mythology

my·thol·o·gy   (mĭ-thŏl'ə-jē)    n.   pl. my·thol·o·gies A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution: "A new mythology, essential to the . . . American funeral rite, has grown up" (Jessica Mitford). The field of scholarship dealing with the systematic collection and study of myths. [French mythologie, from Late Latin mȳthologia, from Greek mūthologiā, story-telling : mūthos, story + -logiā, -logy.] my·thol'o·gist n.

Mythology

My*thol"o*gy\, n.; pl. Mythologies. [F. mythologie, L. mythologia, Gr. myqologi`a; my^qos, fable, myth + lo`gos speech, discourse.]

1. The science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths.

2. A body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks.

mythology

The body of myths belonging to a culture. Myths are traditional stories about gods and heroes. They often account for the basic aspects of existence — explaining, for instance, how the Earth was created, why people have to die, or why the year is divided into seasons. Classical mythology — the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans — has had an enormous influence on European and American culture.

mythology