...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Charlie Warren HUM/105 02/29/15 Jennifer Meunir Introduction The two creation myths that I chose to compare and contrast are The Creation of the Universe and Ife. Each myth has its story, and they all included a world with a sky, earth, and the underworld. There is also the creator of humans both male and female. Both genders have their significances including what they created and the steps they took. Both myths have a different cycle of creation that is similar and different in many ways, which is important to its culture. Creation Myths The sky was represented as a place of greatness in both myths. They symbolize the heavens where the Gods and creator lived. In both myths, the greatest or most powerful God ruled over the sky. In each myth the elements of each world and how they came to be may vary, for example, in the story of Yin and Yang the two Gods created the heaven and the earth out of nothing. In the Yoruba myth the heavens and the earth were already created and ruled by Gods. Yin and Yang were the creators in the Chinese myth,”And Yang gathered into himself all that was bright and light. And, like a mist, Yang drifted upward into Heaven and become one with it. And Heaven became round. Then Yin gathered into herself all that was dark and heavy. And, like a thick, plodding mass, Yin sank downward into the earth and became one with it. And earth became square.” (Rosenberg 345) Yang gave birth to fire, when her breath became...
Words: 1107 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 754 - Pages: 4
...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Carolyn Scott HUM/105 April 28, 2014 Kerry Jones Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures For the assignment this week, I’ve chosen the Hawaiian creation myth and the Navajo creation myth. In the Hawaiian myth, there was only endless darkness with 2 beings, Kumulipo and Po’ele, they created the creatures that live in the pure darkness. They also gave birth to 2 new beings, who created the almost darkness creatures. They gave birth to two more beings who gave birth to two more until the final 5th couple was born. As each couple created animals and plants, the world began to lighten slowly. Soon the first man and first woman were created and they gave birth to more humans. As they were created right before dawn, their skin was very dark. As they had more generations of children, the children became lighter and lighter until they became the color they are now ("The Hawaiian Creation", 2015). In the Navajo myth, there are 4 worlds. There were 6 beings that lived in this dark and small place. As they grew tired of the darkness, they left that world and went to the 2nd world. They lived peacefully in the 2nd world until they were banished and left for the 3rd world. This was the place where the Dine were born and learned how to pray and were taught many rituals. They finally made it to the 4th world where First Man and First Woman built the first hogan and the Wind God carried their people all over. While both creation myths have a higher...
Words: 801 - Pages: 4
...Cheonjiwang Bonpuli From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Cheonjiwang Bonpuli (Hangul: 천지왕 본풀이, literally 'Chronicles of Cheonjiwang') is a Korean creation myth, traditionally retold by shamans in the small island ofJeju Island. It is one of the best-known Creation myths in the Korean peninsula, and many key elements in the Cheonjiwang Bonpuli can be found in the creation myths of the mainland.[1] Plot[edit] Unlike its title, the supreme deity Cheonjiwang (Hangul: 천지왕), whose name literally means 'King of the Heavens and the Earth', serves mainly as a secondary character. The protagonists of the myth are instead the two sons of Cheonjiwang, Daebyeol and Sobyeol. The myth starts with the creation of the world, when the sky and the earth were one (This concept can be found in most other creation myths; see Chaos andGinnungagap). As there were no sky nor earth, as a result, there was only an empty void. However, one day, a gap formed in the void. All that was lighter than the gap headed upwards and formed the sky. All that was heavier than the gap fell down to become the earth. From the sky fell a clear blue drop of dew, and from the earth rose a dark black drop of dew. As these two drops mixed, all that existed, except the sun, moon, and the stars, came to be. From these two drops came humans and even the gods.[2][3][4] The leader of the gods, Cheonjiwang, awoke to the cry of the three roosters; the Cheonhwangdag (Hangul: 천황닭, literally 'Rooster Emperor of the Sky'), the...
Words: 1830 - Pages: 8
...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...
