Little attention has been paid to what the word ‘myth’ contributes to the concept of rape myths. Rape myths tend to be regarded as widely believed falsehoods that need to be debunked in order to address patriarchal injustices. This account draws upon a long-standing vernacular English association between myth and falsehood which originated in the Enlightenment. But it is not the only possible definition of myth. This article draws upon mythological studies across a range of disciplines to argue that rape myths should be considered authentically mythic; that is, rape ‘myths’ are culturally significant folk narratives about sexual wrongdoing. This reappraisal enables a shift in our understanding of what rape myths are, what they could be—and what we can do to reduce their pernicious influence on the criminal justice system. It also enables legal scholars to more generally reassess how the concept of ‘myth’ is used across our discipline(s).

中文翻译：

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强奸神话是“神话”吗？

很少有人关注“神话”这个词对强奸神话概念的贡献。强奸神话往往被认为是广泛相信的谎言，需要予以揭穿，以解决父权制的不公正问题。这个叙述借鉴了起源于启蒙运动的神话与谎言之间长期存在的英国白话联系。但这并不是神话的唯一可能的定义。本文借鉴了跨学科的神话研究，认为强奸神话应该被视为真正的神话；也就是说，强奸“神话”是具有文化意义的关于性犯罪的民间叙事。这种重新评估使我们能够改变对强奸神话是什么、它们可能是什么以及我们可以采取哪些措施来减少它们对刑事司法系统的有害影响的理解。它还使法律学者能够更广泛地重新评估“神话”概念如何在我们的学科中使用。