Parallel Myths

Although they need not be mutually exclusive, science and myth examine the world in different ways. What are some of the differences in approach and language between the two as well as the difference in the kinds of questions they each address?

Explain Jung’s theory of the “collective unconscious,” specifically in the way it applies to myth.

What are some ways the myth both parallels and presages science?

Many myths equate humanity’s acquisition of knowledge with its fall from grace. What does this imply about early cultures’ view of social hierarchy? Why do these myths suggest that too much knowledge is not a good thing?

In her book The Origin of Satan, Elaine Pagels argues that the character of Satan was a political construction designed to help Jews maintain peace with the Roman Empire. What other examples of the “demythologization” of religion does Bierlein cite, and what are the effects of secularizing a divine belief system?

What is the correlation between the cycles of nature (the seasons, the patterns of day and night, the phases of the moon) and the resurrection/rebirth motif in many myths?

In what ways do myths allow human beings to create order out of chaos? What are some examples of mythic stories that fulfill this need?

Emile Durkheim studied the power of the “civic myth.” Briefly define this term and explain the usefulness of myth in achieving this goal?