Creations myths There is one question that almost every human being has asked throughout his or her lifetime ask. That question is who created everything? Each culture throughout time has usually produced some sort of creation myth. One popular creation myth that is still being followed today comes from the Book of Genius. Another popular creation myth that is not really being followed today but is still well known is Greek mythology. Both creation myths have similarities, difference, and explain several natural phenomena. Both myths have or had many people that followed, lived, and value these myths daily. Genius is still a poplar creation myth that is being followed and taught in the current culture of today. The Genius myth begins like this; in the beginning God a spirit who is neither male nor female created the universe. At this time Earth was a void and was formless, covered in total darkness. Earth was also covered in a raging ocean and …show more content…
Below Earth was the underworld or hell and was also known as the waters of chaos. This is where God put all his defeated monsters God slayed. The underworld also is where Lucifer an angel that tried to take over God was put. Above Earth was the heaven, this is where all God’s angel is. This myth also tells that when a person dies he or she will go to Heaven or hell depending on how he or she lived their lives. Another creation myth comes from the Greeks. The Greeks mythology had no real creator. The Greeks believed in the beginning there was only chaos and out of a void came Erebus. Erebus was the unknowable place where Death and Night dwells. After that Love was born and brought the light and day which then brought Gaea the Earth. Erebus and Night mated and Night gave birth to Ether. Ether is the heavenly light and to Day the Earthly light. Night by itself gave birth to Doom, Fate, Death, Sleep, Dreams, Nemesis and
The most common mythological theme across different cultures is the creation of humankind because everyone has always questioned how the earth was created and so forth. Creation myths are “usually applied to a mytho-religious story which explains the beginning of humanity, life, the earth and the universe as being the result of a deliberate act of supreme beings or being” ("Creation myths," 2007). Individuals from different cultures believe in a higher power known as God and they believe that the higher power is the creator of earth, animals and humankind, however each culture believe in different Gods but they all believe that God is the creator and that is the universal theme across different cultures.
The first creation myth I will begin with is Hebrew in origin and comes from the Old Testament book of Genesis, specifically chapters one through three. Chapters one and two focus on Jehovah’s (God) creation of the heavens, earth and all living things. After man (Adam) is created Jehovah, gives him a single command: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of he tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (The Revival Study Bible, Genesis 2:16-17).” Jehovah then creates a mate for the man, woman (Eve). Throughout this creation story the reader is given the impression that the creation itself is perfect i.e.: following creation God declares everything good, man has a close friendship with his creator, man and woman were naked and experienced no shame. Unfortunately that perfection ends when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They then felt shame, cast blame to others rather than to themselves and hid from God. As a result of their disobedience God punished them according to his law. Both Adam and Eve and their offspring after them were sentenced to a life of pain, suffering and death.
A genius is a person who is exceptionally intelligent or creative. One of the most famous geniuses of all time,Albert Einstein, had an IQ of 160. An individual who is considered a genius, has an IQ of 160 and up. Also mentioned in Gladwell’s book,Outliers:The Story of Success,is Christopher Langan. With an IQ of 195,Christopher Langan, is considered the smartest man in America.With such an exorbitant IQ, you would be under the impression that he attended the most prestigious university and is now exceedingly successful.However, that is not the case and in fact he is entirely the opposite. How did this happen? Well, the answer is uncomplicated and straightforward. The trouble with geniuses is not their intelligence,but
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 story from Genesis, and Popul Vuh are great examples of how different cultures believe the world was created. Creation stories are the base of every culture. The stories demonstrate beliefs and values used in the culture. People are easily entertained by reading creation stories. Creation stories lead the readers to investigate information about the culture. Scientists are able to utilize creation stories to decipher mysteries that were left unresolved from ancient times. Albeit all the differences among creation stories, there are copious parts which are
