Sacred Myth Research Articles

The ethnoecology of the Malay sacred myth through narratives of Kampung Tua Nongsa in Batam

The condition of the Malays is significantly marginalized due to the migration and the rapid industrial development in Batam, Indonesia. However, the Malay sacred myth is still sustained as a local wisdom for the Malay generations. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the ethnoecology behind the story of the sacred myth of Bumbum, Puak, and Batu Belah as a representation of environmental Malay local wisdom in Kampong Tua Nongsa, Batam. Within the conceptual framework of ethnoecology as a bridge to understanding the relationship between literature in the form of folklore and the culture of society, this qualitative research collected data through observation by being directly involved in the community and in-depth interviews with 21 informants including the key jury of the sacred places, community advice, community leaders, village officials, and the younger generation of Malay people in Kampong Tua Nongsa. Data analysis was carried out by comparing, reconfirming, classifying, and interpreting the data with an ethnoecology approach. The results showed that there were three important ethnoecological representations: (1) the ecological ties between forests and humans in the sacred Bumbum, (2) the reflection of the wise king in the sacred of Puak, and (3) the sea as the central life of nature in the sacred of Batu Belah. Sacred site prohibitions reveal deep connections between human behavior and nature, emphasizing ethical considerations; these stories highlight cultural values, insights for heritage preservation, and solutions for environmental challenges within an ethnoecological framework, stressing the importance of ethics in human-nature interactions.

The Indigenous Practice of Braiding Sweetgrass and the Expansion of Ethical Imagination

The tradition of braiding sweetgrass in indigenous cultures is the practice of picking strands of the plant sweetgrass, drying the strands, and intertwining the distinct strands into a braid of different textures. This braid is given to others as a form of goodwill and gratitude. The braids are also used and burned during ceremonies and prayers. Indigenous tradition teaches that the sweet smell and smoke are attractive to good spirits and can carry prayers to the spirit realm. The Greek origin of the botanical nomenclature for sweetgrass, hierochloe, derives from the words sacred (hieros) and grass (chloe). This study utilizes accounts of indigenous sweetgrass practices and myths in anthropological and religious studies fields to evaluate how indigenous approaches serve to expand Western ethical imagination around plants and ecological preservation. Indigenous harvesting practices and uses of sweetgrass are embedded in sacred myths and assumptions about the interconnection between humanity and plants. In this interconnection, plants and humans are envisioned to be in a sacred relationship of symbiotic mutuality. The indigenous understanding of the relationality between plants and humans provides a different, potentially instructive paradigm in contrast to common Western understandings of ecology and ethics around plants.

Sacred Myths (of Creation, Sacrifice, Nature and Geographical locations) and Social Realities

Sacred Myths are religious or quasi religious narratives that have the potential to influence and be influenced by Social Realities by virtue of being the substratum of social order, beliefs, customs, ritual Sacrifices, natural and geographical influences, specific Cosmogonies, etc., which are the integral elements in the structuring of the latter (Social Realities). Reinforcing each other, Sacred Myths and Social Realities work hand in hand to consolidate the cultural consciousness and identity and social behaviour of a community, which requires a careful, comprehensive, thematic and comparative scrutiny because of its immense anthropological, sociological and philosophical value. Keeping in mind the centrality of Creation Myths, myths codifying sacrificial rituals in a society and myths concerning nature and geographical locations in shaping the Social Realities and the way of living of communities, the paper aims to classify and critically analyze the relationship between Sacred Myths in relation to Creation, Sacrifices and Nature and Geographical Locations and Social Realities with eclectic exemplars across the world. In fact, the interconnectedness among these three distinct branches of Sacred Myths serve to show how entrenched they are in the social corporeity of Cultures across geographical boundaries, either individually or in conjunction to each other. Conceptually crafted, this paper concerns itself with only the social function and social value of the Sacred Myths concerning Creation, Sacrifices and Nature and Geographical Locations in influencing the Realities of the Society across generations, steering clear of debates regarding whether these Myths are historically true or false, whether the Sacred Myths of one region or culture are superior to that of the others, etc. The methodology used for the discussion is an Omnicomparativist approach, i.e., a method of studying that randomly selects isolated data samples from varied populations across the globe, veritably suited to the objective of the paper. Trying to understand Sacred Myths by considering the complex human position and agency in life itself, this paper favours and follows a multiversal approach in studying the specificities of cultures and religion of the populations studied, grouping them into thematic sections instead of the commonly pursued archetypal and stereotypical classification.

