{"id":301,"date":"2012-09-22T10:35:11","date_gmt":"2012-09-22T14:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/?page_id=301"},"modified":"2012-11-30T19:51:31","modified_gmt":"2012-11-30T23:51:31","slug":"historical-myth-and-memory","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/historians-craft\/historical-myth-and-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"Historical Myth and Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"

Irakli Mbrica<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
The Historian’s Craft<\/span><\/address>\n

Historical Myth and Memory<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
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Fig. 1- Joan of Arc- Miniature on parchment from the 15th century. Archives Nationales, Paris.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Fig. 2- Billy the Kid tintype, Fort Sumner, 1879-80.png<\/span><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n
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Fig. 3- The Man in the Iron Mask<\/p><\/div>\n

Introduction:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fig. 4- Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. Before 1918. George Grantham Bain Collection, Library of Congress, Reproduction number LC-DIG-ggbain-38336<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/strong> Throughout history there have been famous and mysterious figures that have captivated their societies. Their appeal comes from the unknown, uncertain, or exaggerated information surrounding their lives, actions, and influences. What historical figures, such as Joan of Arc, Anastasia Romanov, Billy the kid, and King Arthur, all have in common is that the details of their lives or actions have been embellished and thus are unclear. When information about people gets passed down to the next generation or even through subsequent years, it changes each time and thus raises doubts about the certainty of the original information. As writer James Bonnet puts it, \u201cThe process went something like this: it began with a real or imagined incident or event that was worth repeating, something so intriguing that we were compelled to repeat it. It was passed along by word of mouth, from person to person and from generation to generation until it had been told and retold millions of times and existed in a hundred different versions around the world.\u201d Stories from the past change because people have a natural tendency to remember things that they like and to forget things that do not impress them. People also have a tendency to exaggerate or minimize, glorify or vilify, idealize or ignore information. Even things that are written often are either inaccurate, unclear, or suspect to different explanations. These types of stories or information that change over time are called myths. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Topic Importance:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

While there exist multiple works on specific myths regarding famous, historical figures, only a few books or articles tackle the topic generally. What I mean is that, although there are many specific historical myths, few works look into the combined reasoning behind the myths of these figures and why they are important. The fact that there are so many myths must mean that something is causing humans to continue creating and supporting myths throughout different time periods. Why is it that we still know of the myths of King Arthur? How has historical\u00a0information,\u00a0in many societies, evolved into mythological stories that still remain to this day? That is why there needs to be an effort in collecting various myths and trying to identify and explain the reasons why people, whether consciously or subconsciously, create these embellished stories called myths. This guide will serve as a good starting point, comprising of various print and web sources about specific and general myths, for those who want to tackle the process of how myths are constructed and supported in societies. The guide also uses a few famous individuals as a representation of the many myths surrounding historical figures. Thus, one can write a general overview of the construction and support of myths in society, while also delving into the myths of specific historical figures as supporting examples. <\/span><\/p>\n

Definition of Myth<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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  1. A usually traditional story of ostensible historical events that serves to unfold part of the world view of a people or explain a practice, belief, or natural phenomenon.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. A popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone; especially one embodying the ideals and institutions of a society. <\/span><\/li>\n
  3. A person or thing having only an imaginary or unverifiable existence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    source- \u00a0Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2012. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/www.merriam-webster.com\/dictionary\/myth<\/a> (accessed Nov. 25, 2012)<\/span><\/p>\n

    General Book Sources on Myths<\/span>:<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

    Armstrong, Karen. \u00a0A Short History of Myth<\/em>. \u00a0Canongate U.S, October 1, 2006.<\/p>\n