In a previous blog article concerning the Discovery Networks Mermaids: The Body Found I discussed how highly improbable it would be for mermaids to remain hidden for so long, and in another previous blog article I discussed how it was highly improbable that such a creature could even evolve from humans (especially concerning the short frame of time the show gave for mermaids to have evolved from one of our ancient ancestors).
Now despite this, many of you are probably wondering why there are so many stories about mermaids around the world, yet such creatures can not exist?
The most likely reason behind why the mermaid myth even got created in the first place isn't because someone actually saw a real mermaid, it's because some one saw something they couldn't explain, and they told other people what they saw, and the myth spread, which is how I mentioned in another previous blog article about how myths get started in the first place
Most likely what happened was that someone from inland who isn't near any deep bodies of water traveled to either a lake, or a large river, or to the sea, and saw someone swimming. Now for us we would see someone swimming in the water and we would probably think "oh that person is swimming", but for a person that does not swim, and doesn't even know that people can swim, that person just might think "that person must have a fish tail" or "that person must be part fish". This person goes and tells their people what they saw, and thus the myth gets spread. This scenario probably happened all over the world as well, which is why the myth is so wide spread.
This is somewhat similar to how the myth about the centaur got started as well. Someone back thousands of years ago saw someone riding on top of a horse, and because they didn't know that people could ride on horses, and had never seen something like that before, they jumped to the conclusion that the person was half man, half horse.
Now I know that it sounds silly today that a person would think that, but back thousands of years ago when these myths got started we weren't that rational, and we were prone to superstition, and when we saw something that didn't make sense to us, we would make stuff up and jump to a conclusion about what it was instead of trying to figure out just what we saw. Heck, we do that even today!
Now I won't say that this is actually got started in the first place, in fact there are probably a bunch of variables concerning how this myth got started, but the fact remains is that this is a myth that will live on in our hearts and our stories... and Disney movies.
Showing posts with label Greek Myth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greek Myth. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
ECT Follow up: Ancient Aliens Cover-up: How Myths are Created
On a previous blog post I wrote about Ancient Alien theorists believe that not only have aliens visited us in the past, but that they also believe that information that would prove this to be true is being covered up.
Besides the fact that you really couldn't cover up something, the stories that are told by ancient peoples you really can't take at face value and say that it's entirely true.
Ancient alien theorists tend take myths way to literally, and that ancient humans were basically trying to best make sense of what they saw, and in a sense, this is true. The problem is that ancient alien theorist believe that these myths are maybe only two or three hundred years older then when they were first written down. In reality these myths are probably several thousands of years older then when they were first written down. The simple matter of fact is that we have no idea just how old these myths really are. Even if those myths were only a couple of hundred years old before they were written down, it still doesn't mean that the details didn't get messed up along the way.
The most likely reason that these myths started in the first place was that they were a way to explain natural events in a way that makes sense to prehistoric man. Because back thousands, or tens of thousands of years ago, we didn't have the science or knowledge or technology to find out just how nature really did work, so people started to make up stuff, but in a way that makes sense to them and fits their reality.
These stories, or explanations, whichever you wish to call them, gets told to other people, and they go out and they tell other people, and then those people go out and tell other people, and so on and so on.
The problem with passing down stories from mouth to mouth back then is the same as it is now, and that details get forgotten, and so a person adds their own details. By the time the myth actually gets written down, it's nothing like the original. Even when it is written down, one person might write it down one way, and another person might write it down differently. Just take a look at the story of Medusa for an example of that.
Another reason some of these myths were created was that they were an ancient form of propaganda.
Ancient people would sometimes create these stories about how their enemies were tyrants who feed people to monsters, and/or they no morals. The story of the Minotaur is a prime example of this.
It seems to me that ancient alien theorists are doing exactly what prehistoric man did, and that is that they are seeing things that they can't explain, so they're just making up stuff that in their minds makes sense to them, and fits their reality.
Besides the fact that you really couldn't cover up something, the stories that are told by ancient peoples you really can't take at face value and say that it's entirely true.
Ancient alien theorists tend take myths way to literally, and that ancient humans were basically trying to best make sense of what they saw, and in a sense, this is true. The problem is that ancient alien theorist believe that these myths are maybe only two or three hundred years older then when they were first written down. In reality these myths are probably several thousands of years older then when they were first written down. The simple matter of fact is that we have no idea just how old these myths really are. Even if those myths were only a couple of hundred years old before they were written down, it still doesn't mean that the details didn't get messed up along the way.
The most likely reason that these myths started in the first place was that they were a way to explain natural events in a way that makes sense to prehistoric man. Because back thousands, or tens of thousands of years ago, we didn't have the science or knowledge or technology to find out just how nature really did work, so people started to make up stuff, but in a way that makes sense to them and fits their reality.
These stories, or explanations, whichever you wish to call them, gets told to other people, and they go out and they tell other people, and then those people go out and tell other people, and so on and so on.
The problem with passing down stories from mouth to mouth back then is the same as it is now, and that details get forgotten, and so a person adds their own details. By the time the myth actually gets written down, it's nothing like the original. Even when it is written down, one person might write it down one way, and another person might write it down differently. Just take a look at the story of Medusa for an example of that.
Another reason some of these myths were created was that they were an ancient form of propaganda.
Ancient people would sometimes create these stories about how their enemies were tyrants who feed people to monsters, and/or they no morals. The story of the Minotaur is a prime example of this.
It seems to me that ancient alien theorists are doing exactly what prehistoric man did, and that is that they are seeing things that they can't explain, so they're just making up stuff that in their minds makes sense to them, and fits their reality.
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