Is mythology relevant for the children of 21st century?

Mythology is a collection of myths and fictional stories that has been generated throughout time. They may have religious or cultural connotations.

Relevance for children

• The first stories that children hear are mostly sourced from mythology. These time tested stories, passed on through centuries by word of mouth, are a great way to have animated conversations with babies who rely more on the non-verbal cues. This helps create a familial bond between the storyteller (usually a family member) and the baby.
• As the child begins to understand words, mythological stories are a gateway to imagination. Inanimate objects like trees, celestial objects, etc come to life, animals - both domestic and wild - seem friends of humans in mythological stories. This helps create a bond between the baby and nature.
• The stories that have developed through the ages, have filtered out the negatives and magnified the positives. Thus, the morally and ethically good actions are glorified and bad vilified. This helps teach good values to the toddlers in an easier form.
• The literary treasure that mythical stories hold helps develop a good vocabulary.

Values

• While mythological stories differ across religions, regions, and beliefs, they all have an undertone of ‘victory for the good, defeat for the bad’.
• The values of humanity, fraternity, environmentalism, integrity with nature, belief in the power of hard work often lie at the basis of many mythological stories.

Thus, mythology can be an ice breaker with children and help inculcate good values that have been traditionally passed down, and the Constitution has guaranteed every group to preserve its cultural traditions, which in turn are based on various mythological stories.