National myth

A national myth is an inspiring narrative or anecdote about a nation's past. Such myths often serve as important national symbols and affirm a set of national values. A national myth may take the form of a national epic, or it may be incorporated into a civil religion. A group of related myths about a nation may be referred to as the national mythos, from μῦθος, Greek for "myth".

A national myth is a legend or fictionalized narrative which has been elevated to a serious mythological, symbolic, and esteemed level so as to be true to the nation.^{[verification needed][1]} The national folklore of many nations includes a founding myth, which may involve a struggle against colonialism or a war of independence or unification. In many cases, the meaning of the national myth is disputed among different parts of the population. In some places, the national myth may be spiritual and refer to stories of the nation's founding by a God, several gods, leaders favored by gods, or other supernatural beings.

Part of a series on
Nationalism
Nation forming Nationalism in the Middle Ages Anthem Church Colours Emblem Father Flag Epic God Identity Language Myth Sport State Symbol Treasure
Core values Allegiance Independence Patriotism Self-determination Solidarity
Types African Anarchist Blind Bourgeois Business Welfare Civic American French Irish Communist Constitutional patriotism Corporate Cyber- Ecological Economic Ethnic Ethnopluralism European Expansionist Homosexual Integral Left-wing (populism) Musical Mystic Neo- Pan- Racial Arab Black Japanese Shōwa Korean White Zionism Religious Christian Catholic Clerical Hindu Hindutva Muslim Sikh Resource Revolutionary National syndicalist National Bolshevik Fascism Legionarism Nazism Rexism Ethnocacerism Romantic Technological Territorial Trans- Ultra-
Organizations List of nationalist organizations
Related concepts Anationalism Anti-nationalism Anti-globalization movement Anti-imperialism Banal nationalism Civil religion Communitarianism Cosmopolitanism Cultural nationalism Diaspora politics Ethnocentrism Francoism Gender and nationalism Globalism Historiography and nationalism Imagined community Imperialism Internationalism Irredentism Jingoism Localism Militarism National indifference Nationalism studies Nativism Plurinationalism Post- Principle of nationalities [fr] Racism Revanchism Right-wing populism Seasonal or cultural festival Subsidiarity in Catholicism Trumpism Xenophobia
Politics portal
v t e

National myths often exist only for the purpose of state-sponsored propaganda. In totalitarian dictatorships, the leader might be given, for example, a mythical supernatural life history in order to make them seem god-like and supra-powerful (see also cult of personality). In liberal regimes they can inspire civic virtue and self-sacrifice^[2] or consolidate the power of dominant groups and legitimate their rule.