Definitions HQ

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a dramatization of the inner workings of the psyche.

Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a metaphor, dramatization (i.e. An archetype) of the inner workings of the dimension of the psyche.

Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠more individual and expresses life more precisely than does science.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠what is believed always, everywhere, by everybody — so the man who thinks he can live without one is an uprooted exception, sunk in a private mania he takes for newly discovered truth.

A Myth (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠order your whole life without your knowledge: Jung, asking “What is the myth you are living?”, found he could not answer.

A Myth (n.) was ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠to the ancients what science and technics are to us: all the creative power we pour into machines, they poured into their gods.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the distorted vestige of the wishful fantasies of whole nations — the age-long dreams of youthful humanity.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not an infantile phantasm but the most mature product of young humanity — just as our gill-slitted fishy ancestors were not embryos but fully developed creatures.

A Myth (n.) preserves ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no ordinary events, only the ever-renewed thoughts of mankind — so the founders of religions become pure condensations of mythic motifs, behind which the individual disappears.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠built of typical parts fitted together in every conceivable variation — so no one myth can be interpreted without knowing all the others.

A Myth (n.) told ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the bewildered man what his unconscious was doing: this is not you, it is the gods — you will never reach them, so go back to your human work and hold them in awe.

A Myth (n.) has ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠no part single in meaning and all its figures are interchangeable — the only certain thing is that it exists; dreams, visions and delusions are its living matrix.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠where thought ends up when it loses touch with the facts of its time: it approaches the eternal validity of primordial images and ceases to be relevant.

A Myth (n.) never ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠shows the sun plainly, only in allegory — proof that the psyche is no mere stereotype of the environment but adds something of its own.

A Myth (n.) can ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠spring up autochthonously in every corner of the earth and still be identical, because it is fashioned from the same worldwide unconscious — far less variable than races and individuals.

A Myth (n.) catches ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠up with everyone: whoever lives only for outer reality must live his myth; whoever turns only toward inner reality must dream his outer, so-called real life.

A Myth (n.) cannot ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠be solely conditioned by external events: one might as well say it is purely psychological and merely uses the seasons, sun and moon as a means of expression — the absurdity of many primitive myths favours that view.

A Myth (n.) records ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not the physical event but the emotion it aroused: for the primitive, night means snakes and the cold breath of spirits, morning the birth of a beautiful god.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not an allegory of sunrise and winter but the soul's inner drama, projected onto nature and mistaken for weather.

A Myth (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not invented by the primitive mind but experienced; it does not represent the tribe's psychic life, it is that life — lose it and the tribe decays like a man who has lost his soul.