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Comparing and contrast creation myths
Comparing and contrast creation myths
Comparing and contrast creation myths
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Today in our world, creation myths generally explain how humans have been created and the origin of the world. However many of the beliefs we have today, are based from creation myths. Creation myths include The Creation of the Titans and the Gods and Yang and Yin and the Dwarf P’an Ku. Despite one being a Chinese creation myth and other being a Greek creation myth, these two myths share the idea as to why we worship Gods today. Although creation myths bear interesting similarities, the remarkable differences between Yang and Yin and the Dwarf P’an Ku and The Creation of the Titans and the Gods show the different beliefs we have depending on people’s gender. Yang and Yin and the Dwarf P’an Ku and The Creation of the Titans and the Gods have many similarities. One of their resemblances …show more content…
According to The Creation of the Titans and the Gods, it states, “Poseidon could use his trident to cause earthquakes as well as storms at sea, but he also taught mortals to tame horses to work for them and how to build ships”(11). Poseidon is the god of the sea, earthquakes, and horses. He is a powerful god on Mt. Olympus, but he still cares for humans although they may be a lower status than him. Poseidon taught human tactics that will help them survive, like traveling on ships to other countries for better resources, which Poseidon taught them how to make ships. Because of that, humans worshiped Gods for what they have given us, in order to live. In the Chinese creation myth, P’an Ku created many things for humans and even became part of the world. In Yang and Yin and the Dwarf P’an Ku, it states, “His voice became thunder. His blood turned to mighty rivers. His flesh became soil. His skin
The Enuma Elish’s emphasis is not on the creation of humanity, but rather on the rise of the sun god Marduk, and how he became the supreme god. Marduk was born of Ea, who was born of the bitter water god Tiamat, and was very powerful. He was enlisted to defeat Tiamat and her monsters in a great war, and agreed on the condition that he will forever remain king of the gods. He defeated Tiamat, tore her body in half and used it to create the Earth and the sky. He is also credited with positioning the constellations to represent the gods, and assigning jobs to the gods who fought on the losing side with Tiamat in the war. He then created man to serve the gods in their defined duties, as it was deemed beneath them to perform such duties. The creation of man as a working servant of the gods established a lower role of humans in the Babylonian society than in that of the Mayans, where the people were created to praise the gods, not serve them through hard
In the article “Stories of the Trojan War,” it talks about how the gods are raged by the disobedience of the mortals which caused uproar during the time (Peabody). One of the gods that seemed to have a raging authority was Poseidon, god of the sea. He made the journey of Odysseus very hard. For instance, Poseidon would make the sea’s rage, blew Odysseus and his crew off track, and last he strikes them with thunder. That ultimately destroys the crew; except for Odysseus who is left stranded until found by Calypso (Puchner). The actual cause of Poseidon’s anger was due to the fact that Odysseus had killed Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus in a horrific manner. Also, because Odysseus was not appreciative of the fact that Poseidon helped keep his secret of his plot to invade with the
Roman and Greek mythology are filled with multiple interpretations of how the creator, be it the gods or nature, contributed to the birth of the world. These stories draw the backgrounds of the gods and goddesses that govern much of classical mythology. Ovid’s Metamorphoses and Hesiod’s Theogony are two pieces of work that account for how our universe came to be. A comparison of Theogony with Metamorphoses reveals that Hesiod’s creation story portrays the deities as omnipresent, powerful role whose actions triggered the beginning of the universe whereas in Metamorphoses, the deities do not play a significant role; rather the humans are center of the creation. The similarities and differences are evident in the construction of the universe, ages of man, and the creation of men and women on earth.
Rosenberg, Donna. "The Creation of the Titans and the Gods." World Mythology. 3rd ed. Chicago: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Group, Inc., 1999. 82-89. Print.
Poseidon is one of the strongest gods in Greek mythology. Poseidon was the god of water, horses, and earthquakes. He was thought to be the reason for boat wrecks, and drowning’s.
