Four functions of myths?

Question

I'm sure this sounds stupid but can some one give me a more understandable explanation of what these mean...

The first function of myths, to instill awe in the mysteries of the Earth

The second function of myths is to give and explanation of the natural world.

The third function of myths is to validate and support social customs of various societies.

The fourth and final function of myths is to provide guidelines through the trials of life.

Examples of myths that use these would be appreciated as well!

Thanks!

Answer 1

Well the first one is really used by all cultures. Stories have been used for centuries to instill awe in the earth and its not hard to do- the earth is awesome (in a literal way not in the way that word is used now days) the second one is often used by the Australian aboriginals in their Dreamtime stories as well as other indigenous tribes- stories like how the *insert animal here* got its *insert body part/behaviour here* or stories of how the rivers, rocks, sun, moon etc were formed help these people understand their world. The third and forth ones were used by many cultures but ones that immediately spring to mind are the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Myths in those culture echoed everyday life to some extent and gave people comfort to know that their Gods, Goddesses and Heroes went through the same trials, same joys and same day to day things that they did. Also Myths often held hidden morals (just look at Aesop's fables!) so people had a clear idea of what could happen with every choice they made.