Transition from Mythoverse Imaginary to Metaverse : Exploring the Liberal Arts Educational Value of Mythology in the Context of Literary Narratives

This research examines the evaluative and future-oriented predictions of the 21st century, defined as the ‘Century of Technology’, from a humanistic perspective, foreseeing its advancement propelled by sophisticated science and technology. In particular, this study aims to examine the cultural acceptance patterns regarding the concept of the ‘metaverse’, which is commonly referred to as a representation of digital technology emphasized at the beginning of the 21st century, from both humanistic and educational perspectives. Given the current lack of a clear definition, the study highlights the need for the intervention of humanistic reasoning, as the metaverse is generally understood either as 3D digital technology or represented as a ‘virtual world’. At the current juncture, as the implementation of the virtual world in the metaverse is perceived through character creation games or role-playing games such as ‘Second Life’, this study seeks to raise questions about the playful imagination that is projected onto the metaverse. Examining the phenomenon where internet users connect to the virtual world of the metaverse, placing a central focus on creating an ‘avatar’ or hero representation, the study aims to explore the inherent presence of imaginative desires, specifically the ‘human creative desire’, manifested in mythical worlds. With the advent of the metaverse era and the connection to virtual worlds, the human desire to create avatars reflects similarities to the ancient expression of the human creative desire in mythical worlds. The study also interprets how literary and artistic attempts of past centuries have echoed and intersected with this desire. Through this comparison, it was possible to recognize the significant influence of the ‘mythoverse’, or mythological imagination, in implementing the virtual world of the metaverse. Additionally, the study considered that if human life transitions to virtual worlds in the near future, the wellspring of humanistic knowledge, namely ‘myth’, could have a meaningful impact. Despite the technological advancements of the 21st century, the transition and realization from mythology to history, reality to dreams, the real world to virtual worlds, and the mythoverse to the metaverse transcend space and time. By emphasizing the value of mythology as a cultural heritage for humanity and highlighting the need for applying mythology in humanities education, this study aims to underscore the significance of myth in the cultural assets of humanity.