Myths express the ancient ancestors' understanding and desire for natural and social phenomena in the form of stories, which are "natural and social forms themselves processed by people's fantasies in an unconscious artistic way". Myths usually take gods as the protagonist, and they include all kinds of natural gods and deified heroes. The plot of myth is generally manifested as change, divine power and magic. The meaning of myth is usually shown as an explanation of some natural or social phenomenon, and some express the desire of ancestors to conquer nature and change society. Only when human beings can express their feelings and their understanding of nature and society by means of language can myths come into being.
It is generally believed in academic circles that myth originated in the low stage of barbarism, and it entered a prosperous period in the middle stage of barbarism. China scholars, such as Yang Kun and Yuan Ke, think that the origin of myth should be as early as the advanced stage of obscurantism, that is, the late Paleolithic period, or earlier than this period.
The productivity level of primitive society is very low. Faced with the unpredictable and controlled nature, people can't help feeling mysterious and awe, and some special disastrous natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, floods, and the birth and death of human beings, can especially cause surprise and panic. People fantasize that there are all kinds of supernatural gods and magic in the world, and worship them, which is naturally deified to some extent. Myth is thus produced.
The ancient myth is undoubtedly the earliest of all the literary forms in China's ancient literature, but it has continuously influenced many aspects of China's ancient literature. In the pre-Qin literature, such ancient books as The Book of Songs, Zuo Zhuan, Zhuangzi, etc., rich ancient myths are recorded, as well as the deformation and development of myth content. For example, in the Book of Songs, Daya Shengmin, the representative of the Zhou tribal epic, and Song of Shang Tribe Xuanniao, the Shang tribal epic, are full of mythological colors, including the motif types in the myth of tribal origin. Another example is "Zhuangzi", in which there are many changes in the contents of ancient gods, such as the change of Kun Peng and the legacy of Xuanzhu by the Yellow Emperor, all of which are based on ancient myths. The thinking method and theme of "ancient myths" are the pioneers of later literature.