02124cam a22003013u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000300011324500330014326400510017630000470022733600260027433700260030033800360032650000310036250801130039352011970050653400450170365300140174885600430176299900170180545048UtSlPG20260610134032.0mcr n260607r2014||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aBL1 aSpence, Lewis,d1874-195513aAn Introduction to Mythology 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2014  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2014-03-01  aProduced by Heather Strickland and Marc D'Hooghe (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive.)  a"An Introduction to Mythology" by Lewis Spence is a scholarly examination of mythological principles, likely written in the early 20th century. This comprehensive work explores the evolution, classification, and significance of myths within the context of primitive religion and culture, presenting an overview of the scientific approaches to mythology. Spence aims to illuminate the historical progression of mythic study and its modern applications by synthesizing various theories and presenting definitions that clarify key concepts.  The opening of the text introduces the reader to the foundational aspects of mythology, explaining its purpose in understanding the early religious and scientific experiences of humanity. It lays out important definitions distinguishing myths from folklore and legends, suggesting that myths function as explanations for physical and social phenomena. Spence outlines how mythology intersects with folklore, illustrating that myths serve as primitive attempts at rationalizing the universe, while also highlighting significant changes in myth interpretation and classification over time as societies evolve. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aMythology40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45048  c85887d85887