Living Myths: How Myth Gives Meaning to Human Experience

by J.F. Bierlein

An intriguing exploration of the enduring significance of the world's great myths--from the dawn of time to the present day

As ancient as speech, as essential as law, myths are the stories we tell to find our identity in the cosmos. It is through mythology that we attempt to unravel not only the meaning of our actions and impulses but the significance of human existence itself. Now in Living Myths, classical scholar J. F. Bierlein explores the enduring patterns and messages of myths from every culture.

Myths, writes Bierlein, are "the eternal mirror in which we see ourselves." Living Myths delves behind the mirror and brings to light the imperishable and transcendent forces common to the myths of the world. Juxtaposing myths of fathers and sons--the Greek myth of Athamas and Phrixus, the biblical story of Abraham and Isaac, the Algonquin tale of Grandfather, Father, and Son--Bierlein uncovers essential lessons about human nature and divine will. In the Indian story of Nala and Damayanti, the Greek legends of Aphrodite, and the haunting Irish tale of Etain, Bierlein examines the transforming mystery of romantic love. Here too are tales of the world's great heroes--the Greek Theseus, the Irish Cuchulainn, and the Mexican Quetzalcoatl--and their common desire to break through the masks of appearances.

Steeped in wisdom, brimming with insights into human nature and behavior, Living Myths is a luminous exploration of the meaning of mythology through the ages and today in each of our lives.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published April 6, 1999

Reviews

[Karin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bierlien takes myths from all different cultures and explains how they are of value to readers/listeners still nowadays. He does this by taking the 6 issues that Paul Ricoeur proposes humans need to address in order to have inner peace in their lives and showing how myths address and resolve these issues. The 6 issues he looks at are: people's mortality and inability to know everything, people's estrangement from God/ the divine, a person's process of becoming and transcending issues and problems to grow and develop, the paradox of the freedom and burdon of people having free choice, how relationships affect our sense of meaning and finally human identity and partricipation in the cosmos.

Bierlien takes a myth, tells it briefly and then explains its meaning- often an explanation of how or why some physical/ natural phenomenon takes place. Then he talks about the timeless points in that myth which still speak to us today. For example the story of Phaethon (Greek son of the god Helios who wants to drive the chariot of the sun thru the sky) is more than an ancient tale explaining why a time of world-wide natural disasters and phenomenon happened on earth. The myth also discusses father/son relationships (# 5 on Ricoeur's list), human identity(#6), the human end called death(#1), problems involving people's choices: parental indulging of children, children not listening to the wisdom of parents, people deciding whether to keep a promise or not- all choices humans make and must then accept the concequences of(#4.) It also, says Bierlien, talks about sons who want to have their own identity seperate from the parent yet lay claim to their 'rights' as their father's son, children who challenge the parent yet want the parent's approval at the same time (#3.)

The timelessness of these stories still speak to the human soul and help us give meaning to this short span of time called life.