aetiological myth

An aetiological myth answers the question “why is this the way it is?” with a story. Where did this city get its name? Why do we hold this festival? Why does this law exist?

Rome’s founding legends are full of them. The name Roma is explained by a founder named Romulus. The Palatine Hill is explained as the place he chose. The custom of Roman brides being carried over the threshold was linked to the abduction of the Sabine women.

Such stories aren’t worthless as history. They show what a people believed about itself, and they sometimes preserve real memories. But they were usually built backward from the thing they explain.