demythologize

English

Alternative forms

• demythologise

Etymology

From de- +‎ mythologize.

Verb

demythologize (third-person singular simple present demythologizes, present participle demythologizing, simple past and past participle demythologized)

1. (transitive) To remove the mythological elements of.

   Archaeological evidence has demythologized some parts of the Bible.

   • 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 23:

     [commentating on "mother of all the living" in Gen. 3:20] A similar phrase is used to describe the mother goddess in ancient Near Eastern mythology. Here the image has been demythologized. It simply expresses the biblical concepts of one human race and of woman's primary role--motherhood.

   • 2012, Rebecca S. Watson, Chaos Uncreated:

     However, the notion that an originally “mythological” figure has been “depotentized”, then variously “repotentized” or further “demythologized” by later, dependent authors, though the “mythological” understanding finally prevailed in later Jewish literature, does not sound entirely convincing.

Synonyms

• demyth

Derived terms

• demythologizer

 

Related terms

• demythologization

Translations

1. To remove the mythological elements

• German: entmythologisieren (de)