Comparing Two Creation Myths

Creation myths have similar aspects involving the importance of issues allowed by the gods, nature, duality, and creation songs that all relate to the beginning of life, that are expressed in different ways. The Iroquois cultures in “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and the Hopi cultures in“The Four Kingdoms” both explore these different aspects specifically. They show how life can be created and maintained in different ways.

Many similarities can be seen between the three creation myths. Firstly, there was nothing but chaos, and something more and more fine becomes created from it. In the Greek mythos it was chaos and out of chaos emerged Gaea (earth), Tartarus (underworld) and Eros (love), Erebus (darkness), and Nyx (night). The Egyptian has a similar creation story where Nun is the chaos and out of this chaos emerged Re (Ra). also in the Norse story has Ginnungagap, with its constant battle of fire against ice, being the chaos of perfect silence and from this constant clash of elements came the ancestor of all Jotun (giant) Ymir and the primeval cow Audhumla.

Native American tribes wove a complicated tapestry of creation myths because where they came from was important to them; the Puritans likewise spent time writing and speaking about their relationship to the God that brought them into the world but had serious demands about how to live life in return for His Grace. The existential questions of "How did we get here?" and "What should matter to us now that we are here?" were interpreted by the different tribes and Colonial Americans in very different ways as each had their own ideas about how to answer this question.

In the multiple origin stories both the Native and Euro-Americans told, there were many ways that Earth was believed to be created. Through stories like “Earth on Turtle’s Back,” “White Buffalo Woman,” and the book of Genesis, the values and beliefs of each group shine through. Reading origin stories of the Euro-American and Native American civilizations illuminates profound differences in the cultural values of the two groups.

In a clear, concise, and well-organized essay, I will analyze the different motifs of the creation myths process, struggle, and organic material. The definition of a motif is “something in literature we notice repeated over and over again. I will include ample evidence to conclude the myths that include these motifs, why they used them and how they used them. In the final analysis, I will conclude why I envision the motifs: struggle, process, and organic material are the three most important to me and why.

The Mayan creation story starts off with the Earth being nothing but water. Then there are six deities or that lay in the water and helped Hurakan create the Earth. The power they had gave the Earth energy and spirit. They planted a ceiba tree to separate the sky and Earth. Plants and animals were created but animals could not speak or worship the deities. They decided to create humans from mud but were destroyed in a flood because they had no souls. Next wooded humans were created but destroyed as well. The surviving ones are supposed to have become monkeys. There was no Sun or Moon yet, but a bird named Seven Macaw said he was both and the two hero twins killed him. The two twins played the game of ball and challenged the Lord of the Underworld. By beating them, they brought their Father back to life who became the Maize God. The twins became the Sun and Moon and since the Earth now had light, the deities created the final humans. These humans were made of the white and yellow corn (Smithsonian, The Creation Story). This is where the story of Mayan creation ends.

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 phenomenons 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

Everything was created in one day. There were two Gods, Tepeu and Gucumatz. Gucumatz was the Feathered Spirit and Tepeu was the maker. Whatever they thought came to life (The Big Myth. (2015). They thought of earth and land formed. Following the creation of the earth, they thought valleys, pine trees, water and mountains. Tepeu and Gucumatz needed beings to praise them and protect their creations. So they created creatures. They wanted the creatures to praise them but they were disappointed. The first man was made from clay. He wasn’t good enough. The second men were made from wood. They were able to talk, walk and multiply. But they had no memory and no heart. They couldn’t praise Tepeu and Gucumatz. So they sent a flood to wipe them out. The animals were demanded to kill any of them that survived the flood. The ones that were able to escape became monkeys. The new beings were made from corn that the animals gave to their creators. Gucumatz and Tepeu made a paste and they created their beings. These beings were perfect to them. They were strong, rich in thought and feelings, and praised them. .They can see and understand to well. In fact, it was so good that Tepeu and Gucumatz had to take some of their vision. Four women were created and they all lived on the new land. These individuals were given wisdom and

Myths organize the way we perceive and understand our reality. Myths grant stability to a culture, and in this respect; serve to explain the unexplainable. From Barbra Sproul’s perspective, creation myths reveal basic religious concerns pertaining to how the universe was formed, and how people or societies are fashioned. Myths speak of the transcendent and unknowable aspects in a drama that attempt to reveal and give reason to human existence and where man stands in the cosmos. Through myth, the dimensions of space, nature and time are expressed in symbolisms that show how the holy can be experienced or conveyed if understood properly.

Two myths that I have chosen for my paper are on the Norse culture of Iceland Vikings and the Genesis creation of the Hebrew origin of Christian culture. Both creation myths begin with a void where chaos or conflict develops. The Norse myth narrates a conflict between the fiery realm or 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 wonderful and beautiful.

Creation myths are stories describing or explaining the creation of the world. Each culture has their own creation myth and how they believe it all went about. However, there are many similarities within the different cultures creation myths that I looked at. These similarities are called motifs. Motifs are patterns you recognize within an idea. In my opinion, three of the most common creation myth motifs are; humans being created from organic materials, having one creator and no shared power, and the purpose for humans on the earth.

Genesis is the book of creation. It tells how everything and everyone came to be. In Genesis there are two different creation stories. Based off of my knowledge in chapter one, it starts by God creating everything, from the Earth to humans; man and woman. In the second story, it talks about how God created Eve from the rib of Adam. So basically how woman came from man.

A technique that is used in many creation myths can be referred to as "creation from above." In this method of narration, the creator often creates a replica of earth within the heavens, and somehow recreates this image in the abyss below. An example of this can originally be found in Kund Rasmussen's collection of Eskimo myths. In this story a being called Tulungersaq, or Father Raven is born in the heavens. He initially takes the form of a human being and is entirely unaware of how he came into existence. He is in complete darkness and it is through his sense of touch that he becomes aware of his surroundings. Through his exploration, he discovers a sparrow, and realizes that this is the only form of life that had been in existence before him. He goes on to bury something beneath the earth and soon after he discovers that the earth is no longer sterile, it is now covered in bushes and grass. Tulungersaq is still

Primordial myths distinguish the beginnings of the universe, and how it was created. Foundation myths, on the other hand, relate the story of the “origins of a people and their rituals” (Doyle, 29 Aug. 2002). Therefore, the Exodus story is a foundation myth because it explains how the ancient Hebrew community established its roots. An authentic foundation myth also serves basic functions. The religious function of a myth explains how the people of the universe will worship and what they will fear. The question of how the society and culture will be structured is answered in the social function. The psychological function of a myth establishes how and why the society behaves in the ways that it does. Finally, the historical perspective of a myth provides background knowledge to increase in a myth’s credibility. When all of these factors are combined, one attains a better understanding of a myth (Doyle, 29 Aug. 2002).

Mythic traditions have led the understanding of the physical and spiritual world. Although for many cultures, some ideas have become antiquated, especially when using the myths to explain the origins of the physical natural world. This is especially true when looking at the origin of human beings. The creation of the world is a storytelling tradition present in nearly all cultures across the world, and present mixed compatibility with the theory of evolution - especially when discussing the origins of mankind.