Myths and legends

of my research is to study the history and the contents of English – speaking countries mythology and it’s influence on the modern life of the countries.
The aim

Objectives:
to study a lot of myths and legends and compare them
to define the concepts of “myth” and “legend”, their similarities and differences
to study the “soul” of English mythology (fears, dreams, ideal, national hero, etc)
to find out how national mythology is formed
to find out the way it influences modern life
get to know about the former explorers of English mythology

Everybody knows Tolkien as a writer, but only a few people know him as a scientist and explorer. J. Tolkien (1892 – 1973) was an Oxford professor. It’s rather strange, but he wrote only about 30 articles. It’s a pity, that most of his articles and stories weren’t published, and nobody can explain, why.
J.R.R. Tolkien

“Myth” is an ancient national story like a fairy – tail, about famous Gods, heroes, about the origin of weather events.
”Legend” is a poetic story about a historical event, connected with the description of reality.
“Ballad” is a poem or a song, made in a special way, telling about true facts or heroes, their bravery and victories.
We can say, that myth isn’t very important to history or facts, as it looks more like a fiction, but it reflects the way people used to live, their national identity, their level of life, which has rather serious influence on “the soul of language” (specific words and quotes, for example).
The main concepts:

Great Britain
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
England
USA
Australia
New Zealand

A lot of fog and wind
Constant rain and cold
Roman occupation
Not enough land (island)
Isolation
Ghosts
Reserved, a bit gloomy
Family-oriented
Technologically advanced
Ambitious
Willing to travel
England
England is a country of quite reserved people, and because of this English legends are often very serious and sort of mysterious, contents many ghosts and witches. Sometimes myths tell us about bad governors, wealthy and violent people, about poor people and their sadness and, of course, about powerful men, who save the goodness and banishes villain.

Scotland
Fight for independence
Severe climate
Beautiful landscapes
Physical strength
Patriotism
Unity of the nation
Strong character
Educational system
Poetry and art
For Scotland mass holidays and competitions are habitual and happy mood is characteristic for Scotts. Because of this a lot of legends are based on peoples’ relationships, on love, friendship, traditions and native old stories.

Ireland
Beautiful nature
Early adopted Christianity
A lot of invasions and wars
Ancient castles preserved
Celtic influence
Art
Patriotism
Divine nature of the
characters is obscured
Myths concerning wars
Gods of war
Strong character
Respect the ancestors
Pagan mythology preserved and alive

Wales
Celtic influence
Hunting
Family – oriented tribal
Structure
Early invaded by
Romans
Welsh language
Pagan mythology
Mythology concerning nature
Families linked close
together
Family – oriented
mythology
War – like,
protesting
Unique mentality,
suspicious of
foreigners

Australia
Isolation
Hunting and collecting food
Beautiful landscapes,
Lot’s of sunshine
Semi – deserts
A lot of invasions
Not advanced enough
Close to nature
Mythology concerning
nature
Art
Patriotism
Cheerfulness
A bit reserved
Hard – working
Wisdom
If to talk about Australia, which has absolutely different climate and just everything, its’ mythology has always been very wise and has an edifying meaning, an explanation of something, which was difficult to go through with a help of science or proofs.

New Zealand
New Zealanders, who are also known as “Kiwis”, are relaxed people who love the outdoor life.
Over 80% of the 3.6 million are of European (mainly British) origin. Around 9% of the population are Maoris – who came to New Zealand from Poloynesia in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The two official languages in the country are English and Maori.
With all these perfect geographical conditions and exciting history, New Zealand became one of the most interesting and exciting countries to visit, mainly because of the beautiful old traditions and unordinary, not European mythology, which was based on nature, art and tribal relationships.