"Sunbeams npon distant hills, Gliding apace with shadows in their train. Might, with small help from fancy, be transferred Into fleet Oreads sporting visibly."
Wordsworth, Excursion, bk. iv.
Thus the manifold aspects of nature, imaginatively conceived and metaphorically described, furnished at once a large mythology; and when these elements were combined and arranged for the purpose of illus- trating early scientific or theological conceptions, and were corrupted by numberless erroneous etymologies of words, whose true origin was forgotten, we have at once the materials for an extensive and sometimes in- scrutable mythology. In the early stage of the myth, confined to "the period when everything is personified, it is as difficult to distinguish between what was re- garded as fancy and what was believed as fact as it is to this day in the rude and grotesque legends of P0I3-- nesians and North American Indians. But in a later time, when myths were preserved in writing and sys- tematized into dogmas, the poetical imaginative facul- ties had often well-nigh evaporated, and that which had originally been meant as half a metaphor was prosa- ically hardened into a real and marvellous fact. Thus in many myths, as they were finally preserved, we may see the mere misconceptions of a metaphor, and the guesses of a most imperfect etymology, mingling in two distinct streams with the original simple poetic tale. Any one who considers the evanescent " tradi- tion" of untutored poh'theism as it is displayed among modern savages, may watch, even at the present day, the growth and swift diifusion of myths ; but we must look into various histories of civilized people (and es- pecially into that of Greece) to see such myths first er- roneoush' systematized into definite narratives, to be deliberately believed— then partially and timidly ra-
MYTHICAL THEORY
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MYTHICAL THEORY
tionalized— next contemptuously rejected — and finally restored to their true rank as the most interesting relics of a primitive society, and the earnest teachings of a yet unsophisticated religious philosophy.
This subject ^voul(i require a volume to explain it ad- equately ; and, indeed, it has occupied many important volumes. All that we have here attempted is to re- move a groundless and injurious prejudice against the word. Whetlier or not there be any myths in the Bible, and especially in the earlier books, is a (question which must be settled purely on its ou-?i inerils. See MvTiiuAL TiiKOUY. It is, however, undesirable that tlie mere tcord " myth" should be avoided by those who undoubtedly regard some of the Hiblical narratives as containing mythical elements. Even men like Bun- sen and Ewald bowed to popular prejudice in shunning the word; and of the English theologians, who rely so much on their authority, scarcely one (with the excep- tion of Dr. Davidson) has ventured in this particular to desert their guidance. Yet the word " myth" is far more reverent and far less objectionable than •' fable," wJiich some would substitute for it; and it is, as Dr. Davidson has pointed out, far more honest than circum- locutions which mean the same thing (Ixtrocl. i, 110). It will be observed that we are here giving no opinion whatever as to they«rf of the existence of scriptural myths, but merely pleading that those Biblical critics who understand the true nature of myths, and, rightly or wrongly, believe that here and there in the Hebrew records a mythic element may be traced, should not hesitate to express their conviction by the term which is most suitable and most likely to secure for the sub- ject a clear and fair discussion.
The following are a very few of the more important books on the subject of myths : O. Miiller, I'rvler/omena zu einer Wisseitschafllichen Mythologie (Gotting. 1825 [transl. by J. Leitch, Lond. 1844]) ; (Jrimm, JJevische Mythologie ; Buttmann, My/huloyos ; Hermann, Ueber dus Wesen vnd die Behdndluw/ d. Mytholoyie ; Lobeck, Aylaophamus ; Creuzer, Symbolik und Myiholoyie der Allen Vvlker; 'Sitzsch, J/eldenSar^e der Criec/ien ; BiJt- tiger, Kunst-Mytholoyie d. Griechen ; Kavanagh, Myths traced to their primary Source th-ouyh Lanyuaye (1856). The subject has of late years received three important contributions — I^Ir.G rote's //zA-/ory ofG7-efce,\o\.i\ Prof. ]\Iax Midler's Essay on Greek Mytholoyy (Oxford Essays, 1856) ; and Cox, Mytholoyy of the A ryan Nations (Lond. 1873, 2 vols. 8vo). — Kitto, s. v. See JIvtiiology.
Mythical Theory, an attempt to destroy the sa- cred character of Scripture by considering its contents as myths similar in their nature and origin to those of ancient mythology. It is the result of the theological systems of Kant, Hegel, Semler, Eichhorn.Woolston, and has found its fullest development in Strauss's LiJ'e of Jesus, and his Old Faith and Neu: The only question we can consider here is whether the sayings of the O. and N. T. can or cannot really be considered as myths. In the first place, it is worthy of remark that the word fiij^oc, derived from fivat, to close the eyes, has the same root as mystery and mystic, and points to the shadowy conceptions of the soid, the thoughts which lind next an expression in words. Hence it represents not merely the expression, but also tlie narrative, especially such as tinds its origin in the vague ancient times, and conse- quently fables and sayings undeserving of belief (1 Tim. iv, 7, -/pawcitg ^tv^ovg irapatTov; conip. 2 Tim. iv, 4, where it is opposed to the dA/;3fia ; Tit. i, 14, 'loiwaiKol fiiiioi), and generally every tradition unworthy of be- ing believed (1 Tim. i, 4; /xv^oi fffiro^iff/jtj'oj, 2 Pet. i, 16). The ancients called untrustworthy .sayings fivio- X(Jy»///o, and the narration of them ftvioXoyta. But by the word myths was formerly, and until of late, un- derstood not only the history of the gods, but also many other traditions which rest on but sliglit or sometimes no historical foundation. Here we have, tlicn, to estab- lish tlic dittiiTcuce between myths and tradition. The latter is the verbal relation of a fact, at first very cor-