A myth is an idea or story that many people believe, but which is not true. A myth can also be an ancient story, especially, one invented to explain natural or historical events. So we have a host of Greek myths such as the myth of Orpheus. There are also urban myths. For instance, some people believe eating carrots helps them to see in the dark. If you are so naïve, you can believe in myths. If you are a rationalist, you can explode, dispel or debunk them.
According to a well-known myth, Eskimos have 50 different words for ‘snow’. It is also said they live in igloos. Some people believe that they rub their noses as a form of greeting. Benedict Allen took a sledge-dog team through the Russian Arctic and asked the locals whether they were true.
To his surprise the locals told him that they did not have 50 different words for ‘snow’, nor did they live in igloos. They also said they did not rub noses with anyone in order to welcome them. However, people believe in such myths.
Igloos
It may be that the first European explorers might have seen Eskimos clad in hefty furs, embracing each other as an expression of intimacy. The explorers would have thought the Eskimos were rubbing their noses! Even some school text books have pictures of igloos made out of snowy bricks. Children innocently believe that Eskimos creep into them when dusk falls. However, Eskimos rarely live in igloos. Of course, coastal people collect driftwood, whale bones and turf to make their camps.
zWe have heard that polar bears cover their noses when stalking their prey. They are very good hunters who wave their paws when excited. Somebody must have seen it as if they were covering their noses. Another myth is that polar bears are left-handed. These are travellers’ tales bordering on myths.
Coming back to ‘snow’, Eskimos do not have a single language, but they have many tongues. Benjamin Whorf, a United States linguist says, they have only seven words for ‘snow’.
Strangely, the number of words for snow used by Eskimos shot up to 50 in the 1970s. The New York Times put the number of Eskimo words for ‘snow’ at 100! Naturally, people began to believe it.
There are many myths surrounding the camel, the ship of the desert. People believe that camels are bad-tempered, supercilious animals.
The reason may be that camels live in deserts which are exotic to most of us. Another myth about camels is that they have two humps containing water. However, the humps have no water but fat. On the other hand, camels are not irritable animals. If you approach them the right way, they will be quite affectionate. Such myths are probably popularized by tourists who take a camel ride across the desert.
Being animals, camels also feel the heat and they may not be willing to transport tourists on their back. Camels must be resenting tourists adorned with sunscreen and carrying cameras. For the camel, it is a waste of energy to carry tourists across deserts.
Most of us believe that wolves are our enemies. So we call them ‘big bad wolves’. In the distant past, the wolf was an enemy of cattle and sheep but they rarely attacked shepherds. In fact, wolves try to avoid man whenever they see him.
But the only ‘wolf’ that attacks man is the dog. We should remember that the dog is a descendant of the wolf.
Seventh wave
The French convict Henry Charriere believed that one way to escape the notorious Devil’s Island off the coast of French Guiana was to be carried off by the seventh wave.
An explorer who lived on the island for a long time never saw the seventh wave, proving that it was another myth.
We have heard many reports of cannibals living in the forests of New Guinea. However, an explorer who lived there for more than 20 years never saw any man-eating people.
In the Congo, too, there are credible accounts of cannibals. There are horrifying accounts of natives eating up missionaries.
It is said such stories had been cooked up by the natives themselves to bolster up their ego.
Even adults are fascinated to watch chameleons changing their colour. The popular myth is that they do so to protect themselves from predators. However, it has been scientifically proved that chameleons change their colour depending on their mood and temperature.
A chameleon might turn a darker shade when it feels cold or it might turn a lighter colour to cool down. The panther chameleon sometimes turns into a vivid orange in order to scare off predators. Others turn into a bright colour to attract mates.
Doppelganger
You may have heard of the doppelganger superstition. It means, you meet someone who looks like someone else. Some of us believe there are five or seven people who look alike. If you see someone else just like your father, mother, son or daughter on the street, it might be a creepy experience. There are lots of doppelganger myths doing their rounds in many parts of the world.
‘Doppelganger’ is a German word meaning ‘double-walker’. According to legend, a doppelganger is someone who resembles you. Many mystics believe doppelgangers are supernatural creatures which bode ill for the living. Former US President Abraham Lincoln is said to have met his doppelganger in 1860. He saw it in the mirror three times. His wife Mary Todd was worried that he might serve two terms as the president but would die before the end of the second term. Doppelgangers are said to be omens of imminent death. The myth is backed by many stories coming from England and Germany. You are not safe if someone else sees your doppelganger. Linda Derry, site director at the Old Cahawba ghost town in Alabama and a curator of folklore has confirmed this view.
According to an ancient Egyptian myth, the doppelganger is the same as a ‘ka’, a spiritual double of a living person. Meanwhile, Native Americans believe that a doppelganger is basically your evil double from the Underworld.
According to them, there is an Upper World where good people live. Evil people live in the Underworld. ‘Supernatural Magazine’ says a doppelganger could represent a parallel universe in which everything in this world is replicated in another dimension. What is more important is the view expressed by Columbia University physicist Brian Greene who said we all have doppelgangers!