History and Myth — Understanding the Past

             Modern historians use many resources as the basis for their research. However, with the growing library of knowledge by which the historians work these days, it is essential to differentiate between what is history and what is myth. There are many differences between history and myth. First of all, history addresses many issues in a very factual way while myths only try to explain a few of the daily occurrences through very subjective ways. Also, in history, the sources usually come from primary sources or objective secondary sources while in myths, many of the ideas come from word of mouth, legend, and imagination. Lastly, history is used as a factual guide to the past used to explain, describe, and analyze the truth while myths are written to entertain, explain strange natural occurrences, and teach moral lessons.
             The first major difference between history and myth is the matters that they address and the way that they are presented. In history, everything from social issues to political situations to economic statuses is covered. The things covered in history are all factual or based on a firm foundation of evidence. Although in many cases, different historians will have difference opinions about a certain debatable point, history is generally an orderly and objective study. Myths, on the other hand, may sometimes deal very little with fact. The subjects of myth are very often merely restatements of legends. Many of them pertain only to a certain culture and very many variations of the same myths are found. Archetypal similarities between myths, such as the great flood, show that they also pertain to problems that many cultures faced in daily life. As of such, myths are not only a subjective story in the words of individuals, they are also exaggerated retellings of what can be based on fact. Therefore, although myth may not be history due to their inaccuracies, myth can be a part of history.
             A major difference between history ...

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History and Myth — Understanding the Past. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 23:33, April 19, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/81968.html