Why are scientists and busy-bodies so obsessed with terminating the pleasure in keeping myths and legends alive, and our fantasies thriving?
Now scientists have evidence that the fabled Loch Ness Monster has turned out to be giant eel, not the mystical creature we believed it to be. I was so disappointed to hear this. The scientists claim the research was not to find Nessie, but only to uncover unknown plants and animals living in Loch Ness. That is so unimportant to most of us. We just hoped to someday have verification that this famous lovable monster was still out there mystifying the world. All the DNA samples taken from the lake suggested there may be a biological explanation for her but that’s not reason enough to simply dash the interest in Nessie around the world.
Myths and Legends are both considered stories but they have some key differences. A myth is a traditional story that is used to explain a perspective of the world. They are often used to provide a reason for the way the world is, such as the myths about the Greek gods. A legend is a story that has been passed down through generations via storytelling. They are usually about real people, places, and events of the past and the facts within them are known to be somewhat exaggerated. Regardless, both of them make precious memories.
When I was a kid, stories from Grimm’ Fairy Tales were my favourite ones to have read to and later to read. I still have a copy in my bookcase: my favourites are the ‘Snow Queen’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’.
Another legend that had to be smeared was of George Washington as a six-year-old boy, when he chopped down his father’s cherry tree. Asked about it, he said with the utmost virtue, “I cannot tell a lie, I did cut it with my hatchet.” We were to find out decades later that it never happened, but made up by a biographer. I also believed that biographers were supposed to be believable!
It turns out that The New World was new to Columbus, but it may have already been discovered by the ancient Norse missionary, Leif Erickson, son of Eric the Red. Historians generally agree that he landed on Canadian shores almost 500 years before Columbus arrived. Erickson spent a season or two in North America before returning to Greenland, where he later ascended to the throne.
Another myth about the Salem Witch trials was revealed to show that not a single witch was burned at the stake. Supposedly, some 20 people were executed, 19 by hanging and one by pressing (in a large vice). Apparently witches had been definitely burned at the stake in Europe and that was what started the rumours in Massachusetts.
I often heard people say that Albert Einstein was bad at math. It even led to some lackey’s saying that the legendary physicist forged the revolutionary, “Theory of Relativity”. It turns out that he was a student who failed a few subjects that didn’t interest him, but he definitely excelled in mathematics and its applications in physics, which seems kind of obvious to me.
Another treasured story relates to the lost continent of Atlantis, often idealized as an advanced society holding wisdom that could bring world peace. This story captivated, occultists and New Agers for generations, including myself. Thousands of books, magazines and websites are devoted to Atlantis and it still remains a popular topic. People have lost fortunes and even their lives looking for Atlantis. But then somebody had to debunk the whole mystery to the eyes of the world. Bummer!
Even the number of crop designs have fallen dramatically in recent years. In the past, the most ambitious crop circles attracted tourists from around the world, sparked rumours of aliens and theories of fiendish mathematical formulas hidden in their meaning. I have travelled miles just to say I saw an authentic one. Most scientists now agree that crop circles are man-made. To make matters worse, Matthew Williams, the first person to be prosecuted for destruction of a farmers crop when creating a circle, also denounced the falling standards. It seems amateurs have taken over these days, creating poor imitations of the former intricate patterns. If that wasn’t enough, another crop circle creator announced his retirement due to hay fever.
All these revelations are so discouraging for me. I don’t know what to believe in anymore!
