mythology definitions

A myth is a story or tale describing natural events or human nature.
An example of a myth is the story of Demeter and Persephone.

A hero is a person who completes tasks and goes on a journey. Heroes are the founders of something new, they bring a gift to everyone back from their journey, and they learn more about themselves.
An example of a hero is Perseus.

A heroes journey consists of an initiation, a series of trials, a final battle, a boon, and a death/rebirth.
A good heroes journey is the journey that Perseus had to take.

Universal means something that everyone knows and can relate with.
An example of universal is Hercules because he has strengths and flaws like we all do.

Archetype is the foundation or original model for something.
An example of an archetype is the watery abyss, the void, and the egg that are commonly used as creation stories in mythology.

Cyclical means a circle, that a story starts somewhere and by the end of the story, the characters return to the beginning.
An example of cyclical is the story of Uranus' death, from his blood and genitals more gods were born.

Duality means one thing or person that has opposite qualities.
An example of duality is the wine god Dionysus, who could be very kind and gentle and then be very angry and cruel.

Creation is the start of something new.
An example of creation is the myth of Pan Gu and the egg.

Life from death refers to the beginning of something new that starts at the end of something else.
An example of life from death is the way the cyclops were born from the blood of Cronus.

Matriarchal means the foundation of female
An example of matriarchal power is Tiamat from the Babylonian myths.

Patriarchal is the foundation of male power, the men rule.
An example of Patriarchal are the myths, Cronus and then Zeus being the leaders.

Sacrifice means to give something up for the good of someone else.
An example of a sacrifice is Dionysus dieing every year so he can come back and bring wine to the people.