We learn in sociology classes that an individual's family is the key social group in a person's life. The person is scripted with social or moral values and learns the basics of acceptable behavior. The family relationships are core to the other relationships a person may develop, to their identity. Family myths are different than other sacred folklore in that the sacredness is more personal. They may not even be described or perceived in "sacred" terms. Their key relevance is in emphasizing the family's greater purpose as a support system for the benefit of the individuals within it. Other mythology has a broader focus and is therefore less personal and may not be as impacting or idiosyncratic as family mythology.

In terms of function, conventional sacred narrative may have the function of entertainment or creating a fictitious origin to a specific thing in order to deliver a moral message or infer socially acceptable behavior. Family myths, though they may share some of these functions, the key to them is the relationships through which they are passed, between speaker and listener. What gives them their real value is the kind of relationship that exists before the story is even told and will continue to exist long after it is finished.