A peculiar aspect of human culture and consciousness is the significantly pervasive use and the value given to symbolism.
These are not just intangible aspects of human beliefs and repositories of heritage.
Symbols become the focal point by which a society is bound together and share a single cultural base.
These common and generally relatable symbols become the socio - cultural externalities through which social interaction to transpire.
In the humanities and literature and even social psychology, they are referred to as archetypes by which humans rationalize and nuance certain ideas and values.
In most cases these are applied to myths and legends of a certain culture.
Despite cultural diversity and distinctiveness, these archetypes become a recurring concept and enable cultures to interact and deal with one another.
Regards of heritage they often employ the same archetypes.
The concept of the Hero's journey or quest is a universal archetype, especially in the realm of myth.
The story of Jason, Beowulf, Genji and others may be different but share a repeated pattern of events and concepts.
The idea that in a hero's journey, there are companions like the rogue, the mentor and the maiden also resonate throughout the plethora of myths known today.
Do they indicate cultural distinctiveness? Does this not run counter to the idea that cultures are unique? How is this reconciled with the proposition that these myth archetypes are universal? All cultures and the heritage they possess are all unique.
Their details, values conveyed and nuances are one of a kind.
However, the general framework is universal.
A close examination of every culture will reveal that though others developed in various other locations, the themes and elements are strikingly similar.
Despite the various contexts and the history of the culture, the archetypes are made manifest again and again.
This recursion raises the question were these all from a single cultural heritage? Alternatively, that this phenomenon is because of the human psyche at play in the development of these various myths.
This binds people of different cultures together and gives them a system of externalities to interact on.
The value systems of different society can be understood from the standpoint of another by referring to the archetypes used.
This is also found in the cultural frame of the latter.
Cultures may be unique and are built to retain that, but inherently they are also meant to interact with others.
The social nature of man dictates that his worldview and orientation accommodate those of others.
This outlines the fact that the universality of myths is the basis for the social change that brings about multi - culturalism.
The interaction of individuals their own unique heritage is facilitated by the myth which each culture has.
Striping away the details and actual message of these stories what is left is the archetype frame which appeals to all cultures.
This enables a significant degree of social interaction.
Myths serve as the universal externality that anyone can relate to and identify with.
This establishes a cross-cultural means by which people relate to one another.