Mythic Narrative Framework

A Mythic Narrative Framework is a meaning-making framework that uses foundational stories with deities, heroes, and archetypal events to explain the world and guide behavior.

• AKA: Mythological Framework, Sacred Story System, Archetypal Narrative Structure.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) structure Ancient Cultures through myth systems like Greek Zeus tales explaining natural phenomena and human qualities.
  • It can (typically) persist in Modern Society through national narratives and pop culture employing mythic structures like hero's journeys.
  • It can (often) provide Existential Orientation by answering fundamental questions through creation myths and salvation narratives.
  • It can (often) encode Moral Teachings implicitly through heroic examples and cautionary tales shaping behavioral norms.
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  • It can range from being a Symbolic Mythic Narrative Framework to being a Literal Mythic Narrative Framework, depending on its interpretive mode.
  • It can range from being a Traditional Mythic Narrative Framework to being a Modern Mythic Narrative Framework, depending on its temporal origin.
  • It can range from being a Religious Mythic Narrative Framework to being a Secular Mythic Narrative Framework, depending on its spiritual orientation.
  • It can range from being a Local Mythic Narrative Framework to being a Universal Mythic Narrative Framework, depending on its cultural scope.
  • It can range from being a Oral Mythic Narrative Framework to being a Written Mythic Narrative Framework, depending on its transmission mode.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Christian Biblical Framework, from Genesis creation to Revelation end times shaping Western civilization's redemption narrative.
  • American Founding Mythology, elevating historical events into guiding stories of freedom and manifest destiny.
  • Star Wars Saga, deliberately employing mythic structures with chosen heroes, mentors, and cosmic balance themes.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Empirical Scientific Frameworks, relying on testable data without anthropomorphic narratives or moral teleologies.
  • Nihilistic Worldviews, rejecting overarching narratives as illusory manipulations without unifying meaning.
  • Surface Entertainment Narratives, lacking deeper archetypal themes or cosmos-explaining scope.
• See: Narrative Cognition, Meaning-Making Process, Religious Naturalism, Creative Expression Activity, Joseph Campbell, Hero's Journey, Carl Jung, Collective Unconscious, Archetype, Existential Meaning, Cultural Worldview, Sacred Story, Creation Myth, National Narrative.

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