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A close reading of creation myths compare and contrast
A close reading of creation myths compare and contrast
A close reading of creation myths compare and contrast
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Digging Deeper Into Creation Myths Concerning creation myths, there are three main motifs: the idea of Earth being created by a bloody struggle, the idea of having more than one attempt to create a human, and the idea of humans being made from organic materials. These are the motifs that I think are the most significant or more of the truth than the rest. There are so many creation myths that have a lot of things in common but aren’t exactly the same story. That is why they are considered motifs. Have you ever thought about the different creation myths that exist? I think that it’s possible that all of the creation myths are real, that there were all of these gods that created the Earth together and there was one higher god that was in charge of all the lesser gods. I don’t think that each myth has one hundred percent truth to it, but maybe more like twenty percent truth or close to the truth.
Earth created by a bloody struggle
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In the creation myth Babylonian/Enuma Elish, Ea killed Apsu because Apsu planned to kill Ea, Apsu’s grandson, because Ea and his brothers were loud and disturbed Aspu and the other gods. In the Norse/Elder Eddas myth Odin the king of all the gods killed Ymir because Ymir was cruel and brutal and Odin and the other gods couldn’t abide by Ymir’s evil and cruel acts. The myth Maori, Rangi the sky father and Papa the Earth mother were split apart with poles by their child Tāne to create the sky and land. The blood from Rangi created the red of the sunset and the blood from Papa created the red, clay land. The myth Greek/Theogony had a bloody struggle because Cronus killed his father Uranus and Zeus killed Cronus to take his place. Zeus and his siblings became the Titans and they created the Earth and the
Lorey, F. 1997. The Flood of Noah and the Flood of Gilgamesh. Acts & Facts. 26 (3) Web. 4 Feb. 2014. When reading the story, someone can take many different viewpoints. In the article above, the author is analyzing the Epic of Gilgamesh through a creationists view point.
Most cultures have a creation myth, a story of how humans came to exist in the world. Often, they involve Gods of some capacity who exist without much question or explanation. Many myths have a common idea for the origin of the world, like Earth being born from water, a golden egg, or a great monster. The Mayan creation myth and the Babylonian creation myth are similar in that they both begin with water, and account the creation and purpose of man. They also differ, as the Mayan Popol Vuh chronicles a peaceful tale of trials to forge the Earth and sentient beings to worship the gods, while the Babylonian Enuma Elish tells of wars between gods that lead to the creation of Earth and of man as a servant to the gods.
Part one includes the creation myth, and the epic of Hunahpú and Xblanqué. In the creation myth, there are four deities/beings, 3 in a celestial world together called Tepeu and another called Q’uq’umatz who was on a terrestrial plane. Q’uq’umatz, god of wind and rain, combined with Tepeu, god of fire and lightning, created animals, followed closely by humans. The first “attempt” of these gods to create humans was less than successful, making them from earth and mud, which dissolved in the elements. The second attempt created men out of wood, which stood up to the elements, but lacked souls or self will. These “wood humans” quickly fall out of favor with the gods, causing them to be destroyed in vengeance.
Creation myths are made to explain how the Earth was created and to introduce information on the relationship a group has with their creator. In both Iroquois and Babylonian creation myths, the gods do not find the Earth below as their first priority. In the Iroquois myth, the gods only help out the Earth when they are needed, but in the Babylonian myth, humans have more of a relationship with gods as the god that created Earth is willing to go beyond what is needed to help better the human experience on Earth.
Norse, Japanese, and Greek mythologies, too, agree on a lot of ideals. They each contain a clash of gods and the death of certain gods in order to form life. The list of creation myths, and myths in general, that relate to each other could stretch out for miles. With these parallels, humanity can better understand earlier cultures and document the method to how mythologies change over time. Works Cited Browning, W. R. F. Dictionary of the Bible.
In conclusion I would have to say that this creation myth is both like and unlike all other myths in existence. It is like others in how it explains natural occurrences in weather, life, death and creation by relating their origins to Godly images and aspects. It is different in how creation came from thought and desire and caused feeling and then came earth, sky, water and ultimately plant, animal and human life. It also gives a history of the Maori people and why they did not all live in the same place throughout history, it gives the idea that they will and did move over the seas to create other homelands and communities of people.
