Songs About Myths and Legends: “How Was the World Made?”, “What is Death?”, “Why do Wars Happen?” and ” Can I Have Some Money, Please?”

Parents, it seems, have always struggled to answer such tricky questions as: “how was the world made?”, “what is death?”, “why do wars happen?” and “can I have some money, please?” To explain the first three, and other complex inquiries, they had recourse to myths and legends.

Scientific discovery may have discredited these stories, but it hasn’t diminished their seductiveness. For songwriters, the appeal of mythical characters lies chiefly in what Carl Jung identified as their archetypal nature: each one represents a facet of human emotion or behaviour, allowing them to be employed as a lyrical shorthand. Read more …

Myths, Urban Legends Could Help Save Lakes

Evil lurks in the waters and may it continue to spook people from drawing too close or exploiting it.

This was the sort of message that Adhisa tried to convey through his doctoral thesis about the benefits of using myths to preserve and manage water ecosystems.

“It works,” he told The Jakarta Post Thursday, after defending his thesis completed at the environmental science study program at University of Indonesia, “These old myths surrounding water ecosystems actually play a large part in preserving those ecosystems.

He cited the Situ Gintung dam in Ciputat, South Jakarta, as an example, “Some myths surrounding that dam could actually have prevented what happened,” he said.

The Situ Gintung dam collapsed in May, releasing an enormous flood that killed almost 100 residents and devastated hundreds of surrounding homes.

According to Adhisa, the legend of the buaya buntung (tail-less crocodile) that lurks in the Situ Gintung waters could have kept the dam intact longer.

“The myth kept people from extracting too many fish from the dam,” he said, “And it also kept them from building constructions in locations that were too close to the outer limits of the dam because they were afraid of the crocodile.”

The myths were apparently compatible with government regulation that stipulate that no construction is allowed within 50 meters of the dam’s circumference.

“The locals abide by that rule,” Adhisa said, “However, people from other areas started arriving and constructing houses within dangerously close proximity to the limit.”

The local authorities, along with private developers, worsened the situation by constructing tourism facilities and a jogging track near the dam, he elaborated. Read more …

The Most Grate Land of Myth and Legend

Pickled forest, fairy trees and mysterious standing stones are just some of the delights of a trip to Northern Ireland, writes Gillian Bell

THERE is something magical about Northern Ireland – a land home to lush green rolling hills and heritage, steeped in myths and legends of fairies. But during the Troubles, its treasures went unnoticed as tourists shunned the Emerald Isle.

More than a decade has passed since the Good Friday Agreement, which led the vast majority of paramilitaries to lay down their arms. There have been sporadic outbreaks since, but the security situation has improved immeasurably and visitors are now coming in their droves. Read more …