science

Landscape mythology

Landscape mythology is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Landscape mythology rather than just read about it. In short: Landscape mythology and anthropology of landscape (Landschaftsmythologie, Landschaftsethnologie) are terms for a field of study advocated since about 1990 by Kurt Derungs (born 1962 in St. Gallen, Switzerland).

Key takeaways

Landscape mythology belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Landscape mythology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Landscape mythology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Landscape mythology and anthropology of landscape (Landschaftsmythologie, Landschaftsethnologie) are terms for a field of study advocated since about 1990 by Kurt Derungs (born 1962 in St. Gallen, Switzerland). Derungs describes the field as an interdisciplinary approach to landscape combining archaeology, ethnology and mythology. Derungs interprets landscape features in terms of "totemism, shamanism and matriarchal mythology", claiming that his approach qualifies as neither esotericism nor as positivism but as a "sound alternative" to both. His interpretations are strongly influenced by the hypothesis of a matriarchal structure of society and a cult of the Great Goddess in Neolithic Europe, and he associates megalithic monuments and elements of traditional fairy tales with these ideas. Since 1994, Derungs manages the edition amalia publishing house, where his books appear besides publications on related topics (matriarchy, Great Goddess) by other authors. Derungs is popular in German Neopagan circles, but has received little attention in academic literature.

Bibliography AMALIA oder Der Vogel der Wahrheit. Mythen und Märchen aus Rätien im Kulturvergleich. Bündner Monatsblatt Verlag Desertina, 1994, ISBN 3-905241-41-2 Geheimnisvolles Basel. Sakrale Stätten im Dreiland. Edition Amalia, 2004 (1st ed. 1999), ISBN 3-905581-24-8 Geheimnisvolles Zürich. Sakrale Stätten am Zürichsee. Edition Amalia, 2004, ISBN 3-905581-22-1 Keltische Frauen und Göttinnen. Matriarchale Spuren bei Kelten, Pikten und Schotten. Edition Amalia, 1995 Kultplatz Zuoz/ Engadin. Die Seele einer alpinen Landschaft. Geheimnisvolles Graubünden. Edition Amalia, 2001, ISBN 3-905581-12-4 Landschaften der Göttin. Avebury, Silbury, Lenzburg, Sion. Kultplätze der Grossen Göttin in Europa. Edition Amalia, 2000, ISBN 3-905581-10-8 Magisch Reisen Bern. Sagenhaftes Wandern zu Kultsteinen vom Jura bis zum Berner Oberland. Edition Amalia, 2003, ISBN 3-905581-19-1 Matriarchate als herrschaftsfreie Gesellschaften. Edition Amalia, 1997, ISBN 3-905581-01-9 Mythen und Kultplätze im Drei-Seen-Land. Edition Amalia, 2002, ISBN 3-905581-17-5 Mythologische Landschaft Deutschland. Edition Amalia, 1999 Mythologische Landschaft Schweiz. Edition Amalia, 1997, ISBN 3-905581-02-7 Der psychologische Mythos. Frauen, Märchen und Sexismus. Manipulation und Indokrination durch populärpsychologische Märcheninterpretation: Freud, Jung & Co. Edition Amalia, 1996, ISBN 3-9520764-6-5 Quellen Kulte Zauberberge. Landschaftsmythologie der Ostschweiz und Vorarlbergs. Edition Amalia, 2005, ISBN 3-905581-26-4 Schwarze Madonna im Märchen. Mythen und Märchen von der Schwarzen Frau. Edition Amalia, 1998, ISBN 3-905581-07-8 Struktur des Zaubermärchens. Eine fundierte Darstellung der historischen Märchenforschung und Mythologie. Band I und II. Paul Haupt, Bern Die ursprünglichen Märchen der Brüder Grimm. Edition Amalia, 1999, ISBN 3-905581-08-6 Magische Stätten der Heilkraft.Marienorte mythologisch neu entdeckt. Quellen, Steine, Bäume und Pflanzen. Edition Amalia, 2006, ISBN 3-905581-25-6

See also Landscape archaeology Landscape history Modern Matriarchal Studies Marija Gimbutas John Michell (writer) (an author discussing "landscape mythology" in the context of pseudoscientific metrology)

References

External links Landscape mythology in the German National Library catalogue http://derungs.org http://amalia.ch/ - Edition Amalia http://maerchenlexikon.de

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Landscape mythology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Landscape mythology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Landscape mythology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Landscape mythology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Landscape mythology

In research: Landscape mythology appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Landscape mythology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Landscape mythology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Anthropology of religion, Feminism and society, Feminist spirituality, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Landscape mythology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Landscape mythology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Landscape mythology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Landscape mythology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Landscape mythology in simple terms?

Why does Landscape mythology matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Landscape mythology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Landscape mythology.