The Fair and Wise King behind the Sacred Myth of Puak Reflected the Leader Horizon Representation of Kampong Tua Malay Nongsa: Ethnoecological Approach

Longing for a just and wise leader built a horizon of hope for society behind the mythical stories of the king of dreams. Like the fringe warriors in Javanese society, the Malays in Kampong Tua Nongsa have a role model king known as The King of Fuang. This study aimed to reveal the theme of ethnoecology in the Malay community behind the mythical story of Puak sacred in Nongsa, a Batam district. The ethnoecology approach connected a community paradigm that is formed due to natural phenomena. The interaction between humans and nature through the sacred existence of Puak was created by the role model of the king. This study used a qualitative descriptive method with observation data collection techniques and in-depth interviews. Analytical criticism techniques become a meant to reveal the ethnoecology behind the story. The results of this research show that there are two important things to discuss, namely the representation of the just king and cultural products from nature in the form of prohibitions. A king who is a role model for the hope of a community leader in the form of a king who is honest and keeps his promises, a king who does not want to be exalted and exalted, a king who is just and wise, a king who is simple, a king who protects and preserves nature. Meanwhile, the resulting cultural products are in the form of prohibitions on destroying forests, prohibitions on cutting hills, prohibitions on lying, prohibitions on speaking arrogantly, prohibitions on speaking dirty, and prohibitions on wasting wealth.

Three ideological psychology myths

Social Domination Theory (SDT), developed by Sidanius and Pratto, says that in every society there are certain groups occupying hegemonic places, leaving the other groups in a second place. This position is maintained by the functioning of “ideological myths”, which can be of three kinds: sacred, paternalistic, and egalitarians. My objective is to analyze the position that psychological discipline occupies in our actual western society applying the SDT and showing how each kind of myth work in its maintaining. For that purpose I select those myths that I consider as most representatives: the sacred myth of the divinization of science, the paternalistic myth of the psychologist-pacient relation, and the equalitarian myth of the pathologization of difference, making them evident and pointing at their possible maintaining mechanisms. I use for this, among others, Goran Therborn's analysis about the functioning of ideology.

Science as Sacred Myth? Ecospirituality in the Anthropocene Age

This article focuses on New Story/Universe Story/Epic of Evolution movements, forms of science-based ecospirituality that have emerged in recent decades. One of my central claims is that these narratives tend to encourage awe and wonder at scientific information and expert knowledge as that which is most ‘real’, over and above direct encounters with the natural world. As such, I question whether these new myths are likely to engender the environmental values they seek to cultivate. Everyday experiences and encounters with the natural world—encounters not filtered through scientific analysis and explanation—are likely to be devalued in this worldview. This tendency is particularly pronounced in iterations that are inspired by the work of E.O. Wilson and Richard Dawkins, both of whom promote a mythopoeic rendering of scientific information as a robust and superior rival to religion. Espousing a religion based on scientific reality, some proponents of these narratives express attitudes of intolerance toward religious and cultural traditions that do not derive meaning and value directly from science, even though these traditions may embrace green values on their own terms. As a whole these movements discourage sensory, experience-infused forms of engagement with nature that are less dependent upon and mediated by expert knowledge.

Questioning of Authentication and Epistemology in Tafsir al-Jilani

<p><em>In this research, the author critically analyzes a biography of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani containing sacred myths. The analyst of sacred myth about ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani is based on the approach of applied anthropology to distinguish between the myths that have positive and negative values for Muslim society. This research then analyzes the authenticity of Tafsir al-Jilani and the epistemology of his inter- pretation. ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani is the founder of Qadiriyah. Qadiriyah doctrines has been widely accepted by traditional Muslim groups in Muslim world, so that the study of Tafsir al-Jilani is very meaningful for the followers of Qadiriyah in particu- lar and the lovers of Quranic studies in general to increase their knowledge about the teachings of ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani.</em></p>

Mythology for Storytellers: Themes and Tales from Around the World (review)

