Contemporary mythology

Contemporary mythology, also called contemporary parable, is a recently developed term to describe modern stories which resemble, either in content or in cultural significance, traditional mythology such as Greek Mythology or religious stories. In the same way that ancient mythology provided explanations of the world and its origins, contemporary mythology provides modern people with a metaphorical language which helps us to explore, share, and understand our perceptions of the world. It also provides common reference points to facilitate discussion of social and philosophical ideas. The term is often applied to stories of the fantasy and science fiction genres.

The term is also used to describe the internal rules or conceits employed by a particular story or fictional "world". As a prominent example, the fictional world of Star Wars has detailed rules, history, population, physics, religion, etc. All of these make up the contemporary mythology of the Star Wars universe.

Ancient myths expressed the values and used the symbols of the ancient cultures in which they evolved. For example, defining the Greek god Zeus as the "king of the gods" reflected the structure of a society ruled by kings; identifying Zeus as also the "father of the gods" reflected the common assumption that a king was in a sense a father of his people in those patriarchal societies. Since our values, symbols, and understanding of the physical world have significantly changed over time, many find it natural that contemporary mythology is more understandable and relevant to modern people.

Though many ancient myths still have great resonance, contemporary mythology is more likely to be connected to common cultural experiences. Put simply, more people in America have seen the Star Wars movies than are familiar with the stories of Greek mythology. Whereas the values represented in religious myths may seem outdated and distant, or may have negative connotations to particular individuals, the same people can use the spiritual struggles depicted in Star Wars to discuss and understand their own experience in the world.

There is considerable evidence that at least some ancient people considered their myths to be true (i.e. the Gods were real and had actually done those things detailed in mythic stories) in the same way that religious myths are often believed be true today. In contrast, contemporary mythology is usually understood to be fiction and metaphorical.

Contemporary myths are often re-creations or reinterpretations of ancient myths. For example, the ancient myth of the Vampire now exists in narratives such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which many consider a contemporary myth. It is also common for contemporary mythology to employ some of the same symbols used in ancient myths. For example, in ancient mythology it was common for a person to employ an animal mask to take on the spirit and energy of that animal. In a contemporary myth such as the superhero story of Batman, the hero uses a mask and costume to endow himself with the power and iconic force of that animal. The same is illustrated in the Spider-Man comics where, aside from himself, many of the characters have an animal motif like Doctor Octopus, The Scorpion, The Lizard and The Chameleon. Similarly, the well known story of Superman echoes the ancient myth of a Changeling, a non-human child who was raised by humans and grew to become their champion. Many super-hero stories can be included in the category of contemporary parable. The same comparisons appear in Science Fiction. Star Trek has been described as a futuristic version of the Odyssey combined with the American notion of the frontier.

Study of contemporary mythology often includes comparisons with ancient myth, more recent folklore, and with established formal philosophy. Theories of contemporary mythology are also being more consciously and deliberately employed in religious practice, psychotherapy, and the analysis of popular culture. One of the more notable twentieth century theories of contemporary mythology was the idea of a collective unconscious, or "racial memory", popularized by Carl Gustaf Jung.