2.1.1.2: Etiology

Etiology theory sees myths as attempts to explain the cause or origin of things. In the most broad sense, etiology is “the study of causation” and stems from the Greek word for “cause” (aition or aitia). It includes two schools of thought. The first views myth as primitive science, the product of naive minds trying to give believable explanations for the organization and operation of the natural world. In this version, the myth’s author is seen as a nascent scientist, using the story to explain that which doesn’t yet have a discernible explanation. In trying to establish a Greek cosmology, Hesiod uses the introduction of the Theogony to explain the origins of the earth, the heavens, day and night, oceans, mountains, and various other physical features. The Pleiades are another example of etiological myths. The seven daughters of Atlas are represented in the heavenly constellation as stars, six of which can be seen plainly, while the seventh is nearly invisible as she, unlike her sisters, married a mortal.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): “The Pleiades” by Elihu Vedder, Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons)

If we draw our lens back a bit more broadly, focusing on the adjectival use of the term, explanatory, we find the theory that applies to even more myths, especially those that attempt to explain the human experience with matters spiritual, physical or even metaphysical. Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days explain why Prometheus’ gift of fire to humans–a gift stolen from the gods–offended Zeus, who wished to retain fire exclusively for the gods. More significantly, it led to a tragic but essential separation between the mortals and the divine. In establishing a cosmic balance, Hesiod connects the theft of fire to the generation of the first woman, Pandora, whose name ironically translates to “many gifts” and who releases all the evils in the world. As Hesiod's poems demonstrate, etiological myths illuminate human experience with ambition, love, sin, goodness, beauty, trust, authority, and even misogyny (a topic also covered under Feminist/Gender theory).