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National myth

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The Dispute ofMinervaandNeptune(c.1689 or 1706) byRené-Antoine Houasse,depicting thefounding mythofAthens

Anational mythis an inspiringnarrativeoranecdoteabout anation's past. Suchmythsoften serve as importantnational symbolsand affirm a set of nationalvalues.A myth is a mixture ofrealityandfiction,and operates in a specific social and historical setting. Social myths structure national imaginaries.[1]A national myth may take the form of anational epic,or it may be incorporated into acivil religion.A group of related myths about a nation may be referred to as thenational mythos,from μῦθος,Greek for "myth".

A national myth is a narrative which has been elevated to a serious symbolic and esteemed level so as to be true to the nation.[verification needed][2]The national folklore of many nations includes afounding myth,which may involve a struggle againstcolonialismor awar of independenceor unification. In many cases, the meaning of the national myth is disputed among different parts of the population. In some places, the national myth may bespiritualand refer to stories of the nation's founding by aGod,severalgods,leaders favored by gods, or other supernatural beings.

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National myths often exist only for the purpose of state-sponsoredpropaganda.Intotalitariandictatorships,the leader might be given, for example, a mythical supernatural life history in order to make them seem god-like and supra-powerful (see alsocult of personality). Inliberalregimes they can inspire civic virtue and self-sacrifice[3]or consolidate the power of dominant groups and legitimate their rule.

National identity[edit]

The concept ofnational identityis inescapably connected with myths.[4]A complex of myths is at the core of nationalistic ethnic identity.[5]Some scholars believe that national identities, supported by invented histories, were constructed only afternational movementsandnational ideologiesemerged.[6]

All modern national identities were preceded by nationalist movements.[verification needed][6]Although the term "nation"was used in theMiddle Ages,it had usually an ethnic meaning and seldom referred to a state. In the age of nationalism, it was linked to efforts aimed at creatingnation-states.[7]

National myths foster national identities. They are important tools ofnation-building,[8]which can be done by emphasizing differences between people of different nations.[9]They can cause conflict[10]as they exaggerate threats posed by other nations and minimize the costs of war.[9]

The nationalist myth of a stablehomelandcommunityis explained psychoanalytically as the result of thecomplexityof relations within themodernexternal world and the incoherence of one's inner psychological world. Nationalist identity facilitates imagined stability.[11]

Dissemination[edit]

National myths are created and propagated by nationalintellectuals,and they can be used as instruments of political mobilization on demographic bases such asethnicity.[12]

They might over-dramatize true incidents, omit important historical details, or add details for which there is no evidence; or a national myth might simply be a fictional story that no one takes to be true literally.[13]

Mythopoeic methods[edit]

Traditionalmyth-makingoften depended onliterarystory-tellers — especiallyepic poets.AncientHellenic cultureadoptedHomer's IonianIliadas a justification of its theoretical unity, andVirgil(70–19 BCE) composed theAeneidin support of the political renewal and reunification of the Roman world after lengthy civil wars. Generations of medieval writers (in poetry and prose) contributed to theArthurianMatter of Britain,developing what became a focus for English nationalism by adopting British Celtic material.Camões(c. 1524–1580) composed in Macao theLusiadsas a national poetic epic for Portugal.Voltaireattempted a similar work for French mythologised history in theHenriade(1723).Wagnerian operacame to foster German national enthusiasm.

Other methods[edit]

Modern purveyors of national mythologies have tended to appeal to the people more directly through the media. Frenchpamphleteersspread the ideas ofLiberty, Equality and Fraternityin the 1790s, and American journalists, politicians, and scholars popularized mythic tropes like "Manifest Destiny","the Frontier",or the "Arsenal of Democracy".Socialists advocating ideas like thedictatorship of the proletariathave promoted catchy nation-promoting slogans such as "Socialism with Chinese characteristics"and"Kim Il Sungthought ".[14]

National myths[edit]

The ideology of nationalism is related to two myths: the myth of the eternal nation, referring to the permanence of a community, and the myth of common ancestry.[15]These are represented in the particular national myths of various countries and groups.

