Mythology. Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives or stories that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Mythology has been a popular subject in art throughout history, with artists drawing inspiration from the stories and legends of various cultures to create works that explore themes of love, war, heroism, and the human condition. Greek and Roman mythology have been particularly influential in Western art, with artists depicting scenes from the lives of gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, and mythical creatures such as centaurs and griffins. These works often reflect the values and beliefs of the society in which they were created, and can serve as allegories for broader themes such as the struggle between good and evil. Norse mythology has also been a popular subject in art, with artists depicting scenes from the sagas and legends of the Viking age. These works often feature powerful gods such as Odin and Thor, as well as heroic figures such as Sigurd and Beowulf. Eastern mythology, including Hindu and Buddhist mythology, has also been a rich source of inspiration for artists. Works based on these mythologies often feature intricate symbolism and complex narratives, and can explore themes such as enlightenment, reincarnation, and the nature of the universe. Native American mythology has also been depicted in art, with artists drawing inspiration from the stories and legends of various tribes. These works often feature animals and natural elements, and can explore themes such as the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of living in harmony with the environment. In addition to traditional mythology, artists have also created works based on modern myths and legends, such as superheroes, science fiction, and fantasy. These works often reflect contemporary cultural values and can serve as commentaries on current events and social issues. By drawing on the stories and legends of various cultures, artists are able to create works that explore universal themes and resonate with audiences across time and space. The main characters in myths are usually gods, demigods or supernatural humans. Stories of everyday human beings, although often of leaders of some type, are usually contained in legends, as opposed to myths. Myths are often endorsed by rulers and priests or priestesses, and are closely linked to religion or spirituality. In fact, many societies group their myths, legends and history together, considering myths and legends to be true accounts of their remote past. In particular, creation myths take place in a primordial age when the world had not achieved its later form. Other myths explain how a society's customs, institutions and taboos were established and sanctified. There is a complex relationship between recital of myths and enactment of rituals. The study of myth began in ancient history. Rival classes of the Greek myths by Euhemerus, Plato and Sallustius were developed by the Neoplatonists and later revived by Renaissance mythographers. Today, the study of myth continues in a wide variety of academic fields, including folklore studies, philology, psychology, and anthropology. The term mythology may either refer to the study of myths in general, or a body of myths regarding a particular subject. The academic comparisons of bodies of myth is known as comparative mythology. Since the term myth is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrative as a myth can be highly political: many adherents of religions view their religion's stories as true and therefore object to the stories being characterised as myths. Nevertheless, scholars now routinely speak of Christian mythology, Jewish mythology, Islamic mythology, Hindu mythology, and so forth. Traditionally, Western scholarship, with its Judaeo-Christian heritage, has viewed narratives in the Abrahamic religions as being the province of theology rather than mythology; meanwhile, identifying religious stories of colonised cultures, such as stories in Hinduism, as myths enabled Western scholars to imply that they were of lower truth-value than the stories of Christianity. Labelling all religious narratives as myths can be thought of as treating different traditions with parity. Definitions of myth to some extent vary by scholar.