01 Classical Myths and Contemporary Questions

Question 1

Folktale

Answer 1

The 20th-century anthropologist William R. Bascom distinguished legends and folktales, on the one hand, from “myths”, strictly speaking, on the other. In his formulation, “folktales” are fictional stories that can take place at any time and place and have little or no “sacred” significance. (pp. 12-13)

Question 2

Legend

Answer 2

The 20th-century anthropologist William R. Bascom distinguished legends and folktales, on the one hand, from “myths”, strictly speaking, on the other. In his formulation, “legends” are factual stories that occurred in the recent past, principally involving actual human beings, that can contain some or no “sacred” significance. (pp. 12-13)

Question 3

Mythological Corpus

Answer 3

William G. Doty offered a definition of a “corpus” or group of myths, rather than identifying them and analyzing as “individual” myths. The concept underscores the idea that myth always exists in a context, and that that context should be taken into account when it is being interpreted. (p. 14)

Question 4

Roman Myths

Answer 4

Although it may not be possible to isolate Greek elements from Roman myths, some scholars believe that Rome had its own mythological corpus. By expanding the genres of Roman writings that contain mythological elements, one can see a distinctly Roman form of myth contributing to “classical mythology”. (pp. 27-28)