Finland[edit]

TheKalevalais a 19th-century work ofepic poetrycompiled byElias LönnrotfromKarelianandFinnishoralfolkloreandmythology,.[16]TheKalevalais regarded as thenational epicofKareliaandFinland[note 1] It narrates an epic story about theCreation of the Earth,describing the controversies and retaliatory voyages between the peoples of the land of Kalevala called Väinölä and the land ofPohjolaand their variousprotagonistsandantagonistsas well as the construction and robbery of the epic mythical wealth-making machineSampo.[18]TheKalevalawas instrumental in the development of theFinnishnational identityand the intensification ofFinland's language strifethat ultimately led toFinland's independence from Russiain 1917.[19][20]

Greece[edit]

According toGreek mythology,theHellenesdescend from Hellen. He is the child ofDeucalion(orZeus) andPyrrha,and the father of three sons,Dorus,Xuthus,andAeolus,by whom he is the ancestor of the Greek peoples.

Iceland[edit]

Thesagas of Icelanders,[21]also known as family sagas, are one sub-genre or text groups of Icelandicsagas.They are prose narratives mostly based on historical events that mostly took place inIcelandin the ninth, tenth, and early eleventh centuries, during the so-calledSaga Age.They were written inOld Icelandic,a western dialect ofOld Norse.They are the best-known specimens ofIcelandic literature.They are focused on history, especially genealogical and family history. They reflect the struggle and conflict that arose within the societies of the early generations of Icelandic settlers. The Icelandic sagas are valuable and unique historical sources about medieval Scandinavian societies and kingdoms, in particular regarding pre-Christian religion and culture and heroic age.

Japan[edit]

InJapanese mythology,Emperor Jimmuis thelegendaryfirstemperor of Japan.He is described in theNihon ShokiandKojiki.His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC. He is said to be a descendant of the sun goddessAmaterasu,through her grandsonNinigi,as well as a descendant of the storm godSusanoo.He launched amilitary expeditionfromHyūganear theSeto Inland Sea,capturedYamato,and established this as his center of power. In modern Japan, Emperor Jimmu's legendary accession is marked asNational Foundation Dayon February 11. There is no evidence to suggest that Jimmu existed. However, there is a high probability that there was a powerful dynasty in the vicinity ofMiyazaki Prefectureduring theKofun period.

United States of America[edit]

TheAmerican frontier(also known as the Old West or Wild West) is a theme inAmerican mythologythat defines the American national identity as brave pioneers who discovered, conquered, and settled the vast wilderness.[22]It affirms individualism, informality, andpragmatismas American values.Richard Slotkindescribes this myth as depicting "America as a wide-open land of unlimited opportunity for the strong, ambitious, self-reliant individual to thrust his way to the top."[23]Cowboys,gunfighters,andfarmersare commonly appearing archetypes in this myth. The American frontier produced various mythologized figures such asWild Bill Hickok,Johnny Appleseed,Paul Bunyan,Wyatt Earp,Billy the Kid,Annie Oakley,Doc Holliday,Butch Cassidy,andDavy Crockett.The mythology surrounding the American frontier is immortalized in theWestern genreof fiction, particularlyWestern filmsandliterature.

Korea[edit]

The firstKoreankingdom is said to have been founded byDangun,the legendary founder and god-king ofGojoseon,in 2333 BCE. Dangun is said to be the "grandson of heaven" and "son of a bear". The earliest recorded version of the Dangun legend appears in the 13th-centurySamguk Yusa,which cites China'sBook of Weiand Korea's lost historical recordGogi;it has been confirmed that there is no relevant record in China'sBook of Wei.There are around seventeenreligious groupsinvolving the worship of Dangun.[24]

Italy[edit]

TheKingdom of Fanesis thenational epicof theLadin peoplein theDolomitesand the most important part of theLadinliterature. Originally an orally transmittedepic cycle,today it is known through the work ofKarl Felix Wolffin 1932, gathered inDolomitensagen.This legend is part of the larger corpus of theSouth Tyrolean sagas,whose protagonists are the Fanes themselves.[25]

Brazil[edit]

