...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Kaydiann A. Davis Hum/105 October 15, 2015 Leif Olson Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Creation and cosmic myths have been active across different cultures for many years, and from the beginning of time; they were created to help humankind comprehend and explain the dimensions and connections to the sky, earth, or underworld. All three worlds are considered imperative to the sustenance and maintenance of human existence within the universe. Although there are many myths existing in today's world; the Vishnu myth from the Hindu creation, and the Egyptian myth of Osiris, Isis, and Horus which created hope for Egyptians assuring them, that if they live well with one another on earth they will live a life of peace and tranquility after death. To understand these myths we have first to identify the worlds and the element embedded in those worlds, define the creators, describe what they created, and the process of creation. Then compare these components, and analyze the role of cosmic occurrence, and the elements presented in both myths. Finally assessing the importance of creation and cosmic myths, and the core values they represent in our existence today. The Vishnu creation myth is represented by earth and sky worlds, with Vishnu having a direct correlation to the sun, which represents the sky world. Then there is the earth world that is represented by Rudha, the destructive side of Vishnu that erects storms and create floods destroying...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Kelly Holliday University of Phoenix HUM/105 Cecelia Weber November 5, 2013 Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures The Inca and Navajo myths represent a world on earth. On earth the elements of sun, moon, water, fire, trees, and animals are all represented within the Inca and Navajo worlds. The creator for the Navajo world is the sun as were the Incan world creator is a derivative of the sun. Each creator provides a world for its people. This is the main concept for each creator, but this process is done in very different ways. The creators are perceived to be male in both worlds. It does not appear women play an important role unless given leadership from the creator. The Incan creator, named Pachacamac, created humans as to where the Navajo creation myth already had the first beings in the world. The Navajo world consisted of the first beings, which they named the first men, first women, salt women, fire god, coyote, and Begochiddy. Navajo’s Begochiddy, who is also the Child of the Sun, is the creator of all elements and other worlds for the first beings. Pachacamac, the creator for the Incas, was lonely at night so he created stars, planets, and the moon. Pachacamac created such a beautiful moon, he then falls in love and marries his moon. The significance of gender is the ability to the produce life to other beings and elements. He goes on to create mankind out of stone. The mankind he creates is pitiful and unable to care for...
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...language as cosmogony, the diverse myth of creation varies drastically among many areas of the earth and during numerous periods throughout history (Leonard & McClure, 2004). The telling of such myths and stories gives insight to the culture and behavior of many societies. This information becomes religion for some and yet a way to pass down the history, heritage, and tradition of a civilization to another. The most common way to dissect and question a myth uses tools that would identify the nature of the story and outline the origin. The many distinct views in use to theorize and question mythoi are commonly the social, the psychological, the literary, the structural, and the political form of the myth. The areas in which to question commonly reference back to a toolkit that when brought into use in examination of a myth, the analysis is simple and questions cover many concerns. The debate of whether a myth is a story of imagination or holds any fact depends on if it comes from “a tale told by idiots,” or rather “sages, religious fundamentalists and agnostic theologians, idealists and cynics, racists and fascists,” or “philosophers and scholars” (Leonard & McClure, 2004, p. 5). Choosing to use social, psychological, and structural for the theoretical methods of inspection to breakdown and question the narrations of various myths of creation will show the function in their respective societies and cultures. The social aspect questions how the myth affects a group of people and...
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...one will discuss two myths from different cultures. The two myths chosen for this paper are the Genesis creation (Hebrew origin) of the Christian culture, and the Norse culture of Iceland (the Vikings). Both of these creation myths start with an emptiness where conflict and chaos eventually develop. The Genesis crearion is between God, nothing, blackness, emptiness, loneliness, and the need to create something. The Norse creation is between the dark cold realm of Niflheim, within the emptiness of Ginnungagap, and the fiery realm of Muspell, where nothing can grow. There are nine classifications of creation myths, which most include more than one motif. The Genesis cosmogonies applies both ex nihilo, and deus faber motifs. The story begins with the ex nihilo myth, which God creates the light, the dark, the sun, the moon, the earth, the stars, plants, animals, birds, and fish, within six days out of nothing. This account is told in Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament. Then God creates a man, Adam, in his own image from the dust of the earth and breathes life into him. When God realizes it is not good for man to be alone, he causes a deep sleep to come upon Adam. Then he takes a rib from Adams side and forms a woman. Therefore, combining deus faber (the "maker-God") with ex nihilo motifs. The Norse creation myths combines secretion, sacrifice, and accretion/conjunction motifs. It combines fire and ice in a random conjoining of elements. The myth begins with Muspells...
