The Six Global Theories of Mythology: Part Two – Myths expressing the Causes of all things

CR Blake 'Ancient of Days'

The Second Global Theory – Myths explain Causes of things

There are, however, always problems with so-called global theories and it wasn’t long before the study of these Nature myths as exemplified by Muller’s theory, gave birth to the Aetiological theory. The Aetiological theory was first brought forward by Andrew Lang (1844 to 1912 C.E) in reaction to Muller’s hypothesis that all myths allegorised nature. The term aetiology derives from the Hellenic ‘aiton’ meaning ‘cause’ and ‘logos’ meaning ‘reason’ and ‘word’ but equally referring to harmonic relation.

The aetiological approach stated that the myths imparted a proto-science and were thus causation for how the world came to be. Andrew Lang’s approach differed to Muller’s in that he believed that the proper names of the divine, semi-divine or human characters within a myth were originally appellations that indicated the unique nature that identified each character within a myth. Hence the analysis of the proper names in any particular myth or set of mythology was the foundation of the myth and designated its relation, context or meaning. Thus through the study of the Etymology of mythology, the Aetiological theory of myths came to exist.

“An appellation is the process whereby Ideology ‘hails’ an individual as its subject” Louis Althusser

There is much dispute as to the etymological findings and conclusions that have come out of this school of mythology although the basis of the theory is partly accurate and was discussed by Socrates in one of his many Dialogues some 2500 years before Lang. Furthermore Lang differentiates between Folklore and Mythology by explaining that Folklore is only concerned with the customs, local legends and beliefs of the Folk (classified as those who were the least changed by education and profited least from progress). Lang recommends the simultaneous study of Mythology and Folklore combined with a basic understanding of Anthropology. The etymology of the proper names of the myths of a culture, combined with the study of Folklore of its tribe and regions was the method advocated by Lang. Anyone wishing further information is referred directly to his works.

Andrew Lang on the Method of approaching Folklore

Now, with regard to all these strange usages, what is the method of folklore? The method is, when an apparently irrational and anomalous custom is found in any country, to look for a country where a similar practice is found, and where the practice is no longer irrational and anomalous, but in harmony with the manners and ideas of the people among whom it prevails. That Greeks should dance about in their mysteries with harmless serpents in their hands looks quite unintelligible. When a wild tribe of Red Indians does the same thing, as a trial of courage, with real rattlesnakes, we understand the Red Man’s motives, and may conjecture that similar motives once existed among the ancestors of the Greeks. Our method, then, is to compare the seemingly meaningless customs or manners of civilised races with the similar customs and manners which exist among the uncivilised and still retain their meaning. It is not necessary for comparison of this sort that the uncivilised and the civilised race should be of the same stock, nor need we prove that they were ever in contact with each other. Similar conditions of mind produce similar practices, apart from identity of race, or borrowing of ideas and manners.

The Aetiological theory was further developed in 1968 by Dorothy Vitaliano into a theory called Geomythology.

“Geomythology indicates every case in which the origin of myths and legends can be shown to contain references to geological phenomena and aspects, in a broad sense including astronomical ones (comets, eclipses, meteor impacts, etc.). As indicated by Vitaliano (1973) ‘primarily, there are two kinds of geologic folklore, that in which some geologic feature or the occurrence of some geologic phenomenon has inspired a folklore explanation and that which is the garbled explanation of some actual geologic event, usually a natural catastrophe.” Piccardi, L. & Masse, W. B. (eds) 2007. “Preface” in Myth and Geology.