Mythoblogia

We all wonder where we have come from and what life is all about, especially so in times of personal crisis. For some it's explained by faith. Faith in ourselves or a deity of some sort; or in our scientists hypothesising and testing their theories. Alternatively we can take a purely philosophical view and work logically within our own minds to seek answers. No matter how we go about it, it's apparent that wonderment and enquiry is part of our human nature.

Historically also, these myths and their accompanying religion or beliefs have suited the time. That is to say they met a need, or served a purpose. That raison detre may have been to explain, to empower or to enslave. In any case it supported the philosophy and power structures that existed at that time; these beliefs then evolved gradually or were overthrown as needed, by individual rulers with their own agendas.

Of course these gods, faiths and beliefs sprang from the nature of society that existed at the time. It was relevant to the time. If we accept that premise, we can imagine a Neandertal society 100,000 years ago having some rituals and beliefs surrounding, supporting and explaining fears and practical needs, such as death, the hunt, and the cycles of the seasons. There is evidence that is so. Cro Magnon man may have broadened his horizons into more artistic realms but remained enslaved to the seasons, the hunt, the need to find food and shelter. Cro Magnon's basic survival fears may have lessened but the archaeological record attests to this continuing need-based ritualism. Logically their lives remained centred around food and shelter. Survival skills, the need to maintain detailed seasonal and geographical information about dangers, the sources of our food and shelter were paramount. When such resources were scarce we looked for answers. It is only logical that the answers we found were based on what we could see or feel, be it the earth itself, the moon, or the stars above.

When more recently we were struck by the idea of staying put our faith changed again. We understood and controlled our needs to a greater extent and gradually explained away many of our fears; growing our food in one spot and sharing the excess with others allowed us to specialise and divert ourselves in new ways. The seemingly simple ideas of agriculture and animal husbandry changed our lives enormously and put new strains on our beliefs about the earth, the sun, the stars and ourselves. The emphasis of our lives had changed over time, gradually, to a more studied understanding of the seasons, the phases of the moon and so on, in tune with our agricultural needs. But as the specialisation of labour gathered pace and many more people lost touch with the earth and the cycles of life, there was a vacancy for more abstracted heroes and villains, rather than the simpler fire, mother earth and water gods of our past.

And so it goes till the present day.

My recommended reading list on this includes Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel, which has an excellent and believable account of how agriculture and animal husbandry set the stage for many of our societal changes; and Joseph Campbell's Masks of God for his insights into our religious evolution.