Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology

Beliefs are viewed as psychological “attitudes” made up of cognition, sentiment, and action tendency (rituals). Informal beliefs and rituals derive credibility from formal religions like Islam and Christianity, which are centred on a deity and organized clergy, placing them outside Arab mythology. Knowledge within this framework falls into three types: rational, which is scientifically verifiable, irrational, which can be proven false, and nonrational, which lies beyond verification and is rooted in feelings. The nonrational category includes beliefs in deities, spirits, and supernatural forces (e.g., Osiris, ghosts, or barakah). Arab mythology is made up of these nonrational beliefs, existing in a space similar to emotions like love or hate, where beliefs in sacred beings and forces thrive without requiring scientific proof.