MODERN AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY

A mythology is simply a story of some sort which has emotional, cultural, moral or ethical value to a nation. Taken broadly, American mythology can include any narrative which has contributed to the shaping of American values and belief systems. These narratives may be true and may be false; the veracity of the stories is not a determining factor.

Early settlers brought the myths of their homelands to America thus beginning a new era in folklore that more closely matched European ideals than native American Indian sentiments. 

In our modern society, graphic art plays a major role in American mythology. Artistic images are so compelling that we cannot help watch them. They are so seductive that they have revolutionized human social communication. Oral and written communication are in decline because a new form of communication, communication by image, has emerged. Television cemented the era of image communication. In one sense television has turned back the clock to the era of oral storytelling, for television tells stories and we watch and listen just like our ancestors who sat mesmerized around campfires.

Simply put, images are pictures, however, in our culture pictures have become tools used to elicit specific and planned emotional reactions in the people who see them. Today's images have taken on new meanings and have created new myths that are shrouded-often deliberately-by these deeper memories. These new myths lie at the heart of modern American culture, and illustrate the double-edged power of today's commercial art.

But all said, modern American mythology is comprised of stories, fables, folklore, myths, art, tales and images from the earliest generation of English settlers, to current day:

	CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS Our original settlers came from Europe and brought their Christian holidays along; Easter, Christmas, Lent, etc.		SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS: White men weren't the first to note its bad vibrations; the Apache Indians called it the Devil's playground.
	CINEMA:		INDIAN LORE:
	COMMERCIAL ART:		PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH: Pennsylvania Dutch Country refers to the fertile region in the eastern part of Pennsylvania.
	CRYPTOID: In the U. S., the Bigfoot story currently making the headlines has been going around a lot of countries for a lot of years. We have the Yeti in Asia, Yowie in Australia, Abominable Snowman in Europe and Sasquatch in Canada.		TELEVISION:
	FAIRIES AND FAIRYTALES: America is a nation rich with fairy lore, most of which was brought here from other countries when our Ancestors arrived,		VIDEO GAMES: