...A creation story or a creation myth can be defined as a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how humans adapted to it. Some creation stories, such as African creation stories existed for years. These stories has been told and passed down by many. With creation stories many people can interpret in many different ways. One of the most common creation stories that have been told was the creation of the world. In this paper I chose to write about The Planet of Life. I chose to write about this creation paper because the story itself is really interesting to me and this story reminds me of stories from the bible. This creation story, The Plant of Life, comes from a Nyamwezi story. The alternate name for Nyamwezi is Wanyamwezi. It is located in Unyamwezi. Tanzania’s national language is Kinyamwezi. The religion they believe in is spirituality shaped by traditional beliefs; Islam and Christianity. They have much respect for the living dead. The Nyamwezi people were called Wanyamwezi. They lived in East African country of Tanzaina. Their home area was called Unyamwezi, “the place of the Wanyamwezi”. As years passed the Nyamwezi culture has both influenced the cultures of neighnoring African societies as well as the national Tanzanian culture. Their religion has also had great impact on modern Nyamwezi customs. The Nyamwezi tribe “people of the moon” is the second largest in Tanzaina. The family lives together and the villages are not necessarily based on kinship relationships...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...Josh Bennion Ms. Keith Honors English 3 2 March 2014 Creation Stories A Creation Story is a creative story that elucidates how the world became to be and how mankind first inhabited the earth. Biblical and Indian Creation stories immensely resemble each other. Both of these stories have a Greater/Divine power, also they have personified animals. In the Biblical stories the Divine Power is God, and in the Indian stories there are spirits that live in the sky. Additionally, they both in some sense have a heaven with Bible having heaven and the spirits living in the sky among the clouds. Indian stories have personified animals that are generally portrayed as helping the humans unlike the Indian stories the Biblical stories have a talking serpent that tries and successfully harms the human race. He does this by manipulating them and tricks them into disobeying God. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis Chapter 3 verse 4-5). . Even though the animals are have different personalities, it is to take note of that they both had personified animals. Some may argue that these two types of stories are not related because they describe different events such as the ground of earth. “When it seemed like all had tried and failed, tiny muskrat vowed to bring up earth or die trying. She went down, deep, deep, deep, until...
Words: 449 - Pages: 2
...After reading the Iroquois and Pima creation myths in the book, I have been very intrigued by the Native American beliefs of the creation of the earth. It seems that nearly every tribe has a different belief of how it happened, though some are very similar. The Huron tribe, originally from the St. Lawrence Valley, have a very similar belief of creation as the Iroquois, where the Cherokee tribe had a totally different view than the Pima. The Iroquois and the Huron myths are both in the Earth-Diver category. In this type of myth, animals swim deep to the bottom of the water and bring up dirt in their mouth, forming the earth. Just like the Iroquois, in the Huron myth, a divine woman falls out the sky and is swept up just before hitting water by a hawk. The hawk then calls down in the water for help, for she is too heavy for it to hold by itself. First, a turtle comes out the sea for her to sit on, and then he instructs other animals such as ducks, beavers, and even a muskrat. After the earth is built, the woman gives birth to twins, but soon dies after giving birth to her two sons. The sons in both myths represent good and evil on earth. They were to prepare the earth so that humans could live on it, but they found out that they could not live together. So, they separated, with each one taking their own portion of the earth to prepare. Once older, the good son creates a sun and moon out of the remains of its mother’s body. It continues to create the world, forming vegetation...
Words: 655 - Pages: 3
...There are two similarities when comparing the Jewish, Aboriginal Australian, Hopi, Wakaranga Africa, and Lakota Sioux creation stories which are preexisting deity and humans are created last. The first similarity when comparing all five creation stories is the presents form of deity before the creation process started. First the Jewish creation story there was a god who created the heavens and the earth. Second the Lakota Sioux the gods resided in a celestial domain. Third the Australian Aboriginal, Baiame the god existed before creation. Fourth the Wakaranga African, god existed before creation. Fifth the Hopi, Hard-Being Women existed before the creation story started. There is no explanation for any of the deities in the creation stories they are just there. This...
Words: 547 - Pages: 3
...disjointed throughout the universe.” (Welker, Aztec Creation Story) This story doesn’t contain much that is similar to the Genesis story. Coatlique could be compared to Eve, in that they both gave birth. Coyolxanuhqui was killed by Huitzilopochtli a fiery god of war. This could be analogous to the snake that tried to trick Eve into eating the apple in the Garden of Eden. Both the fiery god and the snake were successful in their thirst for doing evil. The snake caused humans to seek power for themselves and he was banished to crawl on his belly forever. Both characters created chaos for the universe. In the Aztec story, the children were torn apart by fratricide then scattered and disjointed throughout the universe, comparable to the wars, hatred and evil that happens to humans after the fall in the Garden of Eden....
