KEPERCAYAAN MASYARAKAT TERHADAP MITOS DALAM LEGENDA DESA WONOJOYO, KECAMATAN GURAH, KABUPATEN KEDIRI

Myths in village legends still play an important role in shaping people’s perspectives and behavior, even as their existence is increasingly challenged by complex social changes. Therefore, a more systematic explanation is needed to understand how myths persist and function within society. This study focuses on the community of Wonojoyo Village, Gurah District, Kediri Regency, to examine the forms and roles of myths within the local socio-cultural context.
This study aims to describe the forms of myths still believed by the community and to explain their functions in socio-cultural life. It employs a qualitative method with a literary anthropology approach and Claude Lévi-Strauss’s structuralism theory. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation studies involving six purposively selected informants. Data analysis was conducted using the interactive model of Miles and Huberman, which includes data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The validity of the data was ensured through triangulation, prolonged engagement, and persistent observation.
The findings indicate that the people of Wonojoyo Village still believe in various forms of myths, including myths about the village’s origin, ancestral figures, prohibitions or taboos, and supernatural beliefs. These myths function as regulators of behavior, moral guidelines, maintainers of social order, and reinforcers of cultural identity. Structurally, belief in myths reveals patterns of binary oppositions such as obedience versus violation, sacred versus profane, and harmony versus disharmony, which are mediated through ancestral figures, customary prohibitions, and practices of respect toward space and the village’s history.