This document provides an analysis of myths referenced in T.S. Eliot's modernist poem "The Waste Land". It discusses myths related to the Sibyl, the Fisher King, vegetation cycles, Tiresias, Philomela and Procne, Tristan and Isolde, and the Phoenician sailor Phlebas. The myths are explored in relation to themes of death, rebirth, fertility, and the disillusionment of the post-World War I era. The document was written by Sneha Agravat for an English literature course analyzing 20th century literature from 1900 to World War 2.

1. MYTHS IN THE WASTELAND
NAME::- SNEHA AGRAVAT
BATCH:- 2020-22 (MA SEM 2)
PAPER 6:- TWENTIETH CENTURY LITERATURE: 1900 TO WORLD WAR 2
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2. T.S.ELIOT
Thomas Stearns Eliot
Born: 26 September 1888
Died: 4 January 1965
Poet, essayist, publisher, playwright, literary critic and editor
FOUNDER OF:-“The Criterion”
Most daring poet of 20 century
Eliot’s poem loosely follows the legend of the Holy Grail and the
Fisher king combined with vignettes of contemporary British
society.
He used literary and cultural allusions.
The Waste Land, Eliot won an international reputation.

3. WHAT IS MYTH?
A myth is one story in a mythology_a system of
hereditary stories of ancient origin which were
once belived to be true by a particular cultural
group, and which served to explain why the
world is as it is and things happen as they do, to
provide a rationale for social customs and
observances, and to establish the sanctions for
the rules by which people conduct thier lives.
A Glossary of Literary Terms
M.H.Abrams

4. MYTHS IN THE WASTELAND

5. SIBYL
Sibyl was the most famous of the Sibyls, the prophetic old
women of Greek mythology
She guided Aeneas through Hades in the Aeneid.
She had been granted immortality by Apollo,
but because she forgot to ask for perpetual youth,
she shrank into withered old age and her authority declined.
Sibyl, a woman with prophetic power who ages
but never dies looks
at the future and proclaims that she only wants to die.
The sibyl’s predicament mirror what Eliot see as his own:
he lives in Culture that has decayed and withered but will
not expire and be is forced to live with reminder of its former glory.

6. VEGETATION
The myth Of vegetation is particularly based on the cycle of
Seasons.
poem begin with the line...
“April is the cruelest month, breeding”
winter:- Death
April:- Re-Birth
Rain:- Life
This recurrent pattern has
Been taken over in the
Christian myth in birth,
Frustrations and resurrectio
Of Christ.
Death
Re-Birth

7. HOLY GRAIL
• The holy Grail legend is associated with the king
Arthur and his knight of the round table.
• The holy was used by christ for his last supper in
that cup the blood of the saviour was gathered
when he was crucified.
• Grail was originally connected with the fertility
myth as it witnessed by its sexual symbol but later
on it sufferd sea-change through its association
with Christ.
• The waste land mainly throws light on the
disillusionment and spiritual dryness of the past-
war generation.

8. TIRESIAS
• Tiresias is a son of shepherd, seven year
blind transfer in to women by Hera.
• Tiresias a figure from classical mythology
who was both male and female features
and is blind but can see in to the future.
• Tiresias is represented as a bisexual in
the waste land as he was blind but he
has the gift of prophecy and immorality.

9. TRISTAN AND ISOLDE
• Two lovers.
• Tristan, nephew of King mark comwall
and he is a symbol of honest, virtue,
brave,and strong.
• The king of Ireland sent a champion
named morholt, demand tribute from
comwall.
• Isolde healed Tristan and he return and
in front of king mark he praise so king
resolve to marry her.

10. THE FISHER KING
• The mediaeval Waste Land of the fisher king, a myth
which is closely related with the grail legend.
• In this Wasteland soldier of King fisher ravished the
nun of the chapels perilous said contain the holy grail
and because of that king became important and his land
suffered from famine.
• The impotency of the fisher king was reflected
sympathetically in the land of which he was the head
and ruler.
• It has become dry and barren the haunt and home of
want and famine one day the knight of the pure soul
came and solve riddle.

11. PHILOMELA AND PROCNE
• Two sisters.
• Tereus is a husband of procne, and
he seduce Philomela and cut out her
tongue to silence her.
• Tereus try to killed them but God
Change in to bird.
• Itylus, son serve fresh to her
husband.
• Philomela embroidere story into
clothe and which she sent to her
sister.

12. PHLEBAS
• The character phlebas the
Phonician sailor who dies by
drowing.
• Symbolises the chance of renewal
in the waste land.
• Phlebas is an example of a lack of
spirituality self ego and what
becomes of those who waste
themselves.

13. CONCLUSION
• In short this poem The Waste Land is an extremely rich
poem and it has numerous understandings so we once in
a while find such an assortment of images aside from in
T.S.Eliot’s Wasteland.Thusly, this lyric can be explained
from different perspectives. But it is difficult to
comprehend on the grounds that so many topic ,myths
and philosophical significance comprise in this lyric

14. REFERENCE
• Abrams, M. H., and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. 1999. A glossary of literary terms. Boston, Mass: Thomson
Wadsworth.
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Tristan and Isolde”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Feb. 2012,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tristan-and-Isolde. Accessed 22 June 2021.
• Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Tiresias". Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Feb. 2020,
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tiresias. Accessed 22 June 2021.
• Chazelle, Damien. Berkow, Jordan ed. “The Waste Land “The Waste Land” and the Holy Grail”. GradeSaver, 26
October 2007 Web. 22 June 2021.
• “Fisher King | Myths and Folklore Wiki | Fandom” https://mythus.fandom.com/wiki/Fisher_King.
• Gardner, Helen , Davies, Hugh Alistair and Tate, Allen. "T.S. Eliot". Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Mar. 2021,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/T-S-Eliot. Accessed 21 June 2021.
• .