神話
しんわ · shinwa · JLPT N2 · noun
myth
神 (god) + 話 (talk, story) = a story told about gods; sounds like 'shin-wa', 'sin-war' of old tales
神 — 示 (altar/spirit) + 申 (lightning, phonetic)
神 combines 示, depicting an altar associated with rituals and spirits, with 申, originally a pictograph of lightning streaking across the sky. Ancient people saw lightning as a manifestation of divine power, so 申 contributes both sound and the idea of awe-inspiring force. Together they mean 'spirit' or 'god'.