The value of myth

Question: Why would anyone employ myth as a main vehicle of transmitting information?

I can think of a number of reasons:

(a) embellishing or "sensationalizing" the facts about objects/events lumps such facts into the "extra-ordinary" info realm and thereby increases likelihood of attention and retention (e.g., smashing one's thumb with a hammer while hanging a recently purchased painting on the wall is likely to be remembered more so than what was eaten for supper twenty-three days ago because of the novelty of the former and routine of the latter);

(b) fact after fact upon fact ... often tediously lengthens the telling of things, and usually only the most insatiable of "students" will attend to all the details of such;

(c) the often more amusing, engaging, and freer art of storytelling and writing simply trumps the mundane science of reporting what frequently are lifelessly rigid facts;

(d) a more precise ("scientific") explanation of things remains elusive; the realness, though, of the object/event being described is valid and even may be well recognized;

(e) a more precise ("scientific") explanation is available, but the general population (or "target audience") lacks education, familiarity with technical terms, etc., so the info is presented more simply (i.e., in an everyday, commonly recognizable format);

(f) the truth of matters deliberately is being crucified and buried (for some reason), yet a record is desired or needed nonetheless (e.g., like modern usage of encryption);

(g) all of the above ... which my Theory of Everything does not allow to be excluded.

Now, given (g), it also is possible that (1) I haven't yet discovered all reasons, and (2) I haven't a clue what I'm talking about, so ... what say you? :)


Don