Reading Standards of Learning (SOL) Practice Test

A myth is a traditional story that explains natural events or the origins of practices by involving gods, spirits, or supernatural forces. These tales help people understand why things happen in the world—such as why day becomes night, how the world began, or why a cultural custom exists—by attributing them to divine beings or magical causes. Myths are often passed down through generations and reflect a culture’s beliefs about life, nature, and the meaning of existence.

This differs from an epic, which is a long narrative about heroic adventures; from a parody, which uses humor to imitate and critique; and from a parallel plot, which is a literary technique involving two or more storylines running side by side. The defining feature here is using gods or spirits to explain natural phenomena, which points to myth.