Myth and Literature

In this article after some definitions about myth the relation between literature and myth is considered. literature is one of the fields in which myth is kept and protected. Of course this is a mutual relationship, because as much as the emergence of myth in literature has protected myth, literature has also been nourished and enriched by myth. Most of persistent and effective literature works of art are those having connections to past and possess an essence of myth. Actually, in spite of avoiding the past and neglecting the roots and traditions which has been observed in some eras, after a period when literature matures again it goes back to past, myth and reunites with them. And maybe this is the reason behind the eternity of some works of art because the works which have equivalent in past and have a familiar essence remain and become eternal. The secret for every literary masterpiece magnificence is that on one hand it has roots in literature and old traditions and on the other hand open a new horizon to another time and space and consequently to another mind and perception. In order to study those works of art inspired by myth the best approach is myth criticism which is studied in the two last parts of this essay.