I've read a lot of questions here and in the greater internet at large asking about the origins of ancient myths, or how they relate to Dinosaur fossils or elephant skulls, or etc. And while the general consensus seems to be "They probably don't, no", which makes sense.
But that got me wondering - what can or do historians take from mythology, folk tales, epic poems and the like? Are these worthless as historical documents? Or is there insight to be gained into the far past in there somewhere?
This is a fantastic question. When I teach on this topic (in an early modern British context) I try to frame the discussion in terms of the complex cultural interactions between popular-beliefs and elite conceptions of myths, tales, magic, etc. I also encourage students to avoid thinking of them as mutually exclusive categories or a one-way process of acculturation purely rooted in ignorance or outdated superstition(s).
Carlo Ginzburg's The Cheese and the Worms is a famous work that explores these themes. I highly recommend giving it as well as his other works a read.