mythification
Turning into legend
Mythification is the process of turning something into myth—transforming a person, event, or idea into something legendary or larger than life.
The term often carries a critical edge, suggesting that facts have been obscured or romanticized: the mythification of the American frontier, the mythification of celebrity culture.
Related to but distinct from mythologize, mythification emphasizes the result rather than the act.
Official declaration of sainthood
- apotheosisPeak or deification
- deificationElevation to divine status
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
- idealizationRegarding as perfect
romanticization · sacralization · embellishment · fictionalization · symbolization · allegorization · personification · transfiguration
One admired for courage
- epicImpressively grand in scope
- pantheonAll gods of a religion
- deityWorshipped supernatural being
- questSeeking journey for something
odyssey · apotheosis · archetype · paragon · immortalization · legendary · demigod · champion
Traditional narrative passed down
- oral-historyRecorded firsthand accounts
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- traditionCustom passed through generations
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
ballad · fable · saga · proverbs · griot · bard · minstrel · folk-hero
Study of human cultures
- ethnographySystematic study of peoples
- cosmologyStudy of universal structure
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
customs · totems · shamanism · worldview · symbolism · archetypes · hero-worship
canonization
Official declaration of sainthood
- apotheosisPeak or deification
- deificationElevation to divine status
- glorificationElevating praise or worship
idealization · romanticization · sacralization · embellishment · fictionalization · symbolization · allegorization · personification · transfiguration · fabrication
hero
One admired for courage
quest · odyssey · apotheosis · archetype · paragon · immortalization · legendary · demigod · champion · triumph
folktale
Traditional narrative passed down
- oral-historyRecorded firsthand accounts
- loreTraditional knowledge transmitted orally
- traditionCustom passed through generations
storytelling · ballad · fable · saga · proverbs · griot · bard · minstrel · folk-hero · parables
anthropology
Study of human cultures
- ethnographySystematic study of peoples
- cosmologyStudy of universal structure
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
traditions · customs · totems · shamanism · worldview · symbolism · archetypes · hero-worship
mythificationdebunking
Proving claims false
demystification · demythologization · deconstruction · fact-checking · exposé
mythificationhumanization
Attributing personal characteristics
stripping down · truth-telling · realistic portrayal · literalization · deflation
mythificationdeflation
Sustained decrease in prices
humanization · trivialization · belittlement · profanation · secularization
myth, myths, mythic, mythical, mythically, mythified, mythifying, mythology, mythologies