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. Out of the all the motifs we have learned reading the creation myths, the top three would have to be god's caring for their people, god’s flooding the earth, and Rule of Life.
The most important motif in my opinion, is how gods of different creation myths care for their people.
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There's a relief knowing the god you worship, cares for you. Some gods seem very arrogant. Although gods who seem arrogant and make humanity work for them, they still created the food that humans eat and the land they live on. In the Christian/Genesis creation myth God cares for the people and forgives them of their sins. He also sends his own son down to earth and sacrifices him for the good of the people. In the Chinese creation myth Nu-Hu’s common name was the mother to all humans. Having a name like that must mean you care for all of humanity. The Incan myth the god Pachacamac cares and provides warmth. Some other religions like Theology and the Mayans, both flooded earth. Zeus flooded the earth to punish the humans. Zeus had seen cannibalism, which made him angry with the people, and flooded it so it wouldn’t continue. The Mayan creator flooded the earth because the people he made were too …show more content…
Sometimes when the gods flooded the earth it was either for good or punishment. When the myths state that the earth was flooded by a higher power, it shows that people need to be obedient to their god and do the what is right in his eyes. It can be used as a scare tactic and as a way to keep people from chaos. The Mayans flooded the earth because the first batch of people they made were too stupid. They cared to much and didn’t want stupid people. So, they flooded the earth so they could restart. In Genesis, God floods the earth because of all the violence and the wickedness of man. Similar to this, in Theology, commonly known as the Greek creation myth, Zeus did the same thing. Zeus saw that people were eating each other and to save humanity, he flooded the earth. The gods flood the earth as a way to stop violence and to make humanity
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.
In both the Iroquois and Babylonian myths, the gods do not find Earth (and the humans on it) as their first priority, and this lack of importance the gods show to humans is important to the tribes because they can understand that the gods might not always be there for them when they need help. The Iroquois creation myth explains the ground on Earth to be made when a pregnant woman fell through a hole in Sky World. As the woman was falling, “[the gods] knew what was happening, but they chose to ignore it” (Iroquois), and those in the Iroquois tribe can understand from this creation myth that
Have you ever noticed why so many creation myths seem to talk about the same thing? The world being created by the body of a god is a common one. Many myths mention how humans at one point got destroyed or wiped out, or something happened that made their lives difficult forever. The most common motif I seemed to find is that humans were made from organic material such as bones left from dead gods, clay, mud, corn, trees, and even tears. It never occurred to me how so many motifs had so many similar things in them.
. According to Reading Selections: Reading 1, in The Flood, it says that when a black storm that was ridden by Adad who is God of storm and led by Shullat and Hanish who are minor gods in Babylonian came from the horizon, the gods of abyss destroyed the city. For example, Annunaki burned city with livid flame. As a result, daylight changed to darkness, people were separated from each family member and the place where people live became like the tides of battle, and even gods escaped to heaven. Ishtar, Queen of Heaven laments for her inability to command evil, wars, and people.
Thousands of centuries ago, there was only the vast blue ocean that spread across the Earth. The only things that existed were the animals in the ocean, and the Gods above the clouds. The world above the cloud was like a living heaven with enormous castles, schools, and pretty much anything you can think of. There were two particular Gods that were main focuses throughout the world. Those Gods were Ka’uaha’aha’a and Pepehiwaiwai. Ka’uaha’aha’a was the god of rain and he was a very humble man. He had a very scary looking face but in actuality he was very kind, and caring. His daughter Aomakani was the goddess of the clouds and wind, and she was known for her beauty and kindness. On the complete opposite, Pepehiwaiwai was a rich god of murder
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.
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).”
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).
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.
Creation myths, cosmogonies, explain the beginnings of the universe. The book of Genesis, the Hebrew story of creation, tells of a supreme being who brings light unto the darkness, moves the waters from the land, and gives life (Leeming, 24-25). Mabel, the main character in “The Odor of Chrysanthemums”, finally begins to live her own life after being rescued from dark, murky water by a man who can give her everything she needs (Lawrence, 9-10). Flood myths help to explain events which cannot be controlled, such as natural disasters. The Hebrew flood myth tells of a man named Noah, who is selected, along with his family, to survive an epic flood.
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.
Each of their gods made the mountains, stars, animals, humans, oceans, moon, and the planets. The only thing that was not made by all three was the sun, because that is Begochiddy. So in the stories that the tribes had made their gods not only breed creation but, in two of the stories they caused destruction and chaos through thievery and impatience which are the same traits that people have in today's world. The communities must have thought that the gods looked like humans and acted like humans but, also have supernatural powers to help create the world around
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.