Words: 1451 - Pages: 6
...The creation of humans have been thought bout for trillion of years. People have become so curious that they made their own beliefs and stories to back it up or explain it. The West African and Genesis creation stories contain archetypal similarities and differences. The West African belief story, created the human and he created human by using clay. He “formed the clay in the shape that he saw in his reflection”(West African). In other words he created the human in the image of a god. That is the similarity between In the Genesis creation story the human was also made in the image of the god. Instead of using clay he used dust. Also the Earth was created different. In the beginning there was only the heavens and he himself. He created it...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...Wendy Maltos Period 4 Creation Story A long long time ago the word was made of stone, nothing grew, nothing lived, there was absolutely nothing, the galaxy that we now know didn’t exist, not even a sun or a moon. There was only one thing that existed and that was a God named Oro, and he had the power to do and make whatever he wanted. He had lived for many years and eventually grew tired of seeing nothing but a big chunk of stone so he decided to make something out of it. First he created animals, but he realized the animals had nothing to eat, so he then made plants which all the animals were to eat from. For many years that was all there was just animals and plants but some of the animals started to die because it was to cold and the plants wouldn’t grow so the animals couldn’t eat, so he made the sun to keep the plants warm and so the animals wouldn’t freeze to death. Later he was thinking of another creation he should make and he accidentally made a creature that could walk on two legs, he named them humans, they were supposed to keep the plants growing and get along with all the animals. A few months later the humans began to kill the animals, at first it was for food but later on they would just kill the animals for sport, the God became very upset about this and he started to cry, his tears were so big that when they fell onto the earth they made huge dents on the land and his tears filled them up with water. When the God realized what he had created he became very...
Words: 855 - Pages: 4
...In modern society, one doesn’t have to look far to find the effects of religion on culture. The Crusades, the current trend of Islamophobia in America today, the notion of a separation between church and state: all of these events are directly linked with religion. Every day people are attending churches and temples and adhering to their respective religious doctrines. Religious doctrine is established by the Holy texts of the religion; making religious literature a central aspect of religion and any affects that follow from a person’s belief. The Old Testament and the New Testament has greatly shaped the modern world since the advent of these Abrahamic religions. The Old Testament and the New Testament make up the holy text of Christianity, the Bible; however by itself the Old Testament is the holy text of Judaism. The Old Testament speaks about the relationship between God and his chosen people the Israelites. This relationship begins when God makes a covenant of blood with Abraham, father of the three major world religions. Throughout the text, different patriarchs of the Jewish faith interact with their God, following his commandments in exchange for protection. Offerings of meat and grain are often given, and began when Abraham first made the covenant with God. After receiving a vision from God telling Abraham of the land he will give to him, the text tells us, “But Abram said, ‘Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’ So the LORD said to him...
Words: 925 - Pages: 4
...The roots of mankind, all lie deep within creation. Being as debated as it is, many people are still unsure on how humans, animals, and even the floating, wet rock called Earth got here. Many speculate that a big bang caused the earth to form, and others take a more religious approach, with an all knowing power, or mystic being, being the one who created the Earth and everything on it. Throughout this paper I will be taking a religious approach to analyzing, comparing, and contrasting the creation stories of Christianity, Hinduism, and the Aboriginal religion, and discuss how humans appeared on Earth, how plants and animals appeared, and also how the sky, water, and land were separated or made. I also want to emphasize the uniqueness of all the myths in their own special way. The first religion is...
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...Chicarite, the most hated person in the kingdom of life, finally has done something bad enough to be thrown (in his case pushed) out of the realm. He was a disgrace to all mankind; he stole high price jewelry, rare foods that only come once a year, and great monuments of gods and goddesses. He has stolen every monument except for one, the great Zeus’s monument. Today, he made a big mistake of stealing it in front of everyone. The people were furious (mostly scared because they didn’t want the gods to punish them); they threw pots, pans, and whatever could be found at the time. One person in the angry mob happened to find a huge pot lying around. Obviously he had no aim and lunged it in to the air! ‘Krsh’! The monument shattered! As soon as the sound was heard everyone paused. They were all waiting for Chicarite’s fate. A loud ‘boom’ sounded before anyone could run away in terror! Knowing Zeus as the omniscient god, he was infuriated with what he had just seen. He decided to open up a portal to the underworld. The people understood what Zeus wanted and was ready to fulfill his judgment. They got closer and closer to Chicarite and pushed him in! As he was falling, Hades prepared a prison cell for him. Since he favored Chicarite for all his wrong doings, he made the cell bars wide enough for him to fit through. Just in time, Chicarite landed on the burning hard floor of the cell. It was like stepping on hot coals! His shoes just burned off. It was so hot in there...