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:
Creation stories have profound effects on humans. Those associated with ancient cultures/civilizations aim to ensure the successful survival or well-being of themselves and that particular culture/civilization of their association, but not all are beneficial, prosperous, or fortunate. Mesopotamia’s “The Gilgamesh Epic”, Egypt’s “Hymn to the Nile-Documents”, and Mesoamerica’s Mayan and Aztec creation stories/religion are influential to establishing significant relationships within society, whether that is between humans and nature or humans and their “god(s).”
Poseidon was so furious with King Laomedon when he was denied payment for building the walls of Troy that the vengeful god that he sent a sea-monster to destroy the countryside as punishment. In addition to his reputation as a fighter, however, Poseidon was also a legendary lover. From his love affair with Medusa and Amphitrite to his escapades with the goddess Demeter, Poseidon proved that he could at times rival his notoriously promiscuous brother Zeus. He may not have been as powerful as his brother but definitely could have almost any lady he wanted. He was also best known for his sudden earthquakes he created and destroyed many cities with it. One thing is for sure, the people who lived back when the gods ruled were very afraid of the all mighty god of water, Poseidon.
As human beings, we are designed to belive in something. Although the belief in a higher power or religion is diverse, many theologies share common themes. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and the Hebrew book of “Genesis” are seemingly polar opposites. Christianity, demonstrated in Genesis, is monotheistic, and the Hebrews base their faith on their relationship with God. On the other hand, Sumerian philosophy, found in Gilgamesh, is polytheistic, and the Sumerian people base their theology on fear. Ancient polytheistic literature forms an archetypical pattern of the mortals trying desperately to please the gods. A mortal’s entire existence rests in the hands of the sometimes childish gods. In spite of this, these two stories
In the creation myths we have learned so many motifs. There have been some motifs on how people were created with organic material, or how in the beginning there was chaos. Even some myths states that the earth was created by a god's body. Reading these creation myths we have learned some gods care for their people, and others treat them like slaves. We also find out that in some religions it takes multiple tries to create humanity, and some the people just appear.
In the Bible and Greek Mythology both were the believe of us to God(s). In biblical stories, christians believe that the lord God created the world; he created birds, animals, and humans. Similarly, in Greek mythology, Zeus and his forces established the mount olympus to be there Eden, and he ordered to create all alive things in earth, even though he doesn’t want mortals, but the mortals still appears. Therefore, Biblical stories and Greek mythology have many similarities, both have the stories of the creation of human. In particular, the three examples that have the closest similarities are The Creation of woman, How god's punish those who don’t worship them and reward those who worship them. and The Kingdom of God.
Throughout the world there are various cultures with varying religions and creation stories to explain the creation of the Earth and it’s inhabitants. Of these creation stories two with similar and also different characteristics is the Creation story in the book of Genesis which is a part of the 1st Testament in the Hebrew Bible and explains the creation of Earth and humans, and the Theogony which is the greek creation story that describes the origins of the Earth and the Greek Gods. Both the Theogony and the Creation in Genesis show nature as a blessing for humans but it can also affect them negatively, However the myths differ in the ways that the Earth and humans were created and how humans interact with the deities of the creation stories.
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.
Ancient Egyptians tried to understand their place in the universe. This is why their mythology is centered on nature such as the earth, sky, moon, sun, stars, and the Nile River. There are many Egyptian myths of creation, but the Heliopolitan Tradition, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, and the Memphite Theology are the most commonly used. They all have some common elements and gods. For example, many of t...
Throughout studying many myths, I came up with many new observations. Many questions came into my mind about these myths. Greek mythology takes us back to a time when people had a connection with nature and when nature played a major role in people’s lives. The religious beliefs of the people who wrote the myths are found in the background of these myths; however, they are not to be read like religious texts. The myths try to offer explanations of “how”, which makes us think deeply about the purpose of these myths and the questions they draw to our minds. According to the myths we studied in class, the world created the gods, not the other way around. The gods were always created in the image of man, which shows how much men were important in their society. Furthermore, many of these Greek myths show us the difference between the views of the Greek then and our view towards many aspects of the society, including nature. Monsters appear in Greek myths and have different representations and roles. Greek mythology reflects a view of the Greeks towards the world and how certain aspects of their lives are similar and different to modern society.