The Historical Value of Myths

Book excerpt: This book explores the connection between history and mythology by engaging with myths not as allegories or falsehoods, but as representations of historical experience. Historical approaches to myth are often absent from discussions of mythology, which favour symbolic and psychological interpretations. This analysis traces certain episodes of myths’ complex ancestries, from when their relationship with history could not so easily be severed, to subsequent attempts, which misunderstood myths as confused, undeveloped lenses for humanity to view the world. Drawing on the works of English philosopher R.G. Collingwood and the Romanticism movement, the book argues for the expansion of methodological approaches to myths. It explores the ways in which myths have served as clues for the history of civilization and humanity’s ever-changing complexities. The Historical Value of Myths is an illuminating read for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in the fields of mythology, the philosophy of history, and anthropology.