mythology

The fact that it held on through the social turbulence caused by the war in Vietnam and the Civil Rights Era is a telling indicator of America’s devotion to its self-established mythology.

“Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life,” Lucas said in a statement.

“That harks to Greek mythology or those ancient stories,” she says.

In that sense, maybe “Coyote” too much embraces the broad-shouldered American mythology that Shepard both traded in and questioned.

The team designated it a new species, Nanotyrannus lethaeus, referencing the River Lethe from Greek mythology -- a fitting tribute to a species "forgotten" for decades.