The 3 category

A myth is a traditional or legendary story, collection, or study. It is derived from the Greek word mythos (μῦθος), which simply means "story". Mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths.^[3] A myth also can be a story to explain why something exists.

Academic usage[edit]

Generally associated with the academic fields of mythology, ^] or folkloristics, a myth can be a story involving symbols that are capable of multiple meanings. The body of a myth in any given culture usually includes a cosmogonical orcreation myth, concerning the origins of the world, or how the world came to exist. The active beings in myths are generally gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, or animals and plants. Most myths are set in a timeless past before recorded time or beginning of the critical history.

A myth is a sacred narrative because it holds religious or spiritual significance for those who tell it. Myths also contribute to and express the systems of thought and values of a culture. Use of the term by scholars implies neither the truth nor the falseness of the narrative. To the source culture, however, a myth by definition is "true", in that it embodies beliefs, concepts, and ways of questioning to make sense of the world.

Popular usage[edit]

In popular use, a myth can also be a collectively held belief that has no basis in fact. This usage, which is often pejorative,^[5] arose from labeling the religious myths and beliefs of other cultures as being incorrect, but it has spread to cover non-religious beliefs as well.^[6] Because of this popular and subjective word usage, many people take offense when the narratives they believe to be true are called myths. This usage is frequently associated with legend, fiction, fairy tale, folklore, fable, confusing data, personal desire and urban legend, each of which has a distinct meaning in academia. A myth can also be told as a fairy tale or told around campfires during camping.

References[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myth.

1. Jump up^. The Walters Art Museum.
2. Jump up^ For more information on this panel, please see Zeri catalogue number 64, pp. 100-101
3. Jump up^ Kirk, p. 8; "myth", Encyclopedia Britannica
4. Jump up^ Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mythography?s=t. Retrieved 19 January 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. Jump up^ Howells, Richard (1999). 
6.  Macmillan.
7. Jump up^ Eliade, Myths, Dreams and Mysteries, 1967, pp. 23, 162.

Myths & Legends

All over the world there are extraordinary stories—stories that once upon a time were believed to be true but are today limited to the sphere of myths and legends. The question remains, are those myths something that existed in the minds of our ancestors, or were they based on true events? It is true that most of those stories appear to the scientific world as fictitious products of vivid imaginations whose goals were purely to explain phenomena beyond their comprehension. Yet is it not arrogant to accuse our ancestors of being uncivilised and ignorant in one breath, then offer them praise and admiration over their monuments, buildings, art, sculptures, and societies in the next? This only proves that our modern society has two contradictory attitudes toward our past.

In this section we will explore some of the most amazing legends from all over the world—legends that may hold truths that can unlock the secrets of our ancient origins.

LEGENTS

A legend (Latin, legenda, "things to be read") is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. Legend, for its active and passive participants, includes no happenings that are outside the realm of "possibility" but which may include miracles. Legends may be transformed over time, in order to keep it fresh and vital, and realistic. Many legends operate within the realm of uncertainty, never being entirely believed by the participants, but also never being resolutely doubted.^[1]

The Brothers Grimm defined legend as folktale historically grounded.^[2] A modern folklorist's professional definition of legend was proposed by Timothy R. Tangherlini in 1990:^[3]

Legend, typically, is a short (mono-) episodic, traditional, highly ecotypified^[4] historicized narrative performed in a conversational mode, reflecting on a psychological level a symbolic representation of folk belief and collective experiences and serving as a reaffirmation of commonly held values of the group to whose tradition it belongs."

Legend is a loanword from Old French that entered English usage circa 1340. The Old French noun legende derives from the Medieval Latin legenda.^[5] In its early English-language usage, the word indicated a narrative of an event.

By 1613, English-speaking Protestants began to use the word when they wished to imply that an event (especially the story of any saintnot acknowledged in John Foxe's Actes and Monuments) was fictitious.^[6] Thus, legend gained its modern connotations of "undocumented" and "spurious", which distinguish it from the meaning of chronicle.

In 1866, Jacob Grimm described the fairy tale as "poetic, legend historic."^[7] Early scholars such as Karl Wehrhan (de)^[8] Friedrich Ranke}^[9]and Will Erich Peuckert^[10] followed Grimm's example in focussing solely on the literary narrative, an approach that was enriched particularly after the 1960s,^[11] by addressing questions of performance and the anthropological and psychological insights provided in considering legends' social context. Questions of categorising legends, in hopes of compiling a content-based series of categories on the line of the Aarne-Thompson folktale index, provoked a search for a broader new synthesis.