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...Myth and Scripture resources for Biblical Study Susan ackerman, Old testament/hebrew Bible editor number 78 Myth and Scripture conteMporary perSpectiveS on religion, language, and iMagination Edited by dexter e. callender Jr. SBl press atlanta copyright © 2014 by SBl press all rights reserved. no part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 copyright act or in writing from the publisher. requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the rights and permissions office, Society of Biblical literature, 825 houston Mill road, atlanta, ga 30329 uSa. library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Myth and scripture : contemporary perspectives on religion, language, and imagination / Dexter E. Callender, Jr., editor. p. cm. — (Society of Biblical literature resources for biblical study ; number 78) includes bibliographical references and index. iSBn 978-1-58983-961-8 (paper binding : alk. paper) — iSBn 978-1-58983-962-5 (electronic format) — iSBn 978-1-58983-963-2 (hardcover binding : alk. paper) 1. Myth in the Bible. 2. Bible. old testament—criticism, interpretation, etc. i. callender, dexter e., 1962– editor of compilation. ii. callender, dexter e., 1962– author. Myth and Scripture : dissonance and convergence.. BS520.5.M98 2014 220.6'8—dc23 2014002897...
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...Egyptian Creation Mythology Myths have emerged from around the world to explain certain phenomena of nature, various traditions & rituals and tales of epic journeys, which pass on, idealised in each telling. Creation myth is found in all cultures and tries to define the origin of the universe, usually based on each peoples understanding and beliefs. The biblical story of creation is well known, the story of one God creating Earth and human life, but one of the less understood creation stories is from the Egyptian Civilisation. Egyptian cosmogonies were distinctly unique and directed more towards explaining the order of the world, also known as Maat, rather than the actual creation of mankind. It focused on more important factors like sun rising each day and annual Nile flooding. It was believed that Egyptian life would continue its orderly progression irrespective of whether humans lived or died. Egyptian kings and queens were regarded as incarnations of the gods and provided order with the help from symbolic rites and rituals. Differing Egyptian cosmogonies can be found where each world was created in diverse means according to their understanding and beliefs of the universe. A similarity of these stories was the world beginning from chaotic, lifeless water, described as Nu or Nun , when for the ‘first occasion’ the sun rose from a mound in a period sometimes called ‘Zep Tepi’. This ‘first occasion’ is referred to as the appearance of sun-god Ra or the god of the newly-risen...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Edward Jones Hum/105Class May 30, 2014 Christa Menninger This essay will go into detail about how creation myths may affect our many different cultures around the world. I hope to explain how these types of myths are an important part of our cultures throughout our country and world. In many instances these types of myths does have an impact of the people who live in the many different countries of the world. I have had a very hard time in believing in myths, stories, fables, folklore, and have never really thought about them up until now. By taking this class I hope to open my mind, and yours to the possibilities of myths and the involvement it plays in our culture, and other cultures around the world. The first myth that I chose for this assignment is The Navajo Creation Myth. The reason I chose this myth is because I am interested in the myths that surround the United States, and the cultures within this country. The Navajo people were believed to be hunter-gatherers, and these people had migrate from the eastern part of Alaska. These people migrated to what we now know as New Mexico, and this migration was all done on foot, and I for one would have not traveled over the 3,500 miles of uncharted territory by foot. Navajo people were either forced to move or there were circumstances that came up that made them have to move. Knowing that the Navajo people are an important part of our history and culture, it is also important...