Myths – as they are known to most of the world – give insight into the pasts of various countries and religions as the people saw them. They have been used to explain phenomenons in nature or describe the tales of courageous and important men and women throughout history. Creation myths in particular define how the Earth itself was created, along with the universe, heavens, hell, people, and creatures that exist today. Genesis of Christian mythology, for instance, tells the story of how the single deity God spoke and formed everything from day and night to man and woman. Various African creation myths, such as with the Yoruba, explain the creation of the Earth through at least a couple gods working together and all life sprouting from a seed. But all share a common themes, such as a form of chaos or nothingness before life is created. Joseph Campbell notes that “... the idea of an absolute ontological distinction between God and man – or between gods and men, divinity and nature - first became an important social and psychological force in the near East, specifically Akkad, in the period of the first Semetic Kings, c. 2500 B.C.,” showing another similar trait – a god or set of gods exists to create in each story (626). Joseph Campbell makes a comparison of how both Genesis and the Book of the Dead of Egypt share the same idea of their bodies belonging to their god in some way, or being reabsorbed into them at death (630-631). Others, like the Japanese and Iroquois creation myths, claim the Earth was once covered entirely of water before land was formed. Adam and Eve of Genesis and Izanagi and sister Izanami of Shintoism provide examples of myths that share both a passive and active pair of people who eventually create the Earth's population. In any case, certain popular creation myths, some closely tied to prominent religions, share more common characteristics than others. An entire sub-study, called comparative mythology, gives insight into this subject.
The very early creation legends are difficult to trace to their original sources, since they were passed along by word of mouth from one generation to the next. There are many different legends about the origin of the earth, some similar to those told in other cultures. It is interesting that most of these legends can be tied together in one or more ways. The Greek and Inuit tribe versions of early existence are related in many ways.
The strange Greeks’ creation myth compares but also contrasts with the twisting storyline of the Iroquois’ creation myth. From creating the world from a piece of dirt and a turtle’s back, to giving birth to the earth, sea, and sky, these myths both include interesting stories and tales. The characters of the Greek creation myth are somewhat similar to those of the Iroquois’ myth, however, the story and explanations of them both differ greatly.
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).
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 creation myth is an explanation of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. Every creation myth is different, but there is similarity in most of them. Motifs are recurring ideas that help develop a theme and these motifs are common in many creation myths. Three similar motifs are the idea of a supreme being, the idea of people being created from organic material, and the idea of rulers being overthrown. These concepts appear in the Inuit, Greek, Hindu, Chinese, Norse, and many more myths. These three motifs connect to one another and are common in many creation myths.
One parallel between Greek and Egyptian creation stories is that they both begin with a God or Gods being created from the universe. The creation of the Greek world began when Eros(cupid) sprang from the great, shapeless mass of chaos and was later followed by Gaea(Earth), Erebus(darkness), and Nox(night). These later deities would become the ancestors of all other Greek Gods and Goddesses.(Footnote pg 56 The Literature and Mythology of Ancient Egypt) Similarly in Egyptian mythology, Ra came into being, and gave life to other Gods, “After I had come into being as the only God, there were three gods aside from me[Shu, Tefnut, and Nun].”(Kaster 56) Eventually, Shu and Tefnut begot Geb and Nut, who in turn created Osiris, Isis, Set, and Nephthys. Creation by universe is a common factor in both Greek and Egyptian creation stories.
How did the world begin? Have you ever wondered this most likely yes. Everyone has been asking this question for millions of years. The explanation of this is called Mythology. By looking at What Mythology is, the categories of Mythology, the regions of major myths, some of the key players of myths, and finally the similarities of the cultures. With that I will start my paper and by the end of it you will have a more in depth knowledge of Mythology.
In Genesis, it is written that everything came to be by the word of God. For example, the establishment of light. “And God said, ‘Let there be light’, and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) In the Egyptian creation myths it is written similar to Genesis, in that
The Underworld, better known as Hades after the god who ruled it, was a dark and dreary place where the shades, or souls, of those who died lived. In the next few minutes, I will tell you about how one came to die, the topography of the Underworld, and the beings whom dwelled there.