r/mythologymemes 9d ago

Comparitive Mythology The Odd Ones Out

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u/silver-luso 9d ago

The cthulhu mythology isn't only from Lovecraft, it usually includes stories that are around lovecraft's work.

Also there are several deities that exist before cthulhu, such as degon, and the actual structure of lovecraft's writing is clearly influenced by mythology at large.

All of that being said I've got 2 more points

1) lovecraftoan mythology isn't mythology

2) religion is what I believe and mythology is what everyone else believes

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u/Worldly0Reflection 9d ago

Religion is what one practices, mythology are the stories around that religion

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u/silver-luso 9d ago

I'm mostly joking about that last bit, it was a paraphrase from a book I read when I was like 12 and I really wish I remember the name of that book, but it's a really great quote that was used to illustrate that much of what we call mythology was at one point someone's legitimate belief

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u/Vcious_Dlicious 8d ago

''religion is what I believe and mythology is what everyone else believes'' is incisive enough that I'm willing to believe it's from some Discworld book I have yet to read.

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u/silver-luso 8d ago

It was an encyclopedia or possibly just an assorted collection of world history. It also isn't the real quote, it's just close enough.

It's one that's stuck with me, similar to Alan Moore's take on "real" magic.