#someone who reads a lot of comic or is super unto superhero media will probably have different opinions

[shatar-aethelwynn]

Why do people call superheroes the morden myth

I’ve already answered this, so if this is tumblr being weird and suddenly sending me something old, then please ignore this. But I'll try for a slightly different approach this time, because this really is a complicated topic, and not one I'm thoroughly versed in.

There’s a problem with the question, and that is “what is the definition of ‘mythology’ that is being used?” For the most part it seems that people who equate these two things are defining myth as “made up stories that may or may not have served the purpose of giving people ‘heroic’ role models” and that’s about it. This is a definition that is readily compatible with Jungion concepts and comparative religion, but not with historical religious analysis. If you believe that ancient myths were made up by people whose entire purpose was to entertain, especially to entertain children, and maybe to make some kind of social commentary along the way, then it’s easy to see why you would see no difference between the myths and modern fantasy. For that matter, it’s not just superheros but any media that displays literary parallels with mythology that is susceptible. And that ‘literary parallels’ part is significant. A lot of the “they’re the same!” claims come down to the way comparative religion works – namely, by drawing supposed parallels in the structure of the narratives or characters. In this case how comic books stories, for example, can be based on older stories in some way, or can fit into the Archetypal system or Hero’s Journey.

The analysis breaks down though if you take a historical perspective on myths. Because that says that “no, they weren’t just fantasy stories to entertain.” Myths are often religious in some way, but because they do not necessarily serve the same function as Christian scripture it is sometimes hard for people to accept that. The story of the birth of Athena is myth. It tells about the birth of a goddess, and it says something about her character and nature and role within the pantheon. This is religious content. But take the Iliad and Odyssey for example, are these also mythology? They contain some of the same characters as myths. They can be used by historians to extrapolate information about the gods and what and how people believed at a specific time, but are they mythology? As you can see, the term really needs to be defined.

Superheroes are, well, heroes, but they are not gods in the sense that very rarely will you find someone who genuinely believed that the characters exist. Some people might give them archetypal existence, but you’d have a hard time finding someone who says “I believe [insert superhero name here] is a real being with concrete existence, I worship them, and they do stuff for me.” Which is not the same as someone saying “[superhero] is a role model for me, I learn a lot from them.” (I say this while knowing that someone on tiktok probably does this and I find that thought concerning.) In order for a superhero to transcend heroic status to true mythology they have to first become real. And people can’t even all agree on what makes a god real. And at some point you have to start asking “what is ‘truth’?” before you can even decide what is “real.” Because archetypal truth/reality, mythological truth/reality, spiritual truth/reality, and physical truth/reality can all be different things, depending on the worldview and experience of the individual you ask. Which brings me back to the historians, whose definition of a “real” god is usually something along the lines of “a being that the people at that place and time in history believed actually existed and interacted with the perceivable world.” This is the definition I default to when no other is given. Is that true about superheroes? They can be role models and serve a specific social need. But gods? Nah.

Mythology is about belief. And if superheroes provide that, it is not about the heroes as much as it is about the ideals they represent. The ideals become the gods and the heroes are their prophets and champions. If you want superhero stories to become mythology, that would be the way to do it. People don’t worship the heroes, but they respect them. What they worship are the Ideals the superheroes claim to deliver. And for someone who may not believe in a god, perhaps reverence toward those ideals may serve the same purpose of edification, motivation, and self-betterment. That is when the story starts moving in the direction of myth.

Anything more specific than this and you’re going to be doing a deep dive into literary analysis, historical studies, religious studies, sociology, anthropology, and psychology. Because different fields have different opinions and perspectives (and disagreements) on the matter, including whether the comparison is valid.

If anyone wants to share some scholarly work on the topic, or just chime in with some different definitions or perspectives, fell free to do so. This is not as simple a questions as it sounds, so I'm sure there are plenty of people who will disagree for valid reasons.

#im not much into comic book culture so I dont have much of an opinion on how fans interact with them #someone who reads a lot of comic or is super unto superhero media will probably have different opinions