Episode eight of season two in the TV series Vikings deals with great concern over the birth of Ragnar's fourth son Ivar. Ivar is born different from the rest of the siblings. Immediately after his birth, a prophecy about him is fulfilled. The prophesy had a negative impact on the audience. Description of Ivar in the prophecy stirs fear within the kingdom as they associate disability with evil. Eventually, myth spread about how bad luck was to befall Ragnar during his reign. With disability mythologized as being evil, it creates deviance among its intended audience thus the paper aims at discussing the levels to which myths can affect society in general.
Myths give stories that explain why the current situation or state is in its position and from the stories and lessons directed to the people from a given society, the society is better placed to achieve social order. The existing myths reflect the community social structures with the aim of creating a belief that continues to make the existing societal structures stronger. One standard rule of myths is that focus is not to be directed on how it is presented (Cressey 40). From the episode, the community believes that disability does not come from their ‘god' creating the impression of Ivar being an outcast.
Myths have over the years been used to define what is right or wrong, thus, impacting what should be carried out on a large scale or what should be avoided. Currently, the myth that surrounds us is ‘science,' which has in many aspects altered our beliefs, values and to some extent enhanced our understanding regarding sexuality and gender to mention a few (Zarandi 29). In sexuality, science has enabled us to understand why different genders express themselves in a particular manner while in gender provided an insight into how individuals end up being male or female (Fausto-Sterling 49). Science has also made it possible to understand the origin of class in society and why race can be used to classify people. Lastly, science has enabled us to create a relationship between age and size as well as the different factors that facilitate them. Although, none is certain of whether the outcomes will be desirable or not science continues to dominate entirely every aspect of human well-being (Zarandi 29).
From the episode, the differential-association theory best suits the myth's origin. The theory argues that society plays a significant role in determining what type of norms are violated. Notably, specific people from a unique group are the ones who spark the norms of conformity and deviance merely because they are better positioned. Therefore, they largely influence how different people view certain things apart from how they react. Since the birth of Ivar had been prophesized in a deviant manner, the entire community believed that his disability was related to evil or bad lack. On the other hand, if Ivar's prophesy was told in a manner to which it hailed him, he would have been associated to good.
In a society where people frequently interact there exists a high possibility for myths being spread quickly evident from how the news of Ivar's birth spread. Once upheld by a person, it is difficult to alter their understanding regarding the myths. Therefore, the aspect becomes confusing and may affect the attitude of the audience. When addressing the issue about myths its evolution from time to time brings about two points of contention. One is the thought of whether every primitive idea is to be treated as myth, while the other is whether evolution occurs in myths or it should be considered as a passing characteristic of thinking.
In the current world, myths should not be considered as personal trouble but as a social problem, because its implications affect one's perception towards the society thus when such individuals come together, they pose a threat to the welfare of others. If everyone is to hold on to one or two myths passed down to them, then there would exist a society that is divided. The society will further be viewed as inhuman since the less privileged, including those suffering from disabilities, will be denied their rights, and to make matters worse, they would not be considered as humans even though they are born normally.
The socio-historical context of the American culture also holds some myths, which have guided to how its society has been shaped. By examining the American culture and surveying its opinions, traditions and behavior one can establish a culture whereby myths conform to their pursuits and how mostly they are in control of their social and moral behavior. Myths can be considered as global phenomena that have emerged in plenty due to motives and even involve different mental faculties that bring about the likelihood of social delusion. The media and movie composers should be cautious when setting up movies taking into consideration the implications for the audiences.
Work cited
Cressey, Donald R. Delinquency, Crime and Differential Association. Springer Netherlands, 2012.
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. Myths of Gender: Biological Theories about Women and Men. BasicBooks, 2015.
Zarandi, Mehrdad M. Science and the Myth of Progress. World Wisdom, 2003.