Words: 708 - Pages: 3
...At first, I thought reading this text was going to be the most agonizing thing I'd do all summer; however, I was briefly intrigued and compelled to these rich and colorful body of work that these Native Americans have left for us to dissect. The "Iroquios Creation Story" was an alluring story that gave us yet another depiction of how our earth and everything in it came to be. What drew me in to the story was the similarities of the story of Genesis and this tale of the two brothers who formed the good and evils of the world. The fact that they believed that someone basically took a brush (in the Iroquios case their mother's deceased body), and out of nothingness created all we know is quite unique. It makes wonder how many other cultures believe...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...Genesis Two Creation Stories I was not aware there were two different creation stories in Genesis “beginning” until taking this course. It is extremely interesting that in both stories basically the same thing is accomplished, the creation of the world. However, how this is described and accomplished is where the differences become noticeably different in the two stories. After reading both creations stories several times, I believe that each story simply gives a different prospective as the individuals who wrote them were different people. In the first creation the author is speaking out Gods thoughts as they appeared each day. Genesis 1.1 – 1.31 tells us how through the six days he created light and darkness, water above and below with dry land, lights in the dome in the sky, water creatures, birds in the sky, living creatures that move and then the creation of humans. Humans were then told by God to “Be fruitful and multiply” and that they were created in God’s own imagine. And in 2.1 of Genesis the author is letting us know that after six days of creation, God rested on the seventh from all the work he had done. In the second creation, the author leads us to believe that there were already pre-existing material on earth, dust and the ground. Genesis 2.7 says “then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils and the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” We learn here that the name giving to man “Adam” is formed from...
Words: 470 - Pages: 2
...It was now January 31st, and Sydni Kellie and Lauren hadn’t even begun to start their bridge yet. They always talked about beginning it but never followed through. Something had always come up- dance, soccer, horses. They used pictures of other peoples bridges for t when Mr. Buck checked their progress. But it had gotten to the point where they had reached desperation. It was the last minute, and all they had was a bucket filled with supplies. It was eight in the morning and Sydni and Kellie were sitting in Kellie’s car. They had 24 hours to build a bridge adequate enough to pass. Lauren suddenly banged on the car, and there was a piece of paper with writing on it. Sydni rolled down her window, and snatched the paper from Laurens grasp. “What is this?” “Good morning to you too syd.” “ya, hi. Whos number is this ?” “A tutor! His name is Andrew.“ “Ok? Thanks for the insult Lauren,but I think I can handle passing Physics by myself..,” “No syd. That’s not what she means. Lauren are you saying that this guy can build us a bridge?…” “Yes kellie! That’s exactly what Im saying!” The three girls stared at each other in silence, and then all began talking at once. “Let’s call hi..” “Should we cal..” “Is this illeg…” Eventually, one of them ended up dialing the number. After the third ring, a man answered, “Andrew’s castle, whats your hastle?” “uhhhh. Sorry to bother you Andrew, my name is sydni. me and my friends need a little favor.” After 5 minutes, Sydni had...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures Leroy Williams HUM/105 World Mythology August 19, 2015 Dr. Cheryl Lampshire Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures Does anyone really know how the world was created? The creation of the world is a big mystery that may never be resolved. Many people mainly, religious believe that God created the world; and there are others that believe other creators were involved in the process of creating the world. I believe that creation is the most important subject in the myth culture. There are several meanings for creation but according to the dictionary "Creation" (n.d.), “creation is the act of producing or causing to exist; it is also the act of creating and engendering”. Creation myths describe the beginning of the world’s cosmic order. For many years there have been studies done, where scientist have been trying to decipher how the world was created and as of today there is no evidence that will help with its finding. With this paper I will discuss two myths the Aboriginal Myth and the Zulu Creation Myth. Which world or worlds, such as the earth, sky, and the underworld they represent, what the elements of these worlds are? Provide a description of the creators, where they female or male, and would gender actually make a difference? Additionally it will explain what they created, and will include the steps or cycles of creation. Will provide descriptions of any destruction or destroyers if necessary. The role of cosmic...
Words: 1081 - Pages: 5
...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Arthil Valena Hum 105 May 23, 2016 David Hudson Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures There are many creation myths that originate from different cultures. Every culture has its own unique myth that explains creation and how the world and life came to be (Leonard & McClure, 2004). Although each culture has a different way of explaining the story of creation, there are some similarities and differences among them. Two of the myths that are more divergent in content are the Edda creation myth from Norse culture and the Genesis creation myth from Hebrew culture. Although both creation stories have more than one realm, they differ in how they break each area down. Both creation myths also have a god or gods as the beginning creators. All cultures have their own creation myths and it is interesting to see the similarities and differences between Monotheistic and Polytheistic There are many worlds or realms to take into consideration when discussing the Norse creation myth. In the beginning there was a realm called Muspell which was made of fire, and a realm called Niflheim which was made of ice (Leonard & McClure, 2004). Between both of these realms was a sea of emptiness called Ginnungagap (Leonard & McClure, 2004). All three of the realms were not considered to be part of the heavens or the earth but rather before earth. These realms were the beginning or pre-worlds of the Norse creation myths. According...
Words: 930 - Pages: 4
