Literature has always included myth as a fundamental component. From its origins as rudimentary religious narrative to its more recent modifications as a tool for studying the unconscious mind, myth has always played a vital role in human psychology and society. There are two ways that myth can appear in literature: through conscious and unconscious application. Tale or legend with supernatural characters, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature is how the Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus define myth.