Mythopoeia is a sub-genre of fantasy that allows you to do whatever the hell you want to your world. Okay, not really. I mean, there are certain logical rules you have to obey in writing, blah blah blah, but mythopoeia is essentially the subgenre that details the freedom of creating your world. Myth wise, that is.
Here's an official definition of it from the TV Tropes site: Mythopoeia (from the Greek words that mean "myth-making") is a narrative genre in modern literature and film where a fictional mythology is created by the author or screenwriter. The word mythopoeia and description was coined and developed by J. R. R. Tolkien in the 1930s. The authors in this genre integrate traditional mythological themes and archetypes into fiction. Mythopoeia is also the act of making (creating) such mythologies.
You got that? Yes? No? If your answer is the latter, I suggest you reread paragraph number three. Anyway, a lot of authors within the fantasy genre—especially for those who write high or epic fantasy—will most definitely craft myths within their stories. Why? It lends a certain depth to the world; it forms the foundation of certain cultures and customs. Most importantly, it makes the world believable. The reality we have now was built upon myths, like how the Pantheon was built to worship Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom; or how the Chinese have so many festivals in honour of certain myths.
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With that said, does it truly contribute to the larger plot at hand in a story? Oftentimes, the myth is told not only to enrich the world, but to remind the protagonist of his or her current situation. Or perhaps in the case where myths are real, they actually become the main driving point of the story. Myths aren't just sitting there to look pretty and decorate your tale with flowers, they're there to push the heroes to keep moving on despite their struggles, or to provide a vital clue as means to the end of said struggles. Depending on the author, there really is no end to the usage of myths. At the same time, it explores philosophical and metaphysical concepts. A myth created by oneself is a product of that person's extensive research into the myths of our world, shaping and melding them into something that is deemed acceptable to oneself—a reflection of our current state of mind.