Words: 1414 - Pages: 6
...Two Creation Myths HUM/105 September 17, 2012 The two creation stories I chose to write about are The Genesis account (Hebrew) and the Iroquois Creation myth (Sky Woman). There are several different worlds represented in the two myths I chose. The worlds covered in the story of the Sky Woman are sky, earth, water, and underworld. In the creation story of the Iroquois (Sky Woman) starts off with two worlds an upper world and a lower world. The divine lived in the upper world; the lower world was covered with water and the only beings on the lower land were ones who knew how to swim (Ray, , 2006). In the creation story of Genesis (Hebrew) it talks about the elements we see and experience today. In the Genesis creation story we learn according to "Bible Gateway" (2011), God in the beginning created the heavens and earth. God first spoke that there be light, He named light “day” and darkness night ("Bible Gateway", 2011). God saw that the earth was formless and void and He created water, land, and the sky ("Bible Gateway", 2011). In this creation story the worlds that are spoken about are Heaven, earth, sky, land and water. The creator in the Genesis creation is God it doesn’t state but it is assumed the He is a man. In the story of the Sky woman the creator is a woman. The significance of gender in the Genesis story is that God created human beings to be in His image, in which the first person was a man. The significance of the Sky woman being a female is that with...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...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,...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...says no he won’t help. Theo crosses the field of adventure when he asks his cousin for the transport papers and agrees to escort Kee. The belly of the whale, the series of tasks, and the meeting of the goddess all revolve around Julian. The ultimate boon is when Kee is delivered to the Human Project Boat, completing the quest. 4. Some cultural truths that we see in this movie include: Fears of war, illegal immigrants, death/the end of the human race that our lifestyles will effect our bodies (chemicals, over-processed food, pollution, prescription and recreational drugs), terrorism, that the government is either not working for us, hurting people, or will violate our freedoms, that we’re not prepared for the future. 5. A similar creation myth to this movie is Out of the Blue. Kee doesn’t know who the father of her child is and doesn’t even know how she became pregnant in the first place. Sky Woman has a husband but is miraculously impregnated after lying under the Tree of Life alone. We also see Sky Woman creating the heavens and the earth out of darkness/nothing, where Kee creates hope and life out of nothing with her...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Alexi LaBrenz HUM 105 Professor Jordan “Chris” April 10, 2016 Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures When discussing different cosmic creation myths, something to remember is the style of creation myth it is. There are nine different styles of myths when talking about creation: accretion or conjunction, secretion, sacrifice, division or consummation, earth-diver, emergence, two creators, deus faber, and ex nihillo. For the purpose of discussing the Norse creation myth, and the Genesis myth focus will be on secretion, division or consummation, deus faber and ex nihillo (Leonard, 2004). Genesis: The Creation Account Arguably one of the most well-known mythological account of how the world came to be is the story of Genesis. Before divulging into the myth itself, there are two different styles of creation presented. The first is deus faber - wonder of nature, intricacy and complexity of life, and secondly, ex nihillo – of god, creating out of chaos (Leonard, 2004). In the beginning of the world, according to Genesis, there was nothing but God. Then God took seven days, which symbolize the seven days of our week. On the first day, Sunday, God created heaven and earth. Not finished with his creation, he created light on the second day, and with light came darkness, this is what is now know as night and day. On the third day he created water and land, followed by vegetation. On the fourth he created the stars to give light to...
Words: 1053 - Pages: 5
...Creation Myths Across Cultures Angie Laird HUM/105 - World Mythology Class Group: BSDH16JHC0 University of Phoenix Online Instructor: Gerald Grudzen February 11, 2013 Comparing and contrasting creation myths The two creation myths chosen to compare and contrast focuses on the Norse culture of Iceland Vikings and the Genesis creation of the Hebrew origin of Christian culture. Both creation myths begin with an empty void where chaos or conflict develops. The Norse myth narrates a conflict between the fiery realm of Muspell and the dark, cold realm of Niflheim within the emptiness called ginnungagap and where nothing could grow. The Genesis conflict was between God and nothing, loneliness, and the need to create something beautiful. There are specifically nine classifications of creation myths and many employ more than one motif. Genesis cosmogonies apply both the deus faber and ex nihilo motifs. The story often considered the ex nihilo myth, meaning "out of nothing" is the account in the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, of God's creation in six days by speaking into existence light and darkness, sun and moon, stars and earth, plants and animals, and birds and fish. God then generates Adam in His image from the dust and breathes life into him and Eve was formed from one of Adam's ribs, therefore combining deus faber (the "maker-God") with ex nihilo motifs. The Nordic creation myths tend to combine accretion/conjunction, secretion, and sacrifice motifs. It features...
