Knowledge skills for Mythology

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

So, for example, would you say that:

Literature is the skill for knowing about the classics, including their specific content and well established meanings. For knowing that One Hundred Years of Solitude won a nobel prize in literature, for knowing the content of the book, and for knowing about it's themes of the inevitability of repeating history, and the social commentary of the destructive narcissism of the Columbian elite, and so on. And to be able to potentially recognize references to that literary work, as well what they might mean based on the well established analysis and breakdown of that work. At higher skill levels it covers more literature, including more niche works besides classics, and also provide knowledge not just of the main analyses of the works but also of alternate competing commentaries.

Whereas Connoisseur (Literature) is about breaking down the qualities and traits of a literary work, and could be used to analyze a new literary work, for example one that blends multiple relatively new genre's in inventive ways, including identify why different genre's appeal to different people and how one is supposed to read a particular genre in order to enjoy it, e.g. how horror is usually read for a catharsis from the dark fears that people actually live with regularly, while action is often about power fantasies, and if you watch a horror with the attitude of watching an action movie you'll feel frustrated, or vice versa you'll feel powerless. So Connoisseur (literature) would tell you how to enjoy a work of literature, based on it's various qualities and traits (such as genres and tropes.)

That's at least a good approximation. I'm not sure of all of the nuances, but nothing stands out for me as clearly on the wrong track. It would be interesting to apply your second paragraph to how someone with Connoisseur (Film) would approach the two films Alien and Aliens.

[David Johnston2]

Expert: Mythology and call it a day.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by whswhs

That's at least a good approximation. I'm not sure of all of the nuances, but nothing stands out for me as clearly on the wrong track. It would be interesting to apply your second paragraph to how someone with Connoisseur (Film) would approach the two films Alien and Aliens.

Yeah. It absolutely would. The first a horror film and the second an action film, and both quite good. But if you had never seen Aliens and you walked into it excited to see another movie like Alien that would elicit a cathartic chill from indulging the terror inherent in just how fragile and limited humans are, biologically speaking, then you might not like Aliens. Although you still might because it includes many similar themes.

I had a bad experience to this effect with the first Doctor Horrible MCU movie vs. the second one, where the second one was a Horror movie and I walked into it expecting a supers movie and walked out emotionally... a little raw.

[jason taylor]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

If someone had a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies, or Comparative Mythology, what would their main skills be? Literature (perhaps with a specialization)? Occultism? Connoisseur (literature) (also with a specialization)? Theology (Comparative)?

What about studies of folk lore? same skills? Expert skill ([region/time] folklore)?

I've observed that quite a few fantasy authors and gamers have a notably above average knowledge base regarding mythology, often interconnected with real world occult lore (including knowledge of strange cult religions and historical magic related stuff.) And I'm just very curious what skills actually cover that knowledge base. It seems interconnected, but how much of it is occultism vs. other skills, and what are those other skills?

Related question: if you were building a character inspired by an author like Neil Gaiman, besides writing and research, what occult and mythological knowledge skills would you give them? What about an academic character inspired by Joseph Campbell?

Go with Conoisseur. Knowing mythology used to be a fashionable skill among gentlefolk.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Refplace

As for Religion=Mythology I think that is more a matter of faith and social norms than a skill difference. A Biblical Scholar would have the appropriate Theology skill, regardless of their actual faith (if any).

Religion and Mythology have surprisingly little to do with each other. Yo can know all of the stories of the ancient Greek/Roman gods and heroes that make up what we usually call "Classical Mythology" and not have a clue about when to sacrifice to Zeus/Jupiter.

Even if you look at the more familiar Christian Bible if you extract a "mythology" from it you've got "Bible stories". Religious philosophy and requirements of the faith are a significant step beyond that while Theology is not so big on exactly how tall Goliath was.

So, nope. An expert in mythology needs no Theology Skil.

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Yo can know all of the stories of the ancient Greek/Roman gods and heroes that make up what we usually call "Classical Mythology" and not have a clue about when to sacrifice to Zeus/Jupiter.

Isn't that precisely the split between Theology and Religious Ritual (in GURPS terms)?

[oneofmanynameless]

The more everyone talks about this the more convinced I am that mythology is a genre of literature. In a living culture mythology is living and often changing, influenced by and influencing the culture. I'm now remembering listening to a professor of mythology talk about the MCU as functionally the modern U.S.'s version of Homers Epics, and a modern example of a living mythology, especially with how they're just the latest retelling of older stories about re-occurring characters. So the study of mythology is like the meta study of Marvel or DC at large: a study of a shared body of stories that have often been reinterpreted or retold and are currently very alive in our culture in a creatively collaborative way. We just don't tend to call it 'mythology' colloquially unless it has a religious association (and comes from a culture other than our own, especially a dead culture), and historically mythologies have usually formed around spiritual belief systems such as religions (whether folk or mainstream.)

This interpretation goes very nicely with how mythological studies courses appear to be typically under the literature departments of most colleges, based on a few brief google searches.

EDIT: Actually, considering that Mythologies are a cultural story telling phenomena, I would consider them to be a specialty of Literature (specializing by a genre: mythology). And that advanced studies in particular mythologies likely call for average techniques off of the literature skill.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by TGLS

Isn't that precisely the split between Theology and Religious Ritual (in GURPS terms)?

Religious Ritual defaults from Theology but not Literature.

I doubt anyone reading this has any points in Ancient Greek (or Roman) Theology but most have some knowledge of the classical gods and heroes. Our knowledge would be coming from Literature and not Theology.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Religious Ritual defaults from Theology but not Literature.

I doubt anyone reading this has any points in Ancient Greek (or Roman) Theology but most have some knowledge of the classical gods and heroes. Our knowledge would be coming from Literature and not Theology.

And in fact a most of what we "know" about Greco-Roman mythology comes from poets and playwrights not the priests and would often have been at odds with what priests would have taught. It's like learning about Christianity from Hollywood movies.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

It's like learning about Christianity from Hollywood movies.

There may have been some of that too. :)