Historical Item
When I was in grade school I remember receiving a book on myths and legends as a present. It was a compilation of stories and customs from around the world all shortened and broken down into informational passages. I still own that book, proudly on my bookshelf all these years later. Looking through it I can take a bit more appreciation of the stories contained within the older I get. When I was younger I thought that mythology was simply a collection of tales with little else to it. Legends passed down cultures that have long passed with little implication of much more.
Looking back upon it now I realize how wrong I was. This book contains granted simplified versions of customs and traditions that have endured the span of human history. Within those myths contain the lessons and values of our ancestors. People who have long since passed away leaving only these fleeting remnants. It may be a more romanticized way of viewing it, however, researchers have been able to learn and understand civilizations and their customs by backing the surviving myths with physical artifacts and locations to paint a more rounded view of how they lived.
In addition to my newfound perspective of the book I also would like to invest more time into understanding mythology from around the world and the historical context that goes with them. Similar to how stories like King Arthur were heavily edited and changed by Christian themes I desperately want to know more about what the myths that have endured to this point in time reflect upon our ever-evolving understanding of History. The book I chose is a basic introduction to a very wide range of legends and offers little context for how the stories evolved. This makes for a starting point for a far more in-depth understanding and research into the subject. However, it does give way to the basic complexity of myths. If for nothing else than the staggering number of them it introduces.
Norse, Catholicism, Greek, Roman, Celtic, Egyptian, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Native American, all of these cultures and by association people. All of them with such varying beliefs and cultures that span the entire globe. Some influenced others and eventually changed them into something else. However it's through these conflicts and changes we have the context to look at later settlements, invasions, and relationships between nations. This all was well beyond the scope of a child infatuated with a basic understanding of heroes vs monsters. However even now it stands as far too large for a single adult simply trying to understand the scope, it has built an appreciation for the idea of historical study and all of the inevitable headaches that will come with it.
