The evolution of the concept "Myth" from ancient greek to post-modernity

Creativity deriving from the effort to understand and comprehend the universe has been the primary power in the origin and development of humanity. Creativity, as a source of personal and social evolutions, requires ?imitation/mimesis? within its very nature; thus creation and imitation, as well as religious and mythological thought formed the bases of art, and hence the civilization.The mythic tradition has obtained a prominent function in almost every society. Therefore, considering mythology as a primary religion, narrative, and text since the times of traditional and archaic societies will enable us to understand and define the mythic universe and its essence.There are several disciplines which employ mythos as a research object. In a historical perspective, first philosophers, and then clergymen and anthropologists studied mythos. As much as the interdisciplinary differences and the style of questioning, the approach to the analysis of mythos has created variations in the final understanding of this important concept.The usages of mythos in theatre, literature, and art have always attracted attention in terms of the functional, aesthetic and conceptual results. The unity of all mythoi used in every branch of art is a gate to a supplementary, meaningful, and creative world. As a result, to articulate a general definition of mythos is really challenging since there is no literal definition of god, devil, spirit or fairies. However, a social / historical / artistic definition can be given, and the evolutions of these concepts can be pursued.The indspensable purpose of the art is to convey thoughts on certain subjects in a sensible but uncommon way by using any device. In that sense, mythos is a common cultural element of art and humanity, and the climax of the imagination and creativity serving that very purpose. It is a deep world with a delicate and magical narration, and unique creativity. All we need is to enter that magical world and form our own magical art.In that sense, the myth constitutes the beginning of the process of giving a meaning to all humanly realities. Together with the use of myths on the stage in a theatrical way, however, both the myths and the rites lose their original meaning from the moment they force the human to become a mere audience. Therefore, the process of change, transformation and evolution in the myths starts with ?acting?. Now, as the first products of the artistic production, the myths form the point of origin for all the following artistic narrations; from now on, the myth carries the seeds of eposes, romance, tragedy and it becomes the main source of all the literary forms of the creative genius of the humanity and of the developing civilization.In that sense, the myth is the starting point of all the artistic productions that discuss and attempt to solve all the humanly realities and problems. Therefore, it generates a lively discourse. The myth destructs itself at the very moment when there is nobody left to believe the meaning that it has and the message that it conveys, but it does not die. It reappears in another age with another meaning. For those who co-exist in a society or in a collective, the myths are the explanation, grounding and justification of their own reality while narrating their stories. They convey this through images, stories and idolized personalities. Through the troubadours, narrators and theological texts, the myths of the ancient times reach new environments and ages, a process that also reshapes them. Together with this reshaping, the myth meets with the new expression possibilities of the art and every age constructs its own mythology and mythical discourse, turning it a part of itself.The discovery of every single age changes its name according to the mentality of the age. The formation of a new world does not make people to forget the myths of the past but causes their re-emergence in a different new form. Being the provider and healer of the life, order and society, the myth?s meaning changes completely together with the reason of age. This change is not only because of a new mentality brought by the new order; it is the result of the ongoing perception of life and its change.The forms, the language, the meaning and the process of giving meaning that the myths are going through in contemporary societies are carried to a new plane of meanings together with the society?s dynamics of change throughout the historical development. It creates the myths of its own mythological world depending on the age and moves away from its original meaning completely. This moving away, however, is not a disappearance. The stories, heroes or the heroic acts in the myths come from the mythical depths of our common experience (the unconscious) and they are transferred through generations. They appear as the expression of the consciousness that gives a richness, value and prestige to the human life, literature and art. That is why the myths become the discourse-conveyor of all ages.In the modern period and after, when the social ruptures are experienced and every age constructed its own discourse and legends, all the meanings were revised, all the existing values were revaluated and the myth and the mythological discourse were redefined depending on the development dynamics of the societies. Therefore, it enables us to understand, analyse and evaluate the myths from Ancient Greece to Post-Modern in their new meanings if we can understand the new myth definitions of the art of the new period, how the myths are created in new planes, to what these new myths correspond in today?s world and show the diversity of different forms of their use and analyse them aesthetically, functionally and semantically.ABSTRACT.Creativity