Curiosity is an inborn characteristic in all human beings. Much of the world is a mystery to us. In our excitement and wonder in finding the meaning behind our questions, man has created stories to give us the answers. There are many different types of stories: fairy tales, parables, fables, allegories, epics, sagas, and myths, to name a few. These different types of stories may teach a lesson or moral, but, for the most part, the stories themselves are regarded as so much fiction.

Even though half a million years have passed since man started roaming the earth, human cultures still have their own myths that carry plenty of influence. So if human culture has advanced so much in the last 500,000 years, why do myths still have so much power in modern times?

Some myths have become a cultural tradition. How many of you tell your children about Santa Claus? This myth is by far one of the most powerful in American culture as the Christmas season wouldn’t be complete without him. Parents garner good behavior from their children with the threat of the “naughty list.” Merchandisers plan to move a large portion of their goods with advertising around what Santa will bring you this Christmas. Families hang stockings, buy Christmas trees to shelter their future presents, write letters to Santa, have pictures taken with Santa and even leave milk and cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve. The myth of Santa Claus delivering presents to all the kids on the “nice list” every Christmas Eve has continued and been cemented in our culture through books, films, songs, and television programming. And even though every adult knows that Santa Claus doesn’t really exist, we continue to tell our children about him with a sense of whimsy and nostalgia, almost guaranteeing that our children will grow up to do the same with their own brood.

Other myths are couched within modern terminology. Modern day myths are our current conspiracy theories. Even when we have been given answers to some of our questions, those answers don’t always satisfy us. So begins the creation of modern day myths.

The definition of a myth is a traditional story that offers an explanation for a natural or social event oftentimes involving some force beyond scientific understanding. So when we take a fact-based modern event and provide our own embellished background story, we have, in essence, created our own myth.

Did the American government know about the 9/11 attacks before they were perpetrated? Filmmakers have made documentaries to try and prove it. Was there really a UFO crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947? Thousands of people still flock there each year on vacation to learn more about it. Is Elvis still alive? Many claim to have seen him after his death, even though there is an autopsy report filed with the State of Tennessee. Both the FBI and the Warren Commission investigated the Kennedy assassination and a suspect was arrested. But to this day there are numerous conspiracy theories about who really killed JFK. Even though we know that the basis for these conspiracies is fact (yes, JFK was assassinated; yes, something crashed in Roswell), none of these conspiracy theories contain provable information and can still be regarded as fictional. But because we cannot prove that the answers we have been given are correct, we try and formulate answers that go along with our own beliefs and suspicions.

So what gives myths their power? In a sense, human biology. Suspicion and curiosity are emotions we are born with. Faith, or trust, is a belief we develop. Currently, there are studies being done on whether faith may be a bio-behavioral human trait. With all of these factors in play, it seems as though myth-making and story-telling are innate human characteristics.

Our natural curiosity makes us ask questions about the world around us. Our suspicions and imagination help us create answers that make sense to us, and our faith in those answers give the myths we create a substantial power.