Myths and legends.

Myths and legends are one of the most ancient forms of art and cultural expression. They have been there for a long while, before writing, before painting, even before there was clothing. I bet that if we go back a couple thousand years, we would notice how immensely important mythology was for any past civilization, it was figuratively their daily bread. Nowadays, though, people seem to think that mythology is just a thing of the past, just for small children or for stupid fellas who haven’t yet discovered that little thing called science. Still, is it really possible for us modern humans not to be in need of something that has been so important for all of our ancestors, for centuries and generations?

Well, the answer to that is a big fat, stubborn NO.

Myths and legends not only serve as bed stories for little kids, or for explaining things we don’t understand. Mythology builds up cultural identity. With those stories we find a relation with others, they give us a common background. Myths and legends help identify ourselves as part of a cultural group, a community of sorts. Mythology also broadens the imagination. It offers an escape from the strict laws of the universe, allowing us to create one of our own. One of, if not the most basic of the needs of the human being is to believe in something. The need to believe is ingrained on our souls, it has been there since the beginning of times and it will never disappear. Maybe the modern human thinks he has figured it all out enough to dispose of that need, but that’s nothing more than a lie. Myths and legends help fulfilling that need, even if we don’t exactly believe they’re real, they at least make us believe in our own capacity to create and imagine; something that, in the long run, makes a difference.

In conclusion, we do need myths and legends. They are as important to us as they were to the people in the past. Yeah, maybe actually believing in fire breathing dragons or monsters under the bed does sound kind of stupid; but that shouldn’t stop us from finding comfort and release in the ancient stories of our ancestors. I’m sure that if we let ourselves believe, even if just a little, if just for a brief moment behind closed doors, that little magic we let in our lives will work miracles.

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