“I think that we need mythology. We need a bedrock of story and legend in order to live our lives coherently” – Alan Moore

When somebody asks why one should read mythology, is it same as asking why one should read Harry Potter? How is mythology different from fiction? What is the point of mythology? After all, what is mythology?

Since the beginning of mankind, man has always been asking difficult and fundamental questions – who am I, what am I, where did I come from, what is the purpose of life, and so on. Myths were primarily attempts to address these queries. Life was simpler when people thought they were what they were because some supernatural entity intended them to be that way. These stories were modest attempts of the early man to fill the gaps between observation and reason.

The earliest myths are the ones written on the walls of caves around thirty thousand years ago. These stories predate all language and literature. These leave us thinking if the paintings were just stick figures showing men and beasts – imagined or real – had more than a superficial meaning and purpose to them.

Mythology is more than just the study of myths. It is an insight into the art, the creativity, and the ideas of our ancients. Mythology of each culture is an accumulation of all its experiences, knowledge and wisdom.  Mythical stories often ask deep questions which modern day philosophy struggles to answer. To sociologists, myths are the key to understanding the first practice of creative expression in a society.

Mythology also has a psychological impact on the society. It plays an essential role in building a moral fiber in each individual. For example, a child that has been hearing stories of warriors and heroes naturally tends to view the character as a role model and tries to emulate. More importantly, mythology is a powerful tool for psychology in understanding a culture’s ‘shared unconscious,’ which is the best way to gain a deep insight into a culture. Comparative anthropological studies of the myths of different civilizations reveal a lot of common basic elements in all of them, indicating that the “fundamental fantasies that animate all life” are all similar. This provides a rather strong proof against the concept of tabula rasa, which says all men are born clean slates and all knowledge comes from experience or perception.

“The point to mythology or myth is to point to the horizon and to point back to ourselves: this is who we are; this is where we come from; and this is where we are going,” says J. Michael Straczynski, adding that the western society has become rather aimless and wandering without mythology.

One hopes that the Oasis theme of this year will attract more people to the ancient assemblage of gemstones that is mythology.