deriving from the effort to understand and comprehend the universe has been the primary power in the origin and development of humanity. Creativity, as a source of personal and social evolutions, requires ?imitation/mimesis? within its very nature; thus creation and imitation, as well as religious and mythological thought formed the bases of art, and hence the civilization.The mythic tradition has obtained a prominent function in almost every society. Therefore, considering mythology as a primary religion, narrative, and text since the times of traditional and archaic societies will enable us to understand and define the mythic universe and its essence.There are several disciplines which employ mythos as a research object. In a historical perspective, first philosophers, and then clergymen and anthropologists studied mythos. As much as the interdisciplinary differences and the style of questioning, the approach to the analysis of mythos has created variations in the final understanding of this important concept.The usages of mythos in theatre, literature, and art have always attracted attention in terms of the functional, aesthetic and conceptual results. The unity of all mythoi used in every branch of art is a gate to a supplementary, meaningful, and creative world. As a result, to articulate a general definition of mythos is really challenging since there is no literal definition of god, devil, spirit or fairies. However, a social / historical / artistic definition can be given, and the evolutions of these concepts can be pursued.The indispensable purpose of the art is to convey thoughts on certain subjects in a sensible but uncommon way by using any device. In that sense, mythos is a common cultural element of art and humanity, and the climax of the imagination and creativity serving that very purpose. It is a deep world with a delicate and magical narration, and unique creativity. All we need is to enter that magical world and form our own magical art.In that sense, the myth constitutes the beginning of the process of giving a meaning to all humanly realities. Together with the use of myths on the stage in a theatrical way, however, both the myths and the rites lose their original meaning from the moment they force the human to become a mere audience. Therefore, the process of change, transformation and evolution in the myths starts with ?acting?. Now, as the first products of the artistic production, the myths form the point of origin for all the following artistic narrations; from now on, the myth carries the seeds of eposes, romance, tragedy and it becomes the main source of all the literary forms of the creative genius of the humanity and of the developing civilization.In that sense, the myth is the starting point of all the artistic productions that discuss and attempt to solve all the humanly realities and problems. Therefore, it generates a lively discourse. The myth destructs itself at the very moment when there is nobody left to believe the meaning that it has and the message that it conveys, but it does not die. It reappears in another age with another meaning. For those who co-exist in a society or in a collective, the myths are the explanation, grounding and justification of their own reality while narrating their stories. They convey this through images, stories and idolized personalities. Through the troubadours, narrators and theological texts, the myths of the ancient times reach new environments and ages, a process that also reshapes them. Together with this reshaping, the myth meets with the new expression possibilities of the art and every age constructs its own mythology and mythical discourse, turning it a part of itself.The discovery of every single age changes its name according to the mentality of the age. The formation of a new world does not make people to forget the myths of the past but causes their re-emergence in a different new form. Being the provider and healer of the life, order and society, the myth?s meaning changes completely together with the reason of age. This change is not only because of a new mentality brought by the new order; it is the result of the ongoing perception of life and its change.The forms, the language, the meaning and the process of giving meaning that the myths are going through in contemporary societies are carried to a new plane of meanings together with the society?s dynamics of change throughout the historical development. It creates the myths of its own mythological world depending on the age and moves away from its original meaning completely. This moving away, however, is not a disappearance. The stories, heroes or the heroic acts in the myths come from the mythical depths of our common experience (the unconscious) and they are transferred through generations. They appear as the expression of the consciousness that gives a richness, value and prestige to the human life, literature and art. That is why the myths become the discourse-conveyor of all ages.In the modern period and after, when the social ruptures are experienced and every age constructed its own discourse and legends, all the meanings were revised, all the existing values were revaluated and the myth and the mythological discourse were redefined depending on the development dynamics of the societies. Therefore, it enables us to understand, analyse and evaluate the myths from Ancient Greece to Post-Modern in their new meanings if we can understand the new myth definitions of the art of the new period, how the myths are created in new planes, to what these new myths correspond in today?s world and show the diversity of different forms of their use and analyse them aesthetically, functionally and semantically. İngilizce Anahtar Kelimeler: 1. Myth 2. Meaning 3. Mental 4. Mythos 5. Post-modernity