We in the modern world tend to understand the word “myth” as a synonym for “falsehood.” But that is not how our ancestors understood it. Indeed, the ancient mind did not draw the same line between myth and fact that we do.
Whether we are speaking of Zeus forcing his father to vomit up his siblings or Jesus being born in a manger, these tales were never meant to be read as factual reports. They were meant to fire the imagination, to illuminate hidden truths and, most of all, to bring about transformation. The power of myth lies in its capacity to move a listener from one state of being to another — from confusion to clarity, from despair to hope, from disorientation to meaning.
Myths are the packaging for truth. They are the language of religion.
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