In an early attempt at defining some basic questions operative in examining folk tales, Friedrich Ranke (de) in 1925^[12] characterised the folk legend as "a popular narrative with an objectively untrue imaginary content" a dismissive position that was subsequently largely abandoned.^[13]

Compared to the highly structured folktale, legend is comparatively amorphous, Helmut de Boor noted in 1928.^[14] The narrative content of legend is in realistic mode, rather than the wry irony of folktale;^[15] Wilhelm Heiske^[16] remarked on the similarity of motifs in legend and folktale and concluded that, in spite of its realistic mode, legend is not more historical than folktale.

In Einleitung in der Geschichtswissenschaft (1928), Ernst Bernheim asserted that a legend is simply a longstanding rumour.^[17] Gordon Allport credited the staying-power of some rumours to the persistent cultural state-of-mind that they embody and capsulise;^[18] thus "Urban legends" are a feature of rumour.^[19] When Willian Jansen suggested that legends that disappear quickly were "short-term legends" and the persistent ones be termed "long-term legends", the distinction between legend and rumour was effectively obliterated, Tangherlini concluded.

Folktales

Many attempts have been made to define, classify, and describe the folktale. None of these attempts did a completely satisfactory job; the folktale is just too inclusive for such division. The term covers almost any traditional narrative, either oral or literary. Its diverse forms include legends and traditions, fairy tales, animal tales, fables, and of course myths.
Read on »

Articles:

(Native) America

• Choctaw Creation myth, a Choctaw myth.
  How the Choctaw found a new home land.
• Iktomi, a Lakota myth.
  How the spiderman helped them to take the horses from their enemies.
• Kana'ti and Selu, a traditional Cherokee oral telling.
  Description follows.
• The Legend of the Buffalo Dance, a Blackfoot legend.
  How the people learned a special ritual from the buffalo.
• How the man got in the moon, an Oto myth.
  How the image of a man we see in the moon got there.
• The Coming of Medicine, a Native American myth.
  How medicine was introduced to humans.
• Ullikana, a Hawaiian tale (illustrated).
  How the horses of Hawaii got their own guardian spirits.
• White Buffalo Calf Woman, a Lakota myth.
  How a mysterieus woman taught the people the way of life.

Central America

• Hunahpu and Ixbalanque, a Mayan legend.
  How the sun and the moon came into existance.

Europe

• The Dun Horse, a Russian folktale (illustrated).
  How a farm boy became a great prince.
• The Fisherman's Widow, a Greek folktale (illustrated).
  How an old widow chose death, but found happiness in stead.
• Hansel and Gretel, a popular fairy tale.
  How two children outsmarted a witch and brought wealth to their family.
• Jack o'Lantern, a popular folktale
  How a farmer attempted to outsmart the devil.
• Rapunzel, a popular fairy tale.
  How a girl, brought up by an enchantress, escaped her misery.
• Queen Pedauqe, an Occitanian tale.
  How a queen disproved a strange rumour about her feet.
• River of the Princess, a Slavic tale.
  How a princess brought fertility back to the land.
• The Story of Pressyne, from Medieval France.
  The story of a beautiful fairy who married the King of Albany.
• The Story of Melusine, from Medieval France.
  The story of the first daughter of the fairy Pressyne and King Elynas of Albany
• The Story of Palatyne, from Medieval France.
  The story of the second daughter of the fairy Pressyne and King Elynas of Albany
• The Tale of Taliesin, a Celtic story.
  The life of the great bard Taliesin.
• The Devil's Dyke, a Sussex folktale.
  How the devil was fooled by an old woman.

Asia Minor / Middle East

• The Five Mares of Mohammed, an Arabic tale.
  How Mohammed discovered the finest of Arab horses.
• The River Sambation, a Jewish myth.
  How a group of Israelites found refuge in a place protected by a wondrous river.

Asia

• Moonflower, a Japanese story (illustrated).
  How a gift from the moon finally brought happiness to a childless couple.
• Rahu and Ketu, a Hindu myth.
  How the gods triumphed over the demons.

Retellings/adaptations

• Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon tale.
  How the great hero Beowulf vanguished the dragon Grendel. Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Beauty and the Beast, a popular fairy tale.
  Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Hansel and Gretel, a popular fairy tale.
  Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Little Mermaid, a popular fairy tale
  How a little mermaid became a human being. Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Pandora's Box, an adaption of the Greek myth.
  How the opening of a simple box led to all the unhappiness and sorrow in the world. Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Rapunzel, a popular fairy tale.
  Retold by Robert Hoffman.
• Saving Spring, a Scandinavian legend.
  How Spring was jailed by Old Man Winter and rescued in an ingenious way.
  Retold by Ilil Arbel.

tradition of people

Tradition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olin Levi Warner, Tradition (1895). Bronzetympanum over the main entrance, Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.

