[originaltext] People have always tried to understand why certain things hap

People have always tried to understand why certain things happen. For example, they have wanted to know why the sun rises and sets and what causes lightning. They have also wanted to know how the earth was created and how and where humanity first appeared.
    Today, people have scientific answers and theories for many such questions about the world around them.(22)But in earlier times—and in some parts of the world today— people lacked the knowledge to provide scientific answers. They therefore explained natural events in terms of stories about gods, goddesses, and heroes. Such stories are known as myths, and the study of myths is called mythology.
    In early times, every society developed its own myths, which played an important part in the society’s religious life. This religious significance has always separated myths from similar stories, such as folk tales and legends.(23)The people of a society may tell folk tales and legends for amusement, without believing them. But they usually consider their myths sacred and completely true.
    Most myths concern divine beings.(24)These divine beings have supernatural powers—powers far greater than any human being has.
    But in spite of their supernatural powers, many gods, goddesses, and heroes of mythology have human characteristics. They are guided by such emotions as love and jealousy, and they experience birth and death. A number of mythical figures even look like human beings. In many cases, the human qualities of the divine beings reflect a society’s ideals.(25)Good gods and goddesses have the qualities a society admires, and evil ones have the qualities it dislikes.