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...LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Book Summary of Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament by John H. Walton Submitted to Dr. Peter Hamilton in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course 201420 Spring 2014 OBST 510-B08 LUO by March 2, 2014 ABSTRACT There are fourteen chapters in the book Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible written by John H. Walton. It includes five main sections. Along with these sections there are historical pictures that consist of over 20 images. Each one of those images are included in a complete appendix at the beginning of the book. Walton gives acknowledgements, which are followed by a list of abbreviations. Part 1- Comparative Studies In this first section it includes the first two chapters. Chapter one is appropriately named history and methods. The resolution of this part of the book is to protect the Bible from the harm done by comparative studies which warped evidence to work against the historicity, canonicity, and divine revelation of the Bible. Chapter 1- History and Methods This chapter opens up with the rediscovery of Egypt and Mesopotamia, dating back to the 1800s and the mid 1900s. The author states that archeologists were very quickly discovering that the Bible in its entirety was completely and wholly accurate and true. It was during this time that evolution and the scientific...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Michelle Faunce-Carroll HUM/105 – WORLD MYTHOLOGY BSDC1K2PN1 CHARLES OSBORNE April 11, 2016 Comparing and Contrasting Creation Myths There are many creations myths from different cultures. Two such myths are the Old Testament creation of the Christian culture and the Norse culture of Iceland. These creation myths are both similar in the sense that they start with an emptiness and darkness in which life eventually develops. The Old Testament creation starts with nothingness and complete emptiness. The Norse creation begins with a darkness, emptiness combined with a fieriness of Muspell, where nothing can grow. In Genesis the first book in the Holy bible, the earth was dark, empty, formless matter. It began when the Spirit of God covered the waters to prepare and perform his most creative work. God spoke and his creation was formed. (Genesis 1979) On the first day, "God created the light and separated the light from the darkness, calling light "day" and darkness "night". On the second day, "God created an expanse to separate the waters and called it "sky". On the third day, "God created the dry ground and gathered the waters, calling the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters, "seas”. God also created the plants, flowers, trees, and grasses on day three. On the fourth day, "God created the sun, moon, and the stars to give light to the earth and to govern and separate the day and the night". These also serve to mark the years, days,...
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...Creation Myths Kimberly L. Moore HUM/105 World Mythology Diana Bernstein February 1, 2016 Creation Myths * I have chosen the “Greek Creation Myth,” and the “Mayan Creation Myth.” * In the “Mayan Creation Myth,” the heavens and the earth are both represented. The elements of earth are: day, moon and stars, mountains and hills, streams and rivers, animals, and human beings. The heavens are represented by Veracocha’s retreat to Lake Titcaca, from which he emerges in the beginning of the myth. It also describes a sea world as the god and his companions retreat to the coast of the sea, in the end of the myth, never to be seen again (Rosenberg p. 599) In the “Greek Creation myth,” earth, the sky world, and underworld are all represented. The earth is made from the earth Goddess, Gaia. The sky, and its starry mantle are Uranus, Gaia’s husband. The underworld is a place that contains the deepest, darkest depths of the earth, but also the “Blessed Isles,” a beautiful place where the heroes go when they die (University of Phoenix, 2015). * The creator in the Mayan creation myth is Lord Con Ticci Viracocha, “prince of the heavens and the earth” (Rosenburg p.599). Viracocha created the heavens and the earth first. Then, he created the animals and a race of “gigantic human beings” (Rosenburg p.571). He was displeased with the behaviors of the animals and humans, turned them into stone, and flooded the earth killing all of its inhabitants. He began again by creating day...
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...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Jessica Farrah Hum/105 Janurary-18-2016 Paul Nersesian Mythology. When you think of what that means to you it may be mainstream as in Hercules, Troy, and many other movies and stories that have been inspired by the gods and religion. Yet there is a much deeper story behind what we know. Tracing back for centuries in forms of different religions and countries upon their own belief. In this paper I will discuss the Greek Theogoina and the Sumarian creation myth of Ulligara and Zalgarra. In Greece, circa 700 BC, Hesiod lived and wrote a poem called the Theogonia, which means “the birth of the gods.” Today, we call it the Theogony, and it is more spiritual than Greek and Latin poetry about myths that followed the Theogony. Hesiod is closer to a time when there was less distinction between the world of myth and that of daily life. (63. Leonard, McClure) The Earth, in the Theogony, is represented by Gaia. The Sky is represented by Ouranos. Tartarus is an early stage in the development of the Underworld. Chaos, or a “yawning void” came into being, and then Gaia, also known as the mother of the Earth in some cultures, followed by Tartaros and Eros. Chaos, Gaia, Ouranos, and Tartaros are the creators of all things in the Theogony. Things kind of generated spontaneously and eventually Gaia and Ouranos, who are also considered brother and sister, produced twelve Titans; six male and six female. They also gave life to the Cyclopes...