A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past.^[1][2] Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyer wigs or military officer spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word "tradition" itself derives from the Latin tradere or traderer literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time. Certain scholarly fields, such asanthropology and biology, have adapted the term "tradition," defining it more precisely than its conventional use in order to facilitate scholarly discourse.

The concept of tradition, as the notion of holding on to a previous time, is also found in political and philosophical discourse. For example, it's the basis of the political concept of traditionalism, and also strands of many world religions includingtraditional Catholicism. In artistic contexts, tradition is used to decide the correct display of an art form. For example, in the performance of traditional genres (such as traditional dance), adherence to guidelines dictating how an art form should be composed are given greater importance than the performer's own preferences. A number of factors can exacerbate the loss of tradition, including industrialization, globalization, and the assimilation or marginalization of specific cultural groups. In response to this, tradition-preservation attempts have now been started in many countries around the world, focusing on aspects such as traditional languages. Tradition is usually contrasted with the goal of modernity and should be differentiated from customs, conventions, laws, norms, routines, rules and similar concepts.

tra·di·tion

  (trə-dĭsh′ən)

n.

1. The passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication:cultural practices that are preserved by tradition.

2.

a. A mode of thought or behavior followed by a people continuously from generation to generation; a custom orusage: the traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

b. A set of such customs and usages viewed as a coherent body of precedents influencing the present:followed family tradition in dress and manners. See Synonyms at heritage.

3. A precept or a body of precepts that are not written in the sacred book of a religion, such as the Bible, but areconsidered holy or true.

4. A style or method of an activity or practice, especially of artistic expression, that is recognized and sometimesimitated: satire in the tradition of Jonathan Swift.

5. A piece of folklore: "a popular medieval tradition that identified the queen of Sheba with the Blessed Virgin Mary"(Nicholas Clapp).

---

[Middle English tradicioun, from Old French, from Latin trāditiō, trāditiōn-, from trāditus, past participle oftrādere, to hand over, deliver, entrust : trā-, trāns-, trans- + dare, to give; see dō- in Indo-European roots.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

tradition

 (trəˈdɪʃən)

n

1. the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs, beliefs, etc, esp by word of mouth

2. the body of customs, thought, practices, etc, belonging to a particular country, people, family, or institution over arelatively long period

3. a specific custom or practice of long standing

4. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity a doctrine or body of doctrines regarded as having been established by Christ orthe apostles though not contained in Scripture

5. (Judaism) (often capital) Judaism a body of laws regarded as having been handed down from Moses orally andonly committed to writing in the 2nd century ad

6. (Islam) the beliefs and customs of Islam supplementing the Koran, esp as embodied in the Sunna

7. (Law) law chiefly Roman law Scots law the act of formally transferring ownership of movable property; delivery

The Dumaguete Belfry is a head turner to many of the new visitors of Dumaguete. Even though it has new additions including the grotto of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in its base and the garden, the Campanario still gives a glimpse of the rich history of the city.

A souvenir shop is located on one side of the Dumaguete Belfry. Here, one can see mostly religious arts and crafts made by the Dumagueteños. Candles, pocket prayerbooks, novena guides among many others are sold nearby.

The Dumaguete Belfy is located along Perdices Street fronting Quezon Park. A wide variety of establishments such as restaurants, banks and hotels are nearby. A couple of hundred meters to the east is the City Hall and the Quadrangle and about 150 meters to the west is the Public Market.

The boulevard’s stretch is immediately visible when coming into the Dumaguete port via any sea vessel. From the white lamp posts lining up the stretch to the stately trees swaying with the sea breeze, Rizal Boulevard holds a big part in the city’s provincial charm and has become a very popular landmark.

From the airport, Rizal Boulevard is only a brief 15 minute ride. Several hotels (Bethel Guest House, Honeycomb Tourist inn, La Residencia Almar) and many restaurants ( Sans Rival, Le Chalet, Mamia’s, Chin Long, Don Atilano, Coco Amigo, Blue Monkey Grill) run along the strip. These, together with other business establishments (Globe Telecom, Bank of Commerce, Development Bank of the Philippines), has transformed the Rizal Boulevard into a bustling hotpot of commerce and tourism.  The city’s main commercial district is a stone’s throw away from the boulevard. There are four major streets linking the boulevard  to the city namely Silliman Avenue  (which also leads to Silliman University campus), Perdices Street, Locsin Street and Sta. Catalina Street – all of which make any business establishment, be it a department store or computer shop, accessible from any point in the Rizal Boulevard. And yet despite the yield of progress, it remains peaceful throughout the day. Surprisingly, even traffic doesn’t find its way to the Rizal Boulevard thoroughfare (except though when a festival is being celebrated because parades are usually routed here) because of the wide road and the promenade that allows pedestrians to enjoy the walk right beside the ocean.

