The concept of the "riverbody" explored through Belgian composer Peter Benoit's work on the Scheldt River offers a sophisticated framework for understanding how geographical features become repositories of cultural mythology. Rivers, with their literal and metaphorical capacity for flow, connection, and transformation, have provided ideal vehicles for mythological thinking across diverse cultures and historical periods.

Benoit's musical exploration of the Scheldt exemplifies how natural features acquire mythological significance through the accretion of historical, cultural, and emotional associations. The river becomes not merely a physical watercourse but a living entity that embodies collective memories, historical events, and communal values. This transformation of geographical feature into mythological entity demonstrates the persistent human tendency to imbue the material world with symbolic and narrative significance.

The comparison to other mythologised waterways—such as the Nile in Egypt or the Ganges in India—highlights how this pattern of river-based cultural mythology transcends specific cultural contexts. Across civilisations, rivers have functioned as boundary markers, lifelines, trade routes, and symbolic pathways between worlds. Their physical characteristics—flowing from source to mouth, constantly changing yet remaining identifiable, sustaining life while occasionally threatening it—make them natural repositories for complex cultural narratives.

Benoit's compositions represent a modern continuation of this ancient pattern, adapting traditional mythological thinking to contemporary artistic forms. By creating musical interpretations of the Scheldt's symbolic significance, his work demonstrates how mythological thinking continues to evolve through artistic innovation, finding new expressions while maintaining connection to fundamental patterns of human meaning-making. The riverbody thus exemplifies how mythological frameworks persist in ostensibly secular contexts, addressing enduring human needs for narrative coherence and connection to place.