The national myth ofBrazilas aracial democracywas first advanced by Brazilian sociologistGilberto Freyrein his 1933 workCasa-Grande & Senzala,which argues that Brazilians do not view each other through the lens of race, and that Brazilian society eliminated racism and racial discrimination. Freyre's theory became a source of national pride for Brazil, which contrasted itself favorably vis-a-vis the contemporaneous racial divisions and violence in theUnited States.[26][27]

Serbia[edit]

TheKosovo Mythis a Serbian national myth based on legends about events related to theBattle of Kosovo(1389). It has been a subject inSerbian folkloreandliterary traditionand has been cultivatedoral epic poetryandguslarpoems. The final form of the legend was not created immediately after the battle but evolved from different originators into various versions. In its modern form it emerged in 19th-centurySerbiaand served as an important constitutive element of thenational identityof modern Serbia and its politics.

Great Britain[edit]

King Arthurwas alegendary noble kingthat united Britain, laid the foundation to medieval notions ofchivalryin western Europe, and was later important for building a commonBritish identity.[28][29]

Nazi Germany[edit]

TheMaster raceis aNazi ideologypropagandaofpseudoscientificracial theoriespurporting thatethnic Germansbelonged to a superiorAryanorNordic race,which combined with otherantisemitic myths(includingstab-in-the-back), which resulted inNazi Germanyand its justification forconqueringEurope(for"living space") and forThe Holocaust,itsgenocideof those it mythologized were threats andlesser races,primarilyJews.

New Zealand[edit]

TheTreaty of Waitangiis a document of central importance to thehistory of New Zealand,its constitution, and itsnational mythos.[30]It has played a major role in the treatment of the Māori people in New Zealand by successive governments and the wider population, something that has been especially prominent since the late 20th century. The treaty document is an agreement, not a treaty as recognised in international law,[31]and has no independent legal status, being legally effective only to the extent it is recognised in various statutes.[32]It was first signed on 6 February 1840 by CaptainWilliam Hobsonasconsulfor theBritish Crownand byMāorichiefs (rangatira) from theNorth Islandof New Zealand.

Kupewas a legendary[33]Polynesianexplorer who was the first person to discoverNew Zealand,according toMāori oral history.[34]It is likely that Kupe existed historically, but this is difficult to confirm. His voyage to New Zealand ensured that the land was known to the Polynesians, and he would therefore be responsible for the genesis of the Māori people.[35]

Iran[edit]

TheShahnamehis a longepic poemwritten by thePersian poetFerdowsibetweenc. 977and 1010 CE and is thenational epicofGreater Iran.Consisting of some 50,000distichsor couplets (two-line verses),[36]theShahnamehis one of the world's longest epic poems, and the longest epic poem created by a single author.[37][38][39]It tells mainly themythicaland to some extent the historical past of thePersian Empirefrom the creation of the world until theMuslim conquestin the seventh century.

Israel[edit]

ThePromised LandisMiddle Easternland thatAbrahamic religions(which includeJudaism,Christianity,Islam,and others) claim theirGodpromised and subsequently gave toAbraham(thelegendarypatriarch in Abrahamic religions) and several more times to his descendants.The concept of the Promised Land originates from a religiousnarrativewritten in theHebrewreligious text,theTorah.[note 2]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Professor Tolkien disagreed with this characterization: "One repeatedly hears the 'Land of Heroes' described as the 'national Finnish Epic': as if a nation, besides if possible a national bank theatre and government, ought also automatically to possess a national epic. Finland does not. The K[alevala] is certainly not one. It is a mass of conceivably epic material; but, and I think this is the main point, it would lose nearly all that which is its greatest delight if it were ever to be epically handled."[17]
  2. ^While theTorahis considered a Jewishholy book,it also known as anIslamic holy bookcalled theTawratand is the first five books of the Tanakh orHebrew Bible,which is a subset of theOld Testamentin theBiblical canonofChristianity.