The legend of my Hometown

CATALINA OF DUMAGUETE

This is a legend of Dumaguete, the capital of the province of Negros Occidental. From this town can be seen five islands, viz., Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Mindanao, and Siquijor.
There is no one on the great island of Negros who does not love the name of Catalina. Even the wild mountain men speak it with respect, and down in the coast towns at night, when the typhoon is lashing the waters of Tanon Strait, and the rain and wind make the nipa leaves on the roofs dance and rattle, the older people gather their little black-eyed grandchildren around the shell of burning cocoanut oil and tell them her story.
Many years ago there lived in Dumaguete a poor tuba seller named Banog, who made his daily rounds to the houses just as the milkman does in far-off America. But instead of a rattling wagon he had only a long bamboo from which he poured the drink, and in place of sweet milk he left the sap of the cocoanut tree.
The bad custom of mixing tungud, a kind of red bark, with the sap, and thus making of it a strong liquor, had not yet been known, so Banog, though poor, was respected, and the people tried in every way to help him and his daughter Catalina.
Catalina was a beautiful girl of sixteen and very good and industrious, but with many strange ways. She scarcely ever spoke a word and spent most of her time in looking out over the sea. Sometimes she would suddenly stand erect and, clasping her hands, would remain for a long time looking up at the sky as if she saw something that no one else could see. On account of these strange manners the people thought her a wonderful girl and she was supposed to have mysterious powers.
One day many ships came up from the island of Mindanao and hundreds of fierce Moros landed. Shouting and waving their terrible knives, they fell upon the peaceful people and killed many, among them poor Banog. Then they robbed and burned the houses and, seizing all the women they could find, set sail for their great southern island. Among the prisoners was Catalina. With her eyes fixed on the sky she sat very quiet and still in the bow of one of the boats, and though her companions spoke often to her she made no reply.
Suddenly she sprang into the water and a wonderful thing occurred, for, instead of sinking, she walked lightly over the waves toward the distant shore. The Moros were so astonished that they did not try to stop her and she reached the land safely.
Many people who had hidden in the forests ran out to meet her but she spoke to no one. With her eyes still fixed above she walked through the burning town and along the road to Dalugdug, the Thunder mountain, that lies behind Dumaguete.
On Dalugdug there lived a terrible Sigbin. Its body was like that of a monstrous crow, but just under its neck were two long legs like those of a grasshopper, which enabled it to leap great distances without using its wings. It ate any one who came near its home, so when the people saw Catalina start to climb the mountain they begged her to come back. She paid no heed to their cries, however, but went up higher and higher, till her white dress seemed merely a speck on the mountain side.
All at once she seemed to stop and raise her hands. Then a fearful shriek was heard, and the fierce Sigbin came rushing down the mountain. It appeared to be greatly frightened, for it took tremendous leaps and screamed as if in terror. Over the heads of the people it jumped, and, reaching the shore, cleared the narrow channel and disappeared among the mountains of the island of Cebu.
When the people saw that the Sigbin had gone they ran up the mountain and searched everywhere for Catalina, but they could find no trace of her. Sorrowfully they returned to their homes and busied themselves in building new houses and in making their town beautiful once more.
Several years passed in peace and then again the Moro boats came up from Mindanao. The men hurriedly gathered on the beach to meet them, and the women and children hid in the cocoanut groves.
This time the Moros had no quick and easy victory, for the Visayans, armed with bolos and remembering their lost wives and sisters, fought furiously, and for a time drove the enemy before them. But more Moro boats arrived and numbers told against the defenders. Slowly but surely they fell fighting until but a few remained.
Suddenly a bridge of clouds unfolded from Dalugdug to the town, and across it came the lost Catalina holding a beehive in her hands. Then she spoke and thousands of bees flew from the hive to the ground. Again she spoke and waved her hand, and the bees changed into little black men with long sharp spears, who charged the Moros and killed every one of them.
Then Catalina, the hive still in her hand, went back over the bridge and disappeared once more in the mountain.
The people came out of their hiding places, crowding around the little black men and questioning them, but they received no answer. Instead the little warriors gathered together and ran into the forest and up the mountain side, where they were soon lost to view.
Such is the story of Catalina, Since that time Dumaguete has been safe from the Moros. The Sigbin has never returned to Negros. It still lives in the mountains of Cebu and the people are so afraid of it that they lock themselves in their houses after dark and can hardly be induced to come out. Up in the mountains of Negros live the little black men. They are called Negritos and are very savage and wild.
The savior of Dumaguete still lives in Dalugdug and is worshiped by the people. And in the town, now grown into a big busy city, the old people for years to come will tell their grandchildren the story of Catalina.