A Proposal on the Study of Mythologies, Applied to the Characters of Sun, Fire, Wind, an Rain
Abstract
This paper concerns mythologies of the Yavapais, Maricopas, Pimas, and Huichols, all of whom live in, or at least visit, deserts and the related elements of sun and fire. This preliminary study of the impact of desert on tribal mythology stems from the following theoretical points: first that mythologies are interested in sun, fire, wind, and rain to the extent that they render those things as characters rather than as impersonal elements. Second that in what I call miniregions mythologies differ largely because of parody phenomenon. And third that a “mythology” comprises all of the texts that one tribal narrator tells in the order the narrator arranges them. In this manner, this paper both sets an agenda for measuring the impact of deserts on myth and introduces authorship and authority into the study of tribal mythologies.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2006 Donald Bahr
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Culturales journal allows you to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format; adapt, remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, including commercially, by properly crediting the work and providing a link to the license indicating whether changes have been made.
Culturales journal is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)