Candles, lights, and rooms

This is a response to the incredible post Cody Brown put up here on the purpose of myth, and exploring the idea of myth as a lie. I think this is the perfect place to start— not by asking what the myths are trying to say, but by trying to uncover what humanity was trying to find out in creating them. I think that question takes you straight back to the 'original stories', the bones of the myths, the recurring themes that have followed at humanity's heels like dogs throughout our whole history.

'Apollo Guarding the Herds of Admetus'
Claude Lorrain, year 1645

I think Cody's final conclusion only captures part of it, however. It's true that myths are fabrications, and if they are fabrications meant to provide explanation then yes, they are misinformed. But are the explanations we have today any better? Humanity has always used What It Has to explain What It Wants To Know. To think of future generations looking back on all that we take for truth, but what they, knowing more than we, would call 'lies', is to look at ourselves calling myths 'misinformed'. Our modern day mathematics, physics, philosophy, etc, may one day be as laughable as the myths of old. Therefore, I'd say that myths are not misinformed guesses. They were real and concrete truths, just as today so much of what we think we know today in medicine and science and art is real and concrete truth.

The concept of concrete truth, therefore, may prove to be just as insubstantial as that of lies...

"This is why we create myths; they are small candles that light up a painfully dark room. Until we find the light switch and realize that our candles could barely show us what was right in front of our eyes, let alone the beauty of the entire room..."
 —Cody Brown, at codybrownmyth.blogspot.com