| But, as the common
people are neither Sanyasins nor philosophers, there is need for mythology as well as
ritualism in every organized religion. In fact, mythology is a very useful part of
religion, though not an essential part of it. It helps to concretize the abstract truth of
philosophy. The word mythology is used in two senses. It may mean the collection of
stories about the gods and heroes of a particular race. In
this sense we speak of Indian or Babylonian or Egyptian or Graeco-Roman or Norse
mythology. Or it may mean the science, which examines the myths of a
nation and tries to find out their origin and significance. In this sense we speak of the
science of mythology and also of comparative mythology. The science of mythology has been
studied in modem times by a band of disinterested scholars, who have been considerably
helped -in their studies by the sister sciences of comparative philology, archaeology and
anthropology.
It is now believed that the myths of a race were originally the
outcome of primitive human thought and language. To the primitive man his mythology was
his history, his science, his philosophy and his
religion all in one. It was the glorification of the heroes of his race. |
