One more time

[H]istory in the ancient Near East was written in the form of myth, which often used symbols and metaphorical, analogical language in narrative form, often intentionally ambiguous. This metaphorical structure of mythic history was frequently redundant, making abundant use of repetitive poetic devices to enhance the story and to perform various didactic functions. At times, metaphorical imagery was even “reified” and discussed in more detail later in the story, further adding to its ambiguity. Along these lines, the ancient mind did not avoid the ambiguous in storytelling; rather, it was embraced. Consequently, the mythic mind would have had no category for our modern discussions of “contradictions."—Toward a Poetics of Genesis 1-11, pages 66-67

<idle musing>
Sounds suspiciously like the narrative sections of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, doesn't it?
</idle musing>