In
traditional societies,
myth and ritual are two central components of religious practice. Although
myth and
ritual are commonly united as parts of
religion, the exact relationship between them has been a matter of controversy among scholars. One of the approaches to this problem is "the myth and ritual, or myth-ritualist, theory," held notably by the so-called
Cambridge Ritualists, which holds that "myth does not stand by itself but is tied to ritual." This theory is still disputed; many scholars now believe that myth and ritual share common
paradigms, but not that one developed from the other.