References[edit]

  1. ^Bouchard, Gérard (2013),National Myths: Constructed Pasts, Contested Presents,Routledge,ISBN9780415631129,retrieved2024-05-25
  2. ^Renan, Ernest(1882).Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?.
  3. ^Miller, David (1995).On Nationality.Oxford University Press.ISBN0-19-828047-5.
  4. ^Cameron, Keith (1999),National identity,Exeter, England: Intellect, p. 4,ISBN978-1-871516-05-0,OCLC40798482,Myth is inextricably linked with the concept of national identity
  5. ^J. Kaufman, Stuart (2001),Modern hatreds: the symbolic politics of ethnic war,New York: Cornell University Press, p. 25,ISBN978-0-8014-8736-1,OCLC46590030,The core of the ethnic identity is the "myth-symbol complex" — the combination of myths,...
  6. ^abØstergaard, Uffe; Heine Andersen; Lars Bo Kaspersen (2000).Classical and modern social theory.Malden, Mass.: Blackwell. p. 448.ISBN978-0-631-21288-1.Retrieved8 September2011.
  7. ^Østergaard, Uffe; Heine Andersen; Lars Bo Kaspersen (2000).Classical and modern social theory.Malden, Mass.: Blackwell. p. 448.ISBN978-0-631-21288-1.Retrieved8 September2011.We can, for example, certainly encounter term "nation" in the Middle Ages, but the word meant something completely different than in the age of nationalism, where it is inextricably linked with the efforts to create an associated state.
  8. ^Oleinik, Anton (2019)."On the Role of Historical Myths in Nation-State Building: The Case of Ukraine".Nationalities Papers.47(6): 1100–1116.doi:10.1017/nps.2018.32.ISSN0090-5992.
  9. ^abSchnabel, Albrecht; David Carment (2004).Conflict prevention from rhetoric to reality: Organizations and institutions.Lanham, Md: Le xing ton Books. pp. 45, 46.ISBN978-0-7391-0738-6.overemphasize the cultural and historical distinctiveness of the national group [and its territory], exaggerate the threat posed to the nation by other groups, ignore the degree to which the nation's own actions provoked such treats, and play down the cost of seeking national goals through militant means.
  10. ^Edward Brown, Michael (1997).Nationalism and ethnic conflict.Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 67.ISBN978-0-585-35807-9.... we do argue that tendency to breed conflicts is inherent to typical nationalist myths
  11. ^Brown, David (2000),"Contemporary nationalism",Contemporary nationalism: civic, ethnocultural, and multicultural politics,London; New York: Routledge, p. 24,ISBN0-203-38025-8,OCLC43286590,The nationalist myth of permanent, fixed, homeland community, derives its emotional power, according to psychoanalysis, from the anxieties generated by the fragility of the sense of self, the ego, in the face of both the complex ambiguities inherent in relationships with the external modern world, and also of the disintegrative incoherence of the inner, psychological world. In an attempt to escape the resultant anxiety, the individual engages in an act of self-labelling and self-construction which is essentially static, inserting him or herself into the institutions of society, so as to 'seek out a name' and thence attain an imaginary sense of stability [...].
  12. ^Safty, Adel (2002),Leadership and Conflict Resolution,USA: Universal publishers, p. 273,ISBN1-58112-617-4,Shnirelman (1995) considers nationalist myths... created by national intellectuals and propagated by the intelligentsia with the aim of using this myths as an instrument of ethno-political mobilization under interethnic conflicts.
  13. ^Abizadeh, Arash (2004). "Historical Truth, National Myths, and Liberal Democracy".Journal of Political Philosophy.12(3): 291–313.doi:10.1111/j.1467-9760.2004.00201.x.
  14. ^ Portal, Jane (2005). "The Kim Cult".Art Under Control in North Korea.London: Reaktion Books. p. 90.ISBN9781861892362.Retrieved6 February2020.[...] a North Korean's conversation is full of phrases such as 'Kim Il-sung thought', 'Kim Il-sungism', 'dedication to Kim Il-sung' and 'the Great Leader Kim Il-sung'.
  15. ^Brown, David (2000),"Contemporary nationalism",Contemporary nationalism: civic, ethnocultural, and multicultural politics,London; New York: Routledge, pp. 23, 24,ISBN0-203-38025-8,OCLC43286590
