Myth, Violence, and Human Evolution

Dear Colleagues,

Myth flourishes in situations associated with war, illness, the loss of loved ones, aging, and epidemics, transforming dangerous circumstances into something bearable. Humans cannot tolerate violence and therefore seek to rationalize it, even though violence may become self-perpetuating. Thus, violence and the threat of violence are what motivate mythmaking. The more violent a culture becomes, the more it relies on mythology. Modern psychiatry appears to confirm the thesis that violence mythologizes personal experience. In encounters with danger, individuals are transformed into gods and demons; nature, in the eyes of those threatened, becomes bewitched. From these dangers of life arise fundamental notions such as ethics, providence, and immortality.

The study of myth offers a wealth of definitions regarding what constitutes a myth. Typically, it is understood to be either a type of narrative or a model for thinking and understanding. To contextualize this proposal, we should briefly consider how different scholars define myth, especially in relation to the mitigation of violence. Malinowski sees myth as a means of explaining our worldview and protecting individuals from the dangers inherent in society. Eliade defines myth as sacred history, comprising narratives about gods and heroes who save humanity from profanation. For Durkheim, myth becomes a force that constructs a sacred canopy to shield individuals from the chaos of existence. This is not entirely different from Lévi-Strauss, for whom myth is a way for language to organize human thought into binary oppositions. Finally, Roland Barthes’ critique of mythology as incorrect and unscientific may also serve as a useful starting point for this exploration. These examples may be seen as a kind of background illustration to our theme: Myth, Violence, and Human Evolution.

From this range of perspectives, I wish to narrow the focus and view myth as originating in violence—taking various forms depending on the suffering and pain experienced. Emphasizing violence as the primary force behind the formation and interpretation of myth may provide a fertile framework for understanding this phenomenon.

My aim is to collect articles that examine how violence and human evolution play pivotal roles in mythmaking, thereby laying a foundation for understanding how various religions may have been shaped by violence. I am particularly interested in works that investigate the origins of violent mentalities, especially in light of humanity’s evolutionary history, which is marked by conflict and survival challenges.

The often-unconscious juxtaposition of reality and myth in modern society can obscure ongoing processes of mythmaking and foster an unnecessarily negative view of past cultures. I would therefore welcome contributions that explore how modern, secular culture may have arisen from violence and how historical processes may have led to a gradual decline in violence and existential threats.

I am also interested in research exploring how religious myths and rituals may have contributed to the development of advanced civilizations. How might Darwinism and other evolutionary theories be more closely integrated with religious thought to explain the transition from our brutal prehistory to a society increasingly grounded in virtual reality? For instance, it would be valuable to see a renewed analysis of Peter Berger’s theory of world-building, and how religion may function as an enterprise that establishes a sacred cosmos through mechanisms such as scapegoating.

Overall, I seek contributions that investigate mythology, human evolution, and violence to ultimately explore how, as violence becomes better understood, even the false, the flawed, and the innocent may serve as fertile ground for the imagination when violence is in decline.

Prof. Dr. Per Bjørnar Grande
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• myth
• violence
• evolution
• protection
• illness