Playing With Myth
Myths are a central feature of any religion.
Western theology is accustomed to those myths being recorded in texts
like the Bible, Koran, and Tanakh.
Many cultures, both historical and modern, pass their myths orally.
As a result, many myths can have significant variations,
and myths widely accepted as being about different figures can have aspects clearly “borrowed” from one another.
Even when myths are recorded,
the purpose of the author strongly influences the way the stories are told
and, sometimes, modified.
For example the myth of Medusa as told by Homer and Ovid are wildly different
while many Norse myths recorded by Snorri Sturluson
show clear influence of Christianization.
