German word

Mythos

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈmyːtɔs/

Meaning

  • masculine nounmyth

Example

Viele Mythen handeln von Göttern.

Many myths are about gods.

Illustration for Mythos (myth)

More examples

Man sollte nicht jeden Mythos ungeprüft akzeptieren.

One should not accept every myth uncritically.

Core concept

A shared symbolic tale about gods, origins, or destiny that gives a community a meaningful picture of the world.

Common phrases

  • einen Mythos entlarven

    debunk a myth

  • einen Mythos verbreiten

    spread a myth

Similar words

Mythologie: A culture's organized body of stories about gods, origins, and the world.
Legende: A traditional story about a historical person or event, blending fact and folklore.
Sage: An old oral tale from a region about heroes or miracles.
Erzählung: A relatively short story that recounts events in sequence.

Definition in German

Mythos bezeichnet eine symbolische Erzählung, die Grundfragen einer Gemeinschaft erklärt und Sinn stiftet.

Word origin

German Mythos comes from ancient Greek mŷthos, meaning a word, speech, or story, and entered German as a learned borrowing.

Usage tips

  • Mythos is masculine, and its plural is the irregular form Mythen, not Mythose.

Other meanings

  • legendnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • Mythologiemythologynoun
  • mythischmythicaladjective
  • mythisierenmythologizeverb

Word lists with this word