Words: 1779 - Pages: 8
...Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Stephanie Smith HUM/105 August 18, 2014 Kwajalein Harmon Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures Creation myths are stories told throughout time to describe how the world was formed and began. They also tell how the first people came to inhabit it. There are different myths for different cultures. The Native Americans have several myths. The Seminole Indians believe in the Creator who is also known as the Grandfather of all things. They believed the Creator made the earth. He then made all the animals of the world. The next step in his creation was to place all living things in a shell and placed it beside a tree. The Creator was hoping that the panther would be the first one to leave the shell. However, the shell sat for a long time. Over time the root of the tree formed with the shell and finally a crack appeared. Then the winds helped to make the crack wider. The bird began to peck at the crack until finally the panther emerged from the shell. The rest of the animals followed after that and they all went out to find their proper place on Earth. (nativeamcreation.html, 2015) The creator in this myth is a man. There does not seem to be any significance to this. One can only assume that man was always considered the greater being. The Zulu myth begins with just one seed that fell to the Earth. Once the seed took root in the earth, Uthlanga began to grow. These are long reeds that mean “the source of all things”. The first one...
Words: 741 - Pages: 3
...Cosmic Creation Myths Vanessa Pomi HUM 105 December 1, 2014 Christa Menninger Cosmic Creation Myths There are several creation myths across different cultures. Every different culture has its own unique creation myth that explains how the world and life came to be (Leonard & McClure, 2004). Although each culture has a different way of explaining the creation story, there are similarities and differences among them. Two of the myths that are more divergent in content are the Eddas 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 them. 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 to Norse mythology there were two main creators, Ymir and Audumla (Leonard...
Words: 945 - Pages: 4
...“Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures” Karen Brown HUM/105 February 02, 2012 Instructor: Mr. Gifford University of Phoenix Introduction Myths are said to be the answers as to how and when our world first was created and from this evolution was the birth of life on to the planet. Many different cultures have came about by the telling of these fables to the next generation and also sets the stage for who actually brought forth the creation of human being, the Greenland, the watery plain, animals and other elements of nature into view. In this paper it will have for discussion the description of two creation myths and their cultural surrounding, which world(s) are presented in the myths like the sky, earth, and the underworld along with the elements of these worlds. Whether or not there are significance gender and if the creator are male or female, description of what was created and the steps or cycle of creation, the role of cosmic occurrences, and then compare the similarities and differences of the two myths. Creators of the World For centuries there has been the burning question of who were our creators. There have been ancient narratives or passages written over time about how the world was formed and that the gods saw fit to brought about life into universe, one account is quoted from the book of Genesis contain written knowledge as one god, but no say as to if the gender was male or female but a spirit that shaped and molded the heavens and earth...
Words: 737 - Pages: 3
...Compare and contrast the Biblical creation myths with other creation myths from Greece and the Ancient Near East. This essay will compare and contrast the Biblical creation myths with other creation myths from Greece and the Ancient Near East. It will first discuss the initial creation of the universe followed by the creation of mankind and finally the recreation of man whilst drawing parallels to Sumerian and Babylonian texts, The Old Testament and Hesiods Theogony. In paying particular attention to the chronology of each myth it will be shown that the creation myths regarding the universe and mankind evolved from as far back as the Sumerian stories. From the fragmented Sumerian tablets discovered throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries , (that date back as far as the third millenium B.C.) Sumerologists, such as Samuel Noah Kramer, have deciphered the oldest cosmogonic concepts ever found . Kramer explains that because the Sumerians lacked "scientific methods of definition and generalization " to make sense of the origins and the working of the universe they attempted to provide explanation through the use of poetry, epic tales and hymns . The only scientific information they had access to was what could be seen around them, that being Earth, Air, Heaven and Water , and according to the Ancient Sumerians it was through these essential elements that the universe came to be and it begins with Nammu, the primeval sea. From the primeval sea was born...
Words: 2126 - Pages: 9
...The myths within different cultures cosmic creation 105 6/29/2015 Dr. AMBRONITA DOUZART The myths within different cultures cosmic creation With the stories of the myths creations, they have told to generation-to-generation. To give a clear understand, of the world how it started. Also created to what it has become now. It explains the reasons of how the human being created, in came to function on in the world. With these myths different cultures, have their stories to tell of myths as such. The two creations myths that I will be discussing is the Navajo. The Inca, they are signifying as the world that is on the earth with the moon. The sun elements of animals, fire, trees, water all symbolize the world Navajo also the Inca. With the Incan, believe the sun created the world, also who created the world. For the Navajo the sun, just like it created for the Inca. With both of these creators, they all made worlds for the people within their society the main, reason with both the Inca Navajo creators. For the creators of both of these societies, they have different methods of making the world. Also within Both the Inca and the Navajo, the creators gender is a man, not women. For the reason, women were not the symbol, of power and valued, as men would be in these cultures as creators. With the Navajo society world The Pachacamer is the Inca maker, of the maker of people. Although the myths of the Navajo maker has already started creating people,...
Words: 1329 - Pages: 6
