mythology
/mɪˈθɒlədʒi
/noun (plural mythologies) [mass noun]
1A collection of myths, especially one belonging to a particular religious or cultural tradition: tales from Greek mythology [count noun]: Jewish and Christian mythologies...
- Tonight she will consider the differing beliefs and customs relating to death practices from a selection of cultures and mythologies.
- Sacrifice is a universal religious act, one closely associated with the mythologies of particular traditions.
- Dragons are winged beings portrayed in the ancient mythologies of most cultures.
Synonyms
myth(s), legend(s), folklore, folk tales, folk stories, lore, tradition, stories, tales
technical mythos
1.1A set of stories or beliefs about a particular person, institution, or situation, especially when exaggerated or fictitious: we look for change in our thirties, not in our forties, as popular mythology has it...
- It was, popular mythology tells us, one of the contributing factors to the American Revolution, and it might just lead to a revolution here.
- Contrary to today's popular mythology about our past, slavery and exploitation were not taboo subjects then.
- Thanks, Betty, for your stunning and original contribution to American popular mythology.
2The study of myths: this field includes archaeology, comparative mythology, and folklore...
- He devoted much attention to comparative mythology and the comparative study of religions.
- In the intervening time Rothko stopped painting, devoting himself instead to the study of philosophy and mythology.
- They study mythology, gardening, cooking, foreign languages, history, botany and physics.
Derivatives
mythologer
- It deserves an answer that does not dumb down what mythologers around the world are discussing.
- It is no wonder the protean character of the enlightener has perplexed mythologers, for he is a perpetual paradox.
- But he was also the mythologer of his own personal legend.
mythologist
/ noun ...- Barrie was his own mythologist: he loved making up stories about himself, and her book is an attempt to unpick the truth.
- Maybe western mythologists have not been completely correct in their perceptions of what these ancient people were telling us.
- I came across some references to this guy, William Henry, who calls himself an ‘investigative mythologist.’
Origin
Late Middle English: from French mythologie, or via late Latin from Greek muthologia, from muthos 'myth' + -logia (see -logy).