Creation Of Myths
Myths are the stories behind a culture belief and their traditions. “Authentic myths and supplementary stories were both brought together in the spacious frame of heroic poetry.” (Bowra 107) When did the Creation Myths begin and what effects did it have on the people?The Asians, the Christians and Greeks have their own opinion on the creation of myths and how it affected them. Greek mythology believe it all started with a god name Chaos who created a world full of war. Asian mythology say it all began with one of the Chinese myths talking about The Chinese Dragon Kings, mythical figures from Taoism. They are controlled by Yuan-shi tian-zong to whom they relent their statements once a year. Furthermore, they had authority over funerals. If confusion or carelessness takes place during funeral ceremonies, which might proceed in hardship for the progenies, “the dragon kings are implored for help. Also during droughts they are invoked to produce rain.” "Long-wang." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2014. Encyclopedia Mythica Online.15 May. 2014 . Christians myths started with stories within the Bible for example, “In the Book of Genesis reads God, “created the heavens and the earth.’ The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep...” (Red Holy Bible Revised Standard Version Genesis 1[p1])
The Greek experience of myths began with, the Greeks becoming more conscious of their rites and sought to explain them through stories. One of the first stories was “told by Hesiod, that Prometheus, who is not an Olympian but belongs to older, dispossessed order of the Titans, has no love for Zeus, and when he offers an ox to him, he covers the bones…” with...
... middle of paper ...
...reation Myths." The Ancient Near East: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. Ronald Wallenfels and Jack M. Sasson. Vol. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2000. 13-15. World History in Context. Web. 13 May 2014.
* LEISER, BURTON M. "JOHN LOCKE." Great Thinkers of the Western World. HarperCollins Publishers, 1999. 223. World History in Context. Web. 13 May 2014.
* Bloss, Lowell W. "Nāgas and Yakṣas." Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. 2nd ed. Vol. 9. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2005. 6394-6395. World History in Context. Web. 13 May 2014.
* "Buddhism and Mythology." UXL Encyclopedia of World Mythology. Vol. 1. Detroit: UXL, 2009. 194-202. World History in Context. Web. 13 May 2014.
*Red Holy Bible Revised Standard Version Mark 6 [p46]
* Red Holy Bible Revised Standard Version Genesis 1[p2]
* C.M. Bowra 109
* C.M. Bowra 108
* C.M. Bowra 107
Myths relate to events, conditions, and deeds of gods or superhuman beings that are outside ordinary human life and yet basics to it” ("Myth," 2012). Mythology is said to have two particular meanings, “the corpus of myths, and the study of the myths, of a particular area: Amerindian mythology, Egyptian mythology, and so on as well as the study of myth itself” ("Mythology," 1993). In contrast, while the term myth can be used in a variety of academic settings, its main purpose is to analyze different cultures and their ways of thinking. Within the academic setting, a myth is known as a fact and over time has been changed through the many different views within a society as an effort to answer the questions of human existence. The word myth in an academic context is used as “ancient narratives that attempt to answer the enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways” (Leonard, 2004 p.1)? My definition of a myth is a collection of false ideas put together to create
Yu, Han. “Memorial on Buddhism”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 111-112. Print.
Harris, Stephen L., and Gloria Platzner. Classical Mythology: Images and Insights. 2nd ed. Mountain View: Mayfield, 1995
Morford, Mark P.O., and Robert J. Lenardon. Classical Mythology. '7th ed'. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Rosenberg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. 5th ed. Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Pub. Group, 1994. Print.
David, Adams Leening., ed. The World of Myths: An Anthology. New York: Oxford UP, 1990.
Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).
Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.
Rosenburg, Donna. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics. Third Edition. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. Text.
Nagle, Brendan D. The Ancient World: A Cultural and Social History. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1979.
Locke, John. The Works of John Locke in Nine Volumes. 12th ed. Vol. 4. London: Rivington,
The different categories of mythology are explanatory myths and adventure myths. Explanatory myth will break down into smaller sub divisions called Cosmogony, nature myths, and eschatological myths. Explanatory myths these are myths that nature or certain events and customs of different cultures. Cosmogony is a big word for creation myths. Creation myths explain the origin of the universe. They use primal gods and animals to tell the story. There are different types of creation myths as well. The first is the single stage creation where a god existed ex nihilo. Which means a god existed in a vast space and created the universe out of nothing. The other is multi stage creation. In this the universe is created by one god. His children then continue to create the rest of the world. Nature myths have to do with animals and everyday phenomena like the rising and setting of the sun. The last explanatory myth is eschatological. This tells how death and other bad things came into the world and how the world is going to end. The next category of mythology is adventure myths. These are myths that involve humans. These are stories of major events in history that parts have been embellished or forgotten and made up. Now that you know the different categories of mythology we will look at the different regions where the stories came from.
Leick, Gwendolyn. A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology. London: Routledge, 1991. Print Page 61
Fisher, Mary Pat. "HINDUISM." Living Religions. 1991. Reprint. Upper Saddle River: Person Education, 2011. 73-120. Print.
Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.