What is a myth?

[Nivek]

Myth... (http://dictionary.reference .com/search?q=Myth)
Mythology... (http://dictionary.reference .com/search?q=Mythology)
Fable... (http://dictionary.reference .com/search?q=Fable)

I feel there is reason to bring this up since there have been arguments about it. According to the definitions above anything that tells a story wherein human interactions are personafied is a myth, collect them and you have a mythology. The Werewolf mythology extends to the present for new stories about them are being created as we disscuss it. Yes, the Werewolf mythology DOES contain movies, television, comics, all current works of fiction that mention these beings. As with all mythologies evolution happens, the individual story base grows and finds new connections in current and ancient fables. There is no reason to limit ones research to a specific time period, unless you want to be limited. The mythos of the Werewolf has grown, in each step it has evolved into a richer mythology. The thing to look for are the commonalities that evolve at the same time in seperate myths.

[punisher]

Yes, you are very correct Nivek. It is actually pretty interesting to see the legend morph in a few years, whereas in the past, it would have taken centuries. The huge problem arises from false histories. In order for some if these myths to work, a false history must be presented that works with the new myth. Sometimes this false history is in direct confrontation with the actual history. That can cause all sorts of problems for those interested in the subject. When you build on false foundations, your premise will fall. You see legends involving Emperor Tragan, and the Pope who lived 200 years later. Stuff like that, while it may fit into the new myth of the orgin of the "werewolf feud", does not hold up to actual history. A better reworking of history does not have to change any of the past, simply slip in the new myth into the old history. Or you can make a myth up out of whole cloth as was the case with the Bray Road Beast. The myth will evolve to substantiate itself. Those are the best new myths because they are even harder to disprove. Those legends are not presented as historical fact from long ago that can be easily disproven with a simple google search. They involve personal testimony and a beast of unknown origin. Once you tie a legend into the legends of the past, it will be held up to the light with those past legends in mind.

[LV426]

The reason that I have more of a tendency to believe in legends and myths more than I do modern fiction is because the werewolf legends of old and I mean older than Jean Grenier and the lycanthropy cases, there were recordings of people that could take on the guise of animals and vice versa.

The only reason that I even give any credence to the werewolf and shapeshifer legends is because they are what are known as global legends. A global legend is one that has developed independantly in a multitude of areas. They also were developed around the same time frame but in a time where people were very particular to a region and did not tend to cross to other regions. The vampire is also another creature who is considered to share global legend status. Reports and recordings, pictures, and drawings of such creatures all occured with some variations but with the essential portion that made the undead the undead and the animal person an animal person.

Some of these legends span oceans even though there was no oceanic travel at the time and still the legends of such creatures were prevalent. Even in more primitive societies where there was little to no exposure to other peoples, the legends of shapeshifters and vampiric creatures were prevalent.

Now I don't know if werewolves and vampires and dragons and the like are all real, but I do know that they all share an important key to my belief and that is that they are all global legends.