Myths In American Culture

665 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of mythology on western civilization

Since the beginning of time, people had the need to explain and understand all the mysteries of the Universe. They didn’t have the same science as we do now, but they still created stories -Myths- to help them understand the unknown. All around the world, there are many cultures with different beliefs, languages and race; which lets us have several different myths. The Colombian and Korean cultures are very different but they both have myths about the sun and the moon. They may be different but they let people understand the origin of these two celestial objects. In both myths there are two children, a girl and a boy who are siblings and thanks to certain problems they become the sun and the moon. The siblings in the Colombian myth were born with a mysterious glow, and when they were attacked by the Indians of their tribe, they flew to heaven and the boy took the place of the sun and the girl became the moon. In the Korean myth the two children were attacked by a hungry tiger, they prayed to heaven to throw them a rope for them to climb and save their lives. When they reached the sky, the girl became the moon, but after a while she asked her brother, the sun, to change because she was afraid of the dark. Her brother agreed and he became the moon, letting his sister be the sun. In both myths there is some …show more content…

These two myths let us appreciate how humans from two completely different cultures and beliefs, thought of these two celestial objects, the sun and the moon. It let us also understand our history and how the world and life was like a long time ago. Myths will always be in our life since our world is full with unknown

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Enuma Elish And The Mayan Creation Myth

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Mystery Of Chaco Canyon

    736 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ancient Pueblo Indians had a great understanding of astronomy. All of the pueblos in the canyon were aligned to match the movements of the sun and moon. Also, they marked their complexes with daggers and spirals to keep up with the moon cycles and sun movements. The film explains that the moon moves north for nearly ten years and then south for about ten years. To fully understand this cycle of the moon, Pueblo people had to study it for years in order to build their Pueblos in relations to it. The sun however, was different because it set and rose in the same position. The concept of building structures in an astronomical pattern this complex cannot be found anywhere else.

    Read More

  • The World On The Turtle's Back Summary

    798 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this case the story of The World on the Turtle’s Back, moments within the myth are taken and put to practice as tradition. A way to maintain a connection to the past. Often now a reenactment of something that once had an actual purpose the part of the story in which brings about the honoring and worship of the sun and the moon come from that of when the two brothers began to rule in separate parts of the day. “In the daytime, the people have rituals which honor the right-handed twin. Through the daytime rituals they thank the Master of Life. In the nighttime, the people dance and sing for the left-handed twin.” Only the result of strong belief and the transmission of customs from generation to generation could maintain such long held

    Read More

  • Culture Influence On American Culture

    1189 Words  | 3 Pages

    Folklores are stories that have been through many time periods. Folklore include Legends, Myths, and Fairy Tales. Legends are traditional tales handed down from earlier times and believed to have a historical basis. Myths are ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Fairy Tales are fantasy tales with legendary being and creators.

    Read More

  • Myths of Cultures and Civilizations

    1415 Words  | 3 Pages

    From before the dawn of civilization as we know it, humanity has formed myths and legends to explain the natural world around them. Whether it is of Zeus and Hera or Izanami-no-Mikoto and Izanagi-no-mikoto, every civilization and culture upon this world has its own mythos. However, the age of myth is waning as it is overshadowed in this modern era by fundamental religion and empirical science. The word myth has come to connote blatant falsehood; however, it was not always so. Our myths have reflected both the society and values of the culture they are from. We have also reflected our inner psyche, conscious and unconscious, unto the fabric of our myths. This reflection allows us to understand ourselves and other cultures better. Throughout the eons of humanity’s existence, the myths explain natural phenomena and the cultural legends of the epic hero have reflected the foundations and the inner turmoil of the human psyche.

    Read More

  • American Cultural Myths

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States and cultural myths pertaining to this country have been a topic of discussion for many years. Stephanie Coontz’s “The Way We Wish We Were”, David Brooks’ “One Nation Slightly Divisible” and Margaret Atwood’s “A Letter to America” are all essays about different American cultural myths. Each author focuses on a different cultural myth that pertains to the United States. They explain how these myths are thwarting a realistic view of America. As well as changing the perception of the country as a whole. The major cultural myths of America among the texts are about “ideal families”, “ideal lifestyles, and a “ideal country.”

