The Family Myth

(Sorry, I missed this one last night. Playing catch-up.)

I had given this one some thought? Why call these stories family myths and not family narrative, folklore, or even legends? I can only speak to folklore that I have been exposed to here in the United States, as I have not been anywhere else (not for the lack of trying). There is something about a family story for many Americans that is different than family stories in other places. Essentially, this is because an American family story doesn't go back very far, thus there is less to draw from.

Where I am going with this is concentrating on the word "myth." For many cultures, myths are those "In the beginning" fantastic tales that serve to explain and define a culture. America has very little of that in its youthful status. Therefore, it relies on the stories of its lifeblood: the unique and diverse population. The mythology of America is not the trials of Heracles or the fall of Rolland, but the trials my great grandfather Engvald Engleburt faced immediately after getting off the boat at Ellis Island or the story about how my other great grandfather Archibald Haley Hawkins (I have some winning names in my family) decided at the very last moment not to serve as the butcher on the grand ocean liner, Titanic.

These stories are referred to as myths not because they are supposed to be perceived as untrue, but because they are some of the most sacred stories that Americans have to pass down to future generations. It provides a sense of belonging that the Aeneid did for Romans.

For Americans, they ARE our origin story.