mythologem

English

Alternative forms

• mythologeme

Etymology

First used in 1949 by Carl Kerenyi in "Prologomena" (published in Science of mythology: Essays on the myth of the divine child and the mysteries of Eleusis, edited by C. G. Jung and C. Kerenyi). From Ancient Greek μυθολογέω (muthologéō, “to tell mythical tales”), from μυθολόγος (muthológos, “myth-teller”), from μῦθος (mûthos, “mythical narrative”) + -λόγος (-lógos). The -em could be interpreted as an analogue of -eme.

Noun

mythologem (plural mythologems)

1. A basic core element, motif or theme of a myth.

Translations

basic core element, motif or theme of a myth

• Armenian: առասպելույթ (hy) (aṙaspeluytʻ)
• Russian: мифологема (ru) (mifologema)