Mount Shasta shares many mythical components that are similar to other myths around the world, like Bigfoot. Many myths worldwide share similar elements, themes, and characters, though each myth serves a different function in the society where it is utilized. Common themes found in myths include the creation of the world through either constructing the world from chaos or creation from slaying a monster.
Other common themes are cyclical destruction and creation that parallel seasonal death and rebirth and floods that periodically destroy and renew the world. The main myth characters are often deities, though they are usually joined by mortals, heroes, and heroines who are turned into semi-divine beings. The setting of a myth is a proto-world, similar to our world but with stark contrasts. These myths usually depict events that violate natural laws, such as a universal flood that separates today’s modern world from the primeval world.
Diffusionist Theory
Similarities in myths are from either independent invention or diffusion. Independent invention is the process where groups create their own mythology without any contact or influence from outside groups. As a result, any similarity between myths is coincidental. A contrary explanation to the independent invention of myths is diffusion.
The diffusionist theory argues that during the Paleolithic era (750,000 to 15,000 years ago), myths originated in one area and spread through travel, migration, and conquest. Today, there are twenty-one known civilizations that have proceeded from the original seven: Sumerian, Egyptian, Aegean, Mayan, Incan, Chinese, proto-Indian, or Mohenjo Daro.
Diffusionists would argue that these seven civilizations had contact with each other, borrowing myths and refashioning them into their own culture. Those who support independent invention maintain that these seven civilizations created their own mythologies separate from any outside influences.
It is argued that similarities in myths are attributed to a need to explain natural phenomena and are built on daily life experiences. Therefore, a society’s dominant cultural characteristics are revealed in its myths. In a society undergoing rapid change, myths refer to an earlier age.
Theory of Iconotropy
Robert Graves proposed his theory of Icononotropy, which explains diffusion in which myths are incorporated into a conquering people’s existing pantheon. He further developed Icononotrophy to argue that many myths today are misinterpretations of pictures and sculptures of earlier myths.
Graves argued that the original meanings of myths have become distorted and reinterpreted through the assimilation and rationalization of alien symbolic expressions. When an individual myth is passed from one society to another, it may be adopted without being believed, transforming into a folktale or legend in the borrowing society. This process demonstrates how, through diffusion, the same story in different societies becomes a myth, legend, or folktale.
Bigfoot as an Example of Iconotropy
Originating in Indigenous traditions, beings like the Sasquatch were often seen as spiritual entities, protectors of nature, or symbols of the untamed wilderness rather than cryptozoological creatures. These stories carried a profound connection to the land and reflected a worldview where the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual were fluid. Over time, however, Bigfoot has undergone a dramatic reinterpretation, becoming a cryptid in modern folklore—a biological anomaly to be discovered rather than a spiritual or symbolic presence.
This shift reflects broader societal changes, particularly in attitudes toward nature. Bigfoot has come to embody the mystery and allure of the wilderness, a space that represents both our fear of and fascination with the unknown. The creature’s image has also been shaped by its transformation into a pop culture icon. No longer confined to the realm of oral tradition or localized belief, Bigfoot now occupies a space in advertising, entertainment, and even humor, serving as a playful yet enigmatic mascot stripped of its earlier, more sacred connotations.
At the same time, scientific skepticism and cryptozoological curiosity have further redefined Bigfoot’s role in culture. The creature is no longer exclusively a mythological figure but a subject of debate and investigation, where empirical inquiry seeks to validate or dismiss the accounts. For some, Bigfoot has taken on a more symbolic role, representing the marginalized, misunderstood, or alienated—a reflection of broader human themes of survival and resilience in a world that often struggles to accommodate the mysterious or unconventional.
In this way, Bigfoot illustrates the dynamic process of iconotropy. What began as a deeply rooted symbol of the wild and spiritual has been reshaped through cultural narratives into an enduring, multifaceted phenomenon. Each reinterpretation, whether as spiritual guardian, cryptid, pop culture figure, or scientific curiosity, reveals more about the evolving cultural landscape than about Bigfoot itself.
Further Reading
Iconotropy and Cult Images from the Ancient to Modern World – Paid resource on Amazon.com
Author: mountshastamyths
Lurking around here with more questions than answers