What is a myth?

An artist imagines the Tower of Babel

Some of the stories in the "Pre-History" section (chapters 1-11) of Genesis are usually described as "myth." So one of the assignments in the first year of the Catholic Biblical School (our CBS 100) is to write a myth explaining the origins of some contemporary reality. Occasionally students will ask me, "What makes a story a myth?" While defining a whole literary genre can be tricky, here are some definitions and notes to help clarify the matter.

Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible:
A myth is "a story ... that conveys the fundamental structure of knowledge upon which the ideologies and customs of a particular culture rest."

Well, that's clear as mud! Here's what may be a more "user-friendly" definition:

"Myths are symbolic tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), may be connected to belief systems or rituals, and may serve to direct social action and values." (Taken from the website of Dr. Mary Magoulick, folklorist and Professor of English & Interdisciplinary Studies at Georgia College)

Now, here's the real problem with defining stories in the Bible as myths. In ordinary language, when we say something is a "myth," we often mean that it is untrue! But let's be very clear: When biblical scholars talk about myth, they're are NOT denying the truth contained in Holy Scripture.

Another expert in folklore, Dr. Gregory Schrempp, Professor of Folklore at Indiana University, describes the issue this way:

"'Myth' refers to colorful stories that tell about the origins of humans and the cosmos. Attitudes towards myth vary greatly. Some regard it as a source of spiritual growth, while others see only falsehood. Some see in myth the distinct character of particular cultures, while others see universal patterns. Some regard myth as 'contemporary' and 'alive,' while others think of it as 'ancient' and/or 'dead.'"

The myths that are part of the Book of Genesis are definitely stories, and the biblical text makes no claim that they are factual stories. Most Catholic biblical experts believe them to be fictional. However, the Church nonetheless absolutely insists that these stories ARE filled with truth!

The problem isn't in the Bible, but in our contemporary ways of thinking about truth and falsehood. But ancient writers had no problem using this kind of fictional literature (mythical stories) to teach enduring truths that they felt could not be contained in the medium of nonfictional or historical literature. Contrary to the way people think in our culture, fact and truth are just not always the same thing. The ancient writers and teachers understood this, and God works "incarnationally" through the customs and expectations of the human writers of Scripture.

It was precisely with this kind of issue in mind that Pope Pius XII insisted, as far back as 1943, that the kinds of writing found in the Bible be taken into account when interpreting biblical passages. "Let the interpreter then, with all care and without neglecting any light derived from recent research, endeavor to determine the ... forms of expression he [the sacred writer] employed...." (Divino afflante spiritu, 33-34).