  16. ^Asplund, Anneli; Sirkka-Liisa Mettom (October 2000)."Kalevala: the Finnish national epic".Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2010.Retrieved15 August2010.
  17. ^Tolkien, J.R.R.(2015). "On 'The Kalevala' or Land of Heroes". InFlieger, Verlyn(ed.).The Story of Kullervo(1st US ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 70.ISBN978-0-544-70626-2.
  18. ^Kalevala, the national epic of Finland – Finnwards
  19. ^Vento, Urpo."The Role of The Kalevala"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 16 July 2011.Retrieved17 August2010.
  20. ^William A. Wilson (1975) "The Kalevala and Finnish Politics"Journal of the Folklore Institute12(2/3): pp. 131–55
  21. ^"The Edda & the Sagas of the Icelanders".Miðstöð íslenskra bókmennta.Retrieved2023-11-25.
  22. ^Smith, Anthony D.; Hou, Xiaoshuo; Stone, John; Dennis, Rutledge; Rizova, Polly, eds. (7 December 2015).The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Nationalism(1 ed.). Wiley.doi:10.1002/9781118663202.ISBN978-1-4051-8978-1.
  23. ^Slotkin, Richard (1973).Regeneration Through Violence: The Mythology of the American Frontier, 1600-1860.Middleton: Wesleyan University Press. p. 5.
  24. ^Service (KOCIS), Korean Culture and Information."Dangun, Father of Korea: Korea's foundation tale lends itself to many interpretations: Korea.net: The official website of the Republic of Korea".korea.net.Retrieved2023-11-25.
  25. ^(in Italian)Giuliano e Marco Palmieri,I regni perduti dei monti pallidi,Cierre Edizioni, 1996, Verona.
  26. ^Hanchard, Michael George (1998).Orpheus and power: the Movimento Negro of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil, 1945 - 1988(4.printing, and 1. paperback printing ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton Univ. Press.ISBN9780691002705.
  27. ^Ansell, Aaron (December 2018)."Race and the Brazilian Body: Blackness, Whiteness, and Everyday Language in Rio de Janeiro, Jennifer Roth-Gordon. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2017, 248 pp. $85.00, cloth. ISBN 9780520293793".Journal of Anthropological Research.74(4): 577–578.doi:10.1086/700933.ISSN0091-7710.
  28. ^Barczewski, Stephanie L."Introduction: King Arthur, Robin Hood, and British National Identity".academic.oup.Retrieved2024-02-28.
  29. ^Proctor, Elizabeth Gaj (2017)."The Legendary King: How the Figure of King Arthur Shaped a National Identity and the Field of Archaeology in Britain".Honors College.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  30. ^Renwick, William (1991). "The Undermining of a National Myth: The Treaty of Waitangi 1970-1990".The Journal of New Zealand Studies.3(4). Victoria University of Wellington.
  31. ^Cox, Noel (2002)."The Treaty of Waitangi and the Relationship Between the Crown and Maori in New Zealand".Brooklyn Journal of International Law.28(1): 132.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2022.Retrieved4 October2022.
  32. ^"The Status of the Treaty as a Legal Document".Treaty Resource Centre – He Puna Mātauranga o Te Tiriti.Archived fromthe originalon 7 October 2022.Retrieved4 October2022.
  33. ^"Who was Kupe?".Australian National Maritime Museum.Retrieved2023-03-06.
  34. ^"Chapter III. — Kupe—the Navigator | NZETC".nzetc.victoria.ac.nz.Retrieved2023-03-06.
  35. ^Howe, K.R. (2005)."Ideas about Māori origins - 1920s–2000: new understandings".Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.Retrieved29 September2022.
  36. ^Lalani, Farah (13 May 2010)."A thousand years of Firdawsi's Shahnama is celebrated".The Ismaili.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2013.Retrieved24 May2010.
  37. ^"The Shahnameh: a Literary Masterpiece".The Shahnameh: a Persian Cultural Emblem and a Timeless Masterpiece.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-25.Retrieved2023-12-25.
  38. ^"Shahnameh Ferdowsi".shahnameh.eu.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-12-07.Retrieved2023-12-25.
  39. ^"Iran marks National Day of Ferdowsi".Mehr News Agency.2023-05-15.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-12-25.Retrieved2023-12-25.

Further reading[edit]

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