What is Mediation in Myths and Rituals? | Religious Studies 101
British social anthropologist Edmund Leach (1910 - 1989) studied and popularized the role of mediation in myths, rituals, and anthropology (plus theology) as a whole, drawing heavily from the works of Claude Lévi-Strauss. His sum conclusion is that myths and rituals are critical tools that societies use to make sense of, and resolve, difficult facets implicit to the human condition.
He argues that myths often mediate between binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are pairs of contrasting concepts, frames, or ideas which are fundamental to the human condition or human understanding of the world. For example, life and death, nature and culture, male and female, sacred and profane, good and evil, and order and chaos are fundamental binary oppositions. These universal oppositions frame organization and interpretation of the human experience.
Leach furthermore argues that binary oppositions lie at the heart of mythology, and that myths are actually cultural narratives that reflect and inspect binary oppositions. Case in point, every society and culture understands and “copes with” death in its own way, and Leach would argue that cultural myths help societies understand, normalize, and teach this concept of life versus death.
In turn, mediation is how myths symbolically reconcile binary oppositions. Since binary oppositions likely represent individual or societal tensions or conflicts—think individual desire versus social responsibility—myths are a way to experience the extremes of these tensions symbolically. Through narrative structure and resolution or lesson, myths offer pathways to balance, or reconcile, these binary oppositions.
For example, death is part of a cycle of rebirth in many myths, thus reconciling the opposition between life and death. Heroes must often venture into the wild or into moral ambiguity before returning to become heroes, thus reconciling nature versus human society and the human potential for both moral evil and good.
As stated earlier, Leach’s summed conclusion is that mediation is practically powerful—myths serve a pragmatic role in helping societies navigate the real-life issues inherent to binary oppositions.
Hope you found that clear, and leave any questions in the comments! Check out my full Religion 101 article list (useful for studying, or just learning!) here.