The Chinese myth describes how when Pan-gu died, his body formed huge mountains, his skull formed the top of the sky, his hair formed all flowers and plants, his bones turned to jade and pearl, his arms and legs became the four directions. Also, Pan-gu’s blood became the rivers, his breath the wind, and his voice thunder, and finally, one eye became the sun and the other the moon. In the Egyptian myth, Geb is the earth, and Nut is the sky. These two are all tangled together, so Shu, god of air, pushed them apart. After Odin and the other gods slew Ymir in the Norse creation myth, Ymir’s huge body formed the earth, his blood the sea, his flesh became the land, his bones made up the mountains, and his hair made the trees. Odin and the other gods formed the sky with Ymir’s skull by holding it up with four large pillars. In the beginning of the Enuma Elish creation, it mentions how the two gods, Apsu and Tiamat, made the sweet water sea and the salt water sea. After a war that killed Tiamat’s army, the god Marduk raised half or Tiamat’s body to form the sky and the other half to form the earth. So many things also happened in the Maori creation. Rangi and Papa formed the earth and the sky. When their children managed to push them apart because they were so tightly embraced, Papa’s blood became the red clay land, and
The creation myths that I have studied are similar in many ways. They also have differences that show an inherently different way of thinking about the world. All have creators-gods that make the world into what is now. There are conflicts within their world, and these conflicts change the face world. God to god or human to god maybe be involved in these conflicts. Their bloody struggles prove who is more powerful, causing change in the control of the world. Some gods are beneficial to man and others are self-serving, using man only as a tool.
A common thread that connects most of these myths is the transformation of a seemingly perfect creation to imperfection. This devolution of life from a utopian existence to a dystopian existence varies from myth to myth, but each myth has it. I believe that creation myths contain these explanations because of a psychological desire all people possess. I believe that people desire to know why there is pain and suffering in the world just as much they desire to know the origin of life. Both of these things are essentially unexplainable.
In my essay I will be telling you how there are so many motifs in the creation myths from all around the world. You would not even believe how so many creation myths are so much alike, even when they stories are coming from halfway around the world. I would understand if they were nearby, but some of these appearcame from Egypt all the way to South America. There are three main motifs, the idea of the gods breathing life into humans to make them come to life, the idea of the creators deciding they were unhappy with the creations so they destroyed humanity, and finallylastly the idea of there being a bloody struggle.
The Navajo creation Myth story deals with the topics of story telling that are quite familiar to
Just look at two creation stories side-by-side and you should easily see their similarities. Perhaps the easiest way to do this would be to take one unknown creation story and compare it to one from one’s own culture. Below is an example of a Mongolian creation myth:
Although, each story and idea is not exactly alike. For example, the constant struggle between good and evil has been in the world since the beginning of time. In almost every culture and myth, there is a good and bad character that are absolute opposites. In Norse mythology, the tale of Thor and Odin demonstrate this concept easily. Thor represented order while Odin stood for violence and war. These two gods did not get along and were complete opposites resulting in conflict. In Mapuche mythology, it is more complicated. Tren-Tren and Kai-Kai Filu are similar to Thor and Odin. Tren-Tren was a good serpent with wings that was created to keep an eye on the evil serpent, Kai-Kai Filu. Tren-Tren would warn others when Kai-Kai Filu was in an evil mood. Tren-Tren wanted peace and order while Kai-Kai Filu was angry and destructive, just like Thor and Odin. The folktales and myths of these two mythologies show that there is a constant battle for power and control between two opposing sides, the good and the evil. This constant struggle shows up in almost every mythology all around the world in one way or
When the modern person ponders the formation of human beings, our mind automatically goes to Adam and Eve, whom were the first man and woman created by God according to the Book of Genesis. Before there was Adam and Eve, diverse cultures came up with myths about the construction of humans. These myths included: “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda, An African Creation Tale, From the Popol Vuh, and A Native American Creation Tale “How Man Was Created” Each one of these legends gives a diverse perspective on the creation of human beings.
In exploring the creation myth of the Aboriginal people, a story unfolded in a manner that was about beginnings, triumph and tragedy and community, but there are differences throughout the myth that separate it from others. The setting is barren and extremely dark, except for “an endlessly tall pole coming out from the ground” that reaches so far it touches the heavens far above. Mentioning heavens leads the viewer to conclude that the aboriginal people were not only religious, but reverent of a higher power. The main character in the myth, a lone male Karora is an extension of the barren land and he is looking up at the heavens while he sleeps. Dreaming of animals exiting his body, he is finally awakened by the warmth of the sun. Hungry, he eats those animals using the sun as an oven shows much respect for the elements. As without the sun, he could not sustain life. When the sun sets, and darkness appears he dreams of a sons, and by morning he has sung to life a prodigy, and then another. The father and sons hunt and cook