CLA232H1 Chapter 7: Ch 7 Religion and Myth Summary
Document Summary
Myth, coming from mythos, had a large range of meanings, from thoughts to plot to a saying. Religio was explained in 3 different ways. As coming from re-ligo, to bind someone back so that they cannot do something, or to establish a taboo. As coming from re-lego, repeat a magical formula over and over so that it is effective. As coming from re-linquo, to leave alone, to treat someone in a special way. In actual usage, religio denotes an external force, an internal emotion, a cult practice, or a taboo. Now, religion is a set of practices based on beliefs in invisible non-humans; myth is a story, sometimes about such beings, but sometimes not. Legends (sagas): stories about humans and the human past. Hesiod"s myth of the origin of the gods. The story of cronus eating his children and being fooled into thinking a rock was zeus, leading to zeus overtaking cronus after he grew up.