Reviewed by Bonnie D. Irwin Eastern Illinois University Mythology for Storytellers: Themes and Tales from Around the World. By Josepha Sherman. (Armonk, N.Y.: M. E. Sharpe, 2003. Pp. xii + 369, photographs, bibliography, general, character, and culture indices.) Mythology for Storytellers provides storytellers and other readers with a rich selection of myths from regions as diverse as Siberia and the Kalahari. As Sherman writes in her introduction, "The stories in this book are not restricted to any one region or any one era. How could they be? Mythology really does belong to everyone" (p. 16). She organizes the anthology thematically into myths of creation, death and rebirth, origins, gods, and heroes, thus enabling the storyteller to concentrate on a particular kind of story. Each section begins with a brief introduction to the category, which explains its subgenres. This method of compilation allows readers to compare similar myths across diverse cultures. For those wishing to see complete translations or more myths from a particular culture, Sherman includes a citation of her sources at the end of each selection. The versions here are brief, each preceded by an introduction that identifies the main character as necessary. Before "Heiseb and Death" (pp. 94–5), for example, Sherman explains that Heiseb is a trickster figure in San mythology. Cultural keys are also identified. Sherman explains in this same introduction to the Heisab myth that in the Kalahari region there are strict rules concerning food and its consumption, because of the scarcity of resources. The aim of these introductions and versions clearly is not to tell storytellers how to perform the stories, but rather to provide them with a more complete understanding of the tale that they will be performing. Additional apparatuses provide further information on the cultural contexts of these myths, including a bibliography, character name index, and culture index. Each of the thematic sections includes myths from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Along with more commonly known stories such as the Norse Ymir creation myth, Sherman includes "Something from Nothing" from Melanesia and the Amana creation myth of the Calina people of South America. Mythology for Storytellers is truly an international anthology, providing storytellers with a culturally and ethnically diverse selection of myths, translated into English and edited down to facilitate storytelling without sacrificing the important contextual keys that a native audience would recognize. The most important asset in this volume, aside from the selection of myths, is Sherman's introduction, which tackles the thorny question of the ethics of performing a myth from outside one's own culture. Because the stuff of myth is rooted in belief and religion as well as fantasy, storytellers who perform mythic texts must demonstrate an even greater degree of cultural sensitivity than that required of other taletellers. For this reason, Sherman is adamant that "a retelling should stay true to the original and not be deliberately and radically altered to make it into a 'better' story" (p. 5). One might argue that no myth should be told outside its context, particularly those from belief systems to which many still adhere. Knowing that these fascinating stories will be told out of context by someone at sometime, however, Sherman emphasizes [End Page 491] that the responsible storyteller will be both educated and sensitive to the origins of each myth. The introduction also includes highlights of myth studies from Plato to Campbell, while much of the second half of the book is devoted to modern American myths, including those born out of popular culture, and draws parallels between the hero archetype and James T. Kirk, ritual Navajo sand paintings and the art of Salvador Dalí, and pagan Russian spring rituals and the operas of Rimsky-Korsakov. Bringing the readers' own secular and sacred myths to their attention, Sherman both highlights the relevance of mythic texts and heightens readers' sensitivity to the delicate intersection of belief and myth. The secular performance of myth outside its ritual contexts will continue to...

Sovereign Remedies: Natural Authority and the "Counterblaste to Tobacco"

Michael Ziser is an assistant professor of English literature at the University of California, Davis. He thanks participants at the 2002 Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture Conference, From Bacon to Bartram: Early American Inquiries to the Natural World, for their keen questions and fertile suggestions during the first airing of the ideas presented here, and especially to the organizers of that conference-Joyce Chaplin, Laura Rigal, and Fredrika Teute-for focusing the attentions of the scholarly community so productively on the intertwined fates of Western science and the New World environment. He also thanks the anonymous readers for the William and Mary Quarterly. I Winnebago testimony in Elisabeth Tooker, ed., Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths, Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing

Philosophizing about education in a postmodern society: the role of sacred myth and ritual in education

In modern societies, educational philosophy concentrated on concept clarification and the structure of bodies of knowledge, especially science. This modernist project was found wanting, given its connections with ideologies of exploitation, violence and greed. Educational philosophy should, therefore, develop a “new key” for making the role of the aesthetic and ethical in cultural life and education meaningful. In particular, a study of ancient and traditional cultures reveals the centrality of sacred myths and rituals as means for creating coherent cultural patterns which are inspirational and foster well-being. Because of the postmodern aversion to theology-as-ideology and the sensitivity to diverse perspectives and populations, the reclaiming and recreation of appropriate cultural myths and rituals is especially challenging. I present, in outline, what I think are reasonable approaches to that challenge.

A Journey into Sacred Myth

A Journey into Sacred Myth

Infected Christianity: a study of modern racism

Focusing on five modern Christs, Alan Davies examines how the Christian church has succumbed to the infection of racist ideas. Using an analysis of the writings of representative philosophic and religious figures, Davies shows that the myths of race and nation, innocent in themselves, have evolved into sacred myths and histories which not only infected Christianity but, in the case of Germany and South Africa, served to legitimize ruling racist elites. He traces the course of racism to its roots in the religious, cultural, and intellectual history of western civilization and to its culmination in the formation of the Aryan myth - the great race myth of white Europeans - in the nineteenth century. As Germany played a pivotal role in recent developments of racism, Davies discusses the Germanic Christ first and most extensively. He analyzes French Roman-Catholic racism, particularly its role in the Third Republic, through discussion of the Latin Christ. His study of the Anglo-Saxon Christ covers both English and American expressions of racism and their links to imperialism. This is followed by a discussion of Afrikaner racism, and an exploration of black nationalism in the United States and its advocacy of a black Christ. Davies concludes with a discussion of the theological problems arising from the five racial Christs surveyed and the dilemmas posed by the attempt to cast a universal religion in a particular cultural mould.

Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths, Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing Formulas, Rituals and Ceremonials

Native North American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands: Sacred Myths, Dreams, Visions, Speeches, Healing Formulas, Rituals and Ceremonials