    Read More

  • Zuni Indian Mythology

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    tells the tale of the sun and the moon and how these two heavenly bodies

    Read More

  • Iroquois Indians Compare And Contrast Essay

    542 Words  | 2 Pages

    The African Bushmen believe Kaang, their god, created everything on Earth. People and animals lived in peace underneath the Earth. Because they all lived so blissfully together, Kaang decided to create the world above. First, Kaang created a marvelous tree and at the base of the tree, he dug a hole. Kaang dug the hole so deep that it reached where the people and animals lived so that after he was done building the world he could show them. In contrast, the Iroquois Indians believe the creators of Earth were the Sky Woman and her sons. The Sky Woman informed her husband that she was pregnant. With this in mind, the husband became angry and pushed the Sky Woman through a hole, where she landed on Earth. The Sky Woman created the sun, moon, and stars, while her twin sons filled the Earth with their creations. All the

    Read More

  • Family Relationships in Greek Mythology

    1647 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both of these myths reveal to us about their understanding of the universe, and about their culture. Not only do they talk about their various gods, and heroes, but they also talk about how they viewed the universe in general (Rosenberg 79). Greek mythology evolved from two early civilizations, the Mycenaean’s and the Minoans. It was the combining of these different Greek cities and Kingdoms during 10th century B.C. that created the Greek Mythology. Its geographic isolation gave it a place for mythologies to evolve (Gale Virtual Reference Library: Greek Mythology 454-456).

    Read More

  • Comparisons of Creation Myths

    2080 Words  | 5 Pages

    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 phenomena 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.

    Read More

  • Apollo Greek Culture

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    Taking a look at the first myth as it is describing the origins of Apollo, it goes on to talk about

    Read More

  • Amma And The Dogon Creation Myths

    94 Words  | 1 Pages

    The myths is about Amma and how he created an ark to Earth. First Amma sent Ogo down to Earth. Ogo got to Earth by a ark that went the way of the Milky Way that connects to Heaven and Earth. Amma then created eight people to be his assistants. These eight people to the Dogon people are the ancestors of the human beings and the descendents of Amma. The Dogon people also believe that Amma created the stars. They believe he created the starts by throwing pellets of the Earth into the

    Read More

  • Native American Folklore As Mythology

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history, and all over the world, mythology has been developed as a way of explaining the unknown and coping with one’s existence. Why does the sun shine? Well, seemingly, to generations past, something is controlling the universe, so there must be a god in charge of the sun and many other natural phenomenon. During the creation of Native American myths, “there was much in the way of free-range food, but hunting wasn't as easy as getting up in the morning, taking a stroll and shooting a few passing bison with your bow” (Godchecker). Times were tough, “even Plains societies who lived off the prolific buffalo fell under the threat of starvation at times” (Godchecker). Finally, “when herds were found, the people were grateful and thanked the Gods profusely” (Godchecker). In Native American myths, “animals had powerful spirits and it was necessary to thank them and placate them if you wanted to make a meal of them” (Godchecker). They believed “you could see into the souls of the BEAVER, BADGER and Buffaloes as they went about their business,” or “feel the THUNDER-BIRD fixing the weather, and revel in the rascality of RAVEN, MANABOZHO and COYOTE with their tantalising tricks” (Godchecker). How can there be any doubt as to whether or not the Native American legends can be considered myths?

    Read More

  • Comparing The Theogony and Creation in Genesis

    1199 Words  | 3 Pages

    In both myths the relationship between humans and nature is shown as a positive one but with negative effects from humans’ greed and necessity for more. In the beginning of the Creation Story it is stated in the first few lines “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” God then began to create the Earth in seven days. On the first day he created day and night out of the darkness and light. The second day led to the creation of the sky. The third day was the creation of the land. The fourth day led to the creation of the season. And finally on the fifth and sixth day, animals and humans were created, and the first two were a male and female named Adam and Eve. At the end of everyday during creation the words “and God saw it was good” are written. God is happy with his creation of nature. The phrase shows the positive connotation of...

    Read More

  • EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY

    2116 Words  | 5 Pages

    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...

    Read More

More about Myths In American Culture

Open Document