Choose one myth from each of the following myth categories: the Supreme Being, the Great Mother, the dying god, and the trickster. Answer the following questions:
Supreme Being Myth
|Myth: yahweh |Religion or culture of origin: hebrew |
What are the characteristics of the Supreme Being? The Supreme Being according to Hebrew scripture is called Yahweh. Yahweh is the “sky storm god” (Leeming, 1990, p. 130). The Hebrew Supreme being is strong, he can “shut up the sea with doors”, “put wisdom in the inward part”, “give understanding to the heart” (Leeming, 1990, p. 131). Yahweh has the ability to part the light, change seasons, and changes the weather.
How did the Supreme Being create humanity?
According to Hebrew myth the Supreme Being created humanity from the ground, in his image, from the breath of Yahweh, and no other creature is created with his likeness (Bergant, & Karris, 1992, p. 41).
Great Mother Myth
|Myth: gaia |Religion or culture of origin: Greco-Roman |
What are the characteristics of the Great Mother?
The Great Mother is the source of life. Out of her body came the necessary nourishment and she has the ability to give birth to things that already seemed dead.
How did the Great Mother protect or look after humanity?
The Great mother provides nourishment for humanity. She was the guardian of the dead and the agent of birth and rebirth.
Dying God Myth
|Myth: Narcissus |Religion or culture of origin: Greco-Roman |
How did the god die?
Narcissus died by starvation. He was so in love with his own reflection that he couldn’t not get up to sleep or eat. He died by the waters that held his reflection.
How did the god come back to life?
They say that where his body lied grew white flowers with a golden centre. We believe that Narcissus turned into a flower after death.
Trickster Myth
|Myth: Old Man Coyote |Religion or culture of origin: Shoshoni |
What tricks does the trickster pull?
The Old Coyote Man sneaks up to the young buffalo bull and pretends that he can no longer hear. He asks the young bull to make him young again and the bull agrees but refuses to give him any powers. When he grows into adulthood and old coyote approaches him and asks him to do it again (make him young). When tried again it only turns himself back into an old coyote
Do these tricks help humanity? If so, how do these tricks help humanity? If not, what is the purpose of the trickster?
Yes, to always finish what you started.
Deities and Spirits
What are general characteristics of deities and spirits? List the characteristics, and provide examples of deities and spirits that exemplify each of the characteristics.
|Characteristic |Example of deity and spirit |
|A vast knowledge and powers |Prometheus was the wisest of all the Titans and created mankind. |
|A nymph |Echo was a nymph who lost her body but her voice is still able to be heard. |
|Fell in love with a mortal |Both Pele and Apollo fell in love with a mortal |
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