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...abundant amount of religious and glorified explanations of how our world has become present day. Society refers to these narratives as myths or legends. Mythology spreads all across the world reaching different cultures, which in their own have ideologies to the present common rituals beliefs that have brought their culture to present form. Although there has been much development in the culture of Chinese mythology, this culture can be traced back 4,000 years to the oldest of myths (Willis 88). Mythology tries to answer the question of earth’s origin through beliefs and cultural myths. In Chinese mythology the earth is said to have formed when chaos ruled the universe, from this chaos a cosmic egg formed for 18,000 years. A divine beast formed within the egg creating a perfect balance known as Yin and Yang. The divine beast burst the egg apart and separated Yin from Yang to create earth and sky. The Yin or light parts formed the male skies while the opaque Yang parts formed the female earth. The beast Pan Gu then lies down and dies so that he may rise up to keep the earth and sky apart. His body parts then become sun, earth, moon, wind, water, and clouds. The symbolism of complementary opposition is a representation of their duality and oneness and is represented in Chinese culture through the Yin and Yang symbol and is a staple in Chinese culture. Mythology has a strong belief in deities and supernatural beings. Pan Gu is a supernatural divine creature whom sacrificially...
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...varieties. What one group of people believes will find another believes something completely different. With all the various religious rituals and beliefs it is hard for anyone to understand all the customs and worship. Humans are constantly striving to find a sense of tranquility and harmony and searching for what will give them that sentiment and understanding. People bring thoughts from the religion they are brought up or predisposed too. under or from the principal religion of their circle. For example they may think that all religion has a sacred book, worships a heavenly being, or that it has a set of commandments (Molloy & Hilgers, 2010). Religion has eight elements, belief system, community, central myths, rituals, ethics, characteristics emotional experiences, material expressions, and sacredness (Molloy & Hilgers, 2010). Each religion has its own belief system and thoughts. It is no surprise that each religion characterizes in a different way the nature of sacred reality, the cosmos, the natural world, time and human purpose. Religions also vary in their way of thinking toward the role of words in conveying the sacred in their connections to other customs. Some religions speak of the sacred as transcendent, existing primarily in a space further than the everyday world. In other religions whereas sacred reality is spoken of as being immanent that is, it is within nature and human beings and can be encountered as energy or holiness. Occasionally the sacred...
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...what is written in the bible would want to perform endless days of research and ability to see firsthand by reading Walton’s book. These areas covered in Walton’s book cover the time from when the Old Testament had begun to be written back in BC and later re-found along with other textual artifacts earth in the 18 and mid 19th century AD. The discoveries of both biblical, and other un-biblical artifacts is covered within Walton’s book to how and why some individuals who have a different form of religious beliefs. To how in the past the individual living during early Near Eastern thought processes had been in regards to God or in many cases when not Israeli or Christian involved gods which were based off an individual’s personal interpretation. Which then in many cases spawned a different form of religion, in many cases were based off an event which. The many different form of religious beliefs covered in stem from the mythological Near Eastern form of thought process. In addition, to the aspect of how such un-Christian aspects from the past being so different from Christian gave further need...
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...Zoroastrianism and Its Influences on the World With a membership of about 200,000, the importance of Zoroastrianism is far greater than its numbers suggest. Closely related to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, its concepts of Satan, angelology, demonology, a deliverer, future life, paradise and judgment in these religions may have been directly or indirectly derived from Zoroastrianism. Founded by the Iranian prophet and reformer Zoroaster in the 6th century BC, Zoroastrianism contains both monotheistic and dualistic features. Its concepts of one God, judgment, heaven and hell likely influenced the major Western religions. History of Zoroastrianism The origins of the Zoroastrian religion are shrouded in mystery. The prophet Zarathustra, later referred to by the Greeks as Zoroaster, founded Zoroastrianism roughly between the 16th and 10th centuries BCE. Zoroaster's birth date is also uncertain and modern scholarship currently suggests he lived in northern or eastern Iran or nearby such as in Afghanistan or southern Russia. In Zoroaster’s thirties he had a revelation in which he saw an angel who told him that there is only one true god and that God’s name was Aura Mazda (Clark, 1998). It is certain that by the year 549 B.C.E., Zoroastrianism had become a major world religion. It was Cyrus the Great, first ruler of the Persian Empire, who ordained Zoroastrianism as the official religion of his state. It was this same Cyrus that liberated the Jews from the occupation they...
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