Definition - The English word myth comes from the Ancient Greek word mythos (utterance or story).

Most simply, a myth is a traditional tale, a The word traditional comes from the Latin

narrative with a beginning, middle, and end trado, meaning hand over. Myths may be described as traditional for two reasons. (Mekenney, 2006)

 (i)

They were told in oral and non-literate societies in which important information was passed along or handed over from one person to another. have achieved some level of importance, because of their value, interest, etc. author of anonymous). a myth is unknown (i.e.,

(ii) They

The

A myth is not a logos. A myth does not attempt

a scientic or even rational explanation.

Furthermore, the word "myth" will be

defined as a story of forgotten or vague origin, basically religious or supernatural in nature, which seeks to explain or rationalize one or more aspects of the world or a society. (Bernard, 2007)

All myths are, at some stage,

actually believed to be true by the peoples of the societies that used or originated the myth.