Custom and Myth

A collection of critical essays challenges the dominant etymological school of myth-studies, arguing that tracing mythical meaning chiefly through name analysis is precarious and often yields conflicting results. The author advocates a folklore-based method that follows tale structures, ritual survivals, and patterns of transmission, showing how stories and customs travel, change masters, and acquire names later. Through comparative case studies—including ritual artifacts, nature-myth elements, and widely diffused narratives—the essays emphasize functional context and transmission over speculative linguistic roots, urging attention to how traditions survive and adapt across diverse societies.