Christian mythology

Some stories that do not come from sacred Christian texts still do reflect Christian themes, are intended to foster Christian values, or address spiritual or folk traditions. These stories are considered by some (who???) to constitute a body of Christian mythology. Many of these include characteristics of fantasy fiction.

A selection of such stories might include:

• Hagiographies, that is, stories of the lives of the saints.

• Many of the stories involving Lucifer, which owe more to John Milton's Paradise Lost than to the Bible.

• The legends of King Arthur and other tales of medieval chivalry, especially the Quest for the Holy Grail.

• The results of Christian fusions with other cultures, such as Vodun.

• Stories about angels, guardian angels, devils, and tales of making pacts with the Devil (see e.g. Faust).

• Stories about the physical appearances of angels with white robes, a halo, and wings.

• Stories about the physical appearances of the Devil wearing a red suit or having bright red skin, carrying a pitchfork and having a forked tail and horns.

• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan.

• Stories about Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, the Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, the Easter Bunny, and other holiday traditions.

• Some (see "Myth Matters," Christianity Today [1]) classify certain modern works as Christian mythology, such as C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia or Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. Some people would include J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in this category, and, perhaps, George MacDonald's "At the Back of the North Wind," "Lilith," and "Phantastes."

External links:

• The Selfish Giant

---

See also: Myth, Mythology, Islamic mythology, Hebrew mythology, Greek mythology

/Talk