Question

They killed a great snake which they found in their tipi. When they told the grandmother spider what they had one, she cried and cried (34).
In what way does this passage fit the definition of a myth ?

a. it teaches a moral lesson

b. it focuses on a common fear: Snakes

c. it features animals as characters

d. it deals frankly with tragedy

Answer 1

C. it features animals as characters

Answer 2

The correct answer is C. It features animals as characters

Explanation:

Myths are folklore stories or narratives that explain the way the world or a society originated or how different elements on it were created including customs or iconic historical figures, due to this myths are particular in each community in terms of the story being narrated, however, most mythos depict supernatural characters including goods, demigods or individuals with special features these characters are mostly animals or non-human beings but it can also include human characters or even objects such as the sun or the moon. Also, as myths are part of the folklore and identity of a community these are preserved by oral tradition through multiple generations and link to the religious or spiritual beliefs.

In the case of the excerpt of the question the characters included a great snake and a grandmother spider, who has been given human-like features as she reacts after the snake is killed, considering this excerpt uses animals and provide them with extraordinary features such as feeling and reactions, this excerpt fits in the definition of myths because it shows an important feature of myths which is the use of animals or other non-human characters to explain some phenomena or element in the society.