In approaching a body of mythology Lévi-Strauss intends us to “assemble all the variant forms in which it has been recorded regardless of their date or source. It does not, as Malinowski believed, simply perpetuate reality by functioning as “a pragmatic charter of primitive faith and moral wisdom.” 4 If this were so, then myth, and dream as its accomplice, would have none of the spectacular significance which they do indeed have in situations of culture contact and social upheaval. It allows man to perpetually recreate reality. Myth changes reality, elusively, subtly, continually. What is important to note is that the synthesis is never the same as the initial thesis. Myth then recomposes the disintegrated elements according to strict principles of arrangement, effecting a synthesis. According to this method myth breaks down the existing order, or one section of it, creating a kind of antithesis. Lévi-Strauss' method, then, establishes a logic for myth while at the same time indicating to us the universal purpose behind myth-making. The function of myth is to “mediate” such contradictions, to make them appear less final than they really are and thus more acceptable. If we accept Lévi-Strauss' view, the heart of the matter is that myth furnishes a “logical” model by means of which the human mind can evade unwelcome contradictions, such as that human - 148 beings cannot enjoy life without suffering death or that rules of incest (which specify that legitimate sex relations can only be between members of opposed kin groups) conflict with a doctrine of unilineal descent. Edmund Leach clarifies this point of view in these words: He contends that the principle which influences arrangement of mythemes is dialectic. In Lévi-Strauss' method the key postulate is that “If there is a meaning to be found in mythology, it cannot reside in the isolated elements which enter into the composition of a myth, but only in the way those elements are combined.” 2 Lévi-Strauss is interested in the arrangement of the elements or mythemes (“gross constituent units”) in a dialectic system.
Some general notes about the method and the myth material used in this study will be followed by brief synopses and analyses of each of the three myths. In each case I have taken the opportunity to explore different aspects of myth and of the structural method.
Since this endeavour constitutes something of a test run, I have selected only three myths, all of which were recorded by Grey, using Te Rangikaheke's material. 1 This essay applies his method to the subject of Maori myth with a view to establishing more rigorous inquiry in this field, to testing the analytical capability of the structuralist method, and to casting new light on formal aspects of Maori myth. Lévi-Strauss' structural method for studying myth has been frequently debated and employed during the last six years. Michael Jackson Victoria University of Wellington
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