Abstract:
Myths of origin display certain salient features that set them
apart from other genres of oral literature. This paper, however,
lays emphasis on the major tenets of myths of origins from the
Tigania community. Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung believe that
myths and legends symbolically enact deep truths about human
nature. Throughout history, myths have accompanied religious
doctrines and rituals, helping sanction or recall. The reasons for
religious observances can also help sanction customs and
institutions. Writers and speakers often turn to myths when
they try to tell stories of deep significance because mythic
structures touch a powerful and primal part of the human
imagination. They help to concisely allude to stories familiar to
their audiences by drawing on a powerful association with just
a few words. Emile Dukheim‟s developments in functionalism
were later modified and referred to as functionalism by
Haralambos and Holborn (2007) as, “the various parts of
society…seen to be integrated and taken together as a
complete system. To understand any part of society, the part
must be seen in relation to society as a whole” (2007, p. 856).
In this way, a functionalist examines part of society in terms of
its contribution to the maintenance of the whole system. This
means that the relationships between members of society are
organized in terms of rules and social norms which stipulate
how people are expected to behave. This will entail an example
of how myths of origin from the Tigania community are
structured and what effect they have on other parts of this
community’s social, political and economic structure. Many
stories fall into familiar mythic patterns and they display certain
salient features that set them apart from other genres of oral
literature.
