Contents

The Reality of Myth

By  John Hilary Martin

Contents

Preface v
Forward xi
CHAPTER I
STORIES OF HIGHER TRUTH
1
Secular and Religious Myths
The History of Myth
A Renewal of Interest in Myth
Mythic Forms in Major Religions
CHAPTER II THE ORIGIN MYTHS
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15
The Maidu Account of the Origins of the World
The Story in Genesis
Arrernte Story of Creation
CHAPTER III
MYTH AND DREAMING
27
Suspension of Normal Judgment
Multiple Levels 0f Meaning
Abstraction and Intellectual Questioning
Similarity of Dynamic and Disagreement of Results
CHAPTER IV

THE WORK OF MYTHS

35
The Mythic Process
Evaluation of Myths
Myths and Philosophy
Values Latent in Myth
Other Concerns of Myth Cycles
CHAPTER V

MYTH AND HISTORY

47
Myth as an expression of Nature Symbolism
Sacred Space and Sacred Time
Symbolism in Religions of the Book
Escape from the World of Nature
Myths both Cosmic and Historical
Mythic Aspects of History
Progress and Linear Time
The Engine of History
CHAPTER VI

MYTH AND RITUAL

69
Orientation to a Transcendental Power
Australian Aboriginal Ritual
Ritual is a Form of Communication
Four Elements of Ritual
Gesture
Scene
Score
Story Line
The Unity of Ritual
Ritual in Relation to Myth
Ritual and Community
Bringing the Past into the Present
Flight from Rituals
CHAPTER VII

MYTH AND SYMBOLISM

93
Symbols and Signs
The Problem of Grounding Myth in Reality
Christian Approaches to Symbolism
The Apophatic Way
The Likeness of God in Creation
The Likeness of God using Scriptures
The Character of Cosmic and Historical Symbols
Religious Symbolism and Reality
The Framework for Religious Language
A Different Framework
Cosmic Analogy
Historical Symbolism
Expectations of Religious Symbolism
NOTES

GLOSSARY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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