
An animal perceived to be exceptionally caring for her young might become associated with a goddess of motherhood, and she may be depicted as having some of the animal's physical traits. Likewise, the animal or goddess's likeness may be illustrated on items a child would use to encourage the goddess's protection.
Someone might trace a protective deity's symbol in the air to ward off harm.
Because of their resemblance to humans, some cultures might be inclined to think that apes or monkeys were once human themselves, but were placed under a curse for some terrible crime against the gods.
Was a flower blooming upon a field of victory? This flower may be considered a good omen by future generations, or may be worn by people wishing to gain victory in any type of competition.
People might form the belief that a statue of gigantic proportions was once an evil giant turned to stone as punishment.
Guinea pigs sleep with their eyes open; what kind of strange ideas might people form about that?
Keep in mind, chances are good that unless a race was formed with full knowledge of the workings of the universe, they're going to have some myths. Even if at some point they no longer believe in them, they're probably still going to be a part of their culture and history.
"Lucky" designs may continue to appear purely for aesthetic value. Old legends would continue to be told for entertainment purposes. Mythical beasts might appear in the design or stories because they continue to amaze and fascinate people.
Like the Roman wedding rings, even we continue to repeat traditions steeped in myth, superstition, and legend without really knowing why, other than that it's tradition or fun. We throw rice at weddings; how many of us realize it was originally meant to ensure children? We make noise when the new year arrives; this was originally a custom to drive away evil spirits.
There are infinite possibilities; the only limit is the limit of your imagination. Research all that you can make time to study. You will find fascinating reasons as to why man created their gods based on nature, seasonal events, and celestial wonders.
Just a thought ...
~Justin Taylor, ORDM., OCP., DM.
My thanks to Springhole.com
