Humberto Garcia Religion 110 Professor W. Raver Popol Vuh Myths organize the way we perceive and

Myths are not solely a matter of representation, but are narratives of value within a culture that is paradigmatic, authoritative and applicable. Paden explains that within religious worlds, myths set the foundation that shape people’s way of life. Subsequently, they shape societies moral compasses and beliefs. The creation story in the bible is sort of a grounding prototype that shaped the belief of the catholic church. This story shows how myth is being applied and used to orient people to a higher power both in the past and currently. It is also a characteristic of myth as it tries to explain life’s fundamental questions. This relates to Paden’s thoughts about myth being labelled as more than just a language, but one with an authoritative

Water washes and carries. It separates and divides. Water represents so many more things than could have ever been thought. Water is a clear reflective

Water.  It expresses its’ power in the form of hurricanes and flash floods.  It displays its gentleness, washing dirt off a child's scabbed knee.  Water has been used to quench the thirst of many longing throats; and it has been the cause of death to those who unfavorably crossed its path.  It possesses the power of total destruction, yet it holds the bases of all life.  Generally, water has symbolized cleanliness and renewal.  In the Bible, water was used in Baptism, cleansing the soul of original sin and offering a new life in the light of God.  Water in itself is a natural purifier, washing the dirt from our bodies. Water is a symbol of

Throughout the humanities course, I have been intrigued by a vast amount of information on different cultures. However, there was a particular section that truly caught my attention, and has piqued an interest in me that has caused me to do my own research aside from this paper. The culture of the Mayas, and the Aztecs has been extremely fundamental in understanding my ancestry, being that I am Mexican American. I took an interest in their beautiful architecture, their ritualistic and sacrificial religious practices, as well as their history and how they began. Throughout this paper I will outline the similarities and differences of these two cultures, as well as articulate an understanding of the humanity disciplines outlined above.

Maize was the most important food to the Mayan people. Found in the modern day pyramid temple, in Copan, Honduras the Mayan maize God statue was accompanied by many other maize God statues. The Mayan people believed if they decapitated the Mayan maize God at the beginning of each harvest the God would be reborn at the beginning of each season. The Mayan people believed that the death and re-birth of the Mayan maize God was a symbol of the cycle of the seasons, as the maize crops would die in the winter months and be re-born in the spring. The Mayan people relied heavily on the maize harvest to return each year.

Next water is used to create the world. Naturally, the universe-- God or no God-- used water to increase algaculture, breed animals, and mature humans. In East Asia, water is an element used Yin. In the Eight Trigrams, water is included. This is represented as a double Yin line outside of a single Yang line. The legend says that Brahma, a Hindu God that created the world, was born in water. This important God is also linked to the lotus flower that represents purity and beauty. For this religion, water is connected to growth and development. On the other hand, in Christianity water is a gift of eternal life. God said, "but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Thus,

Throughout the world myths are used to teach morals and spread information in a way that is entertaining and delightful to children and adults alike. One popular type of story is the creation myth. In the story of “The World on a Turtle’s Back” the Iroquois people live in harmony and balance with nature, whereas the Cherokee in “The story of Corn and Medicine” work against nature.

s paper 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.

Myths are things people believe to be true that are not actually true. Webster’s online dictionary defines a myth as “an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution” (myth).

Water is always looked at as the birthplace of life on earth , and in Beloved Toni Morrison uses it as a symbol In Beloved Toni Morrison uses places, characters and things to create symbols to symbolize larger picture ideas. One symbol that I want to draw attention to is the symbol of water. Water is proven to be where all the life on earth started and in the novel Morrison brings back that notion of how life started. Water appears many times throughout the story and was not implemented on accident by Morrison. Water is used to symbolize theme elements such as birth/rebirth as well as baptism.

Greek mythology is the myths and legends the ancient Greeks centred their lives around. The ancient Greeks used it to explain the events and components of the world around them. Their religion included gods and heroes, creation stories, and the origins of their civilisations and rituals. It is topic that had been studied and examined in great depth for thousands of years. This fascinating religion's messages and influences are reflected in today’s modern society, and many similarities can be found between Greek mythology and modern religions, such as Christianity. This proposal will outline the research and project I hope to successfully complete.

Then God made the land and water. He named the land “earth” and the water was called “sea”. Plants and animals were put on the land and fish and the other water creatures were in the sea. There were birds that flew above land. God told the all the animals, the fish, and the birds to be fruitful and multiply.

When Campbell suggested to study mythology with an open mind, he means to set a side your personal views. Particularly your religious and scientific beliefs, because you will venture into different ideologies of the world’s ancient civilizations. Even thought I was raised as a catholic with one God, there might be stories that will challenge my own faith. To Illustrated, the biblical story which I was told since a child of how God made the first woman Eve out of Adam’s ribs. However, there are other parallel myths in which the first women were created from the left knee of the first man instead. But I must read it with objectiveness not letting my personal beliefs get clouded my judgment. That is the beauty of this course, that we can become

One of the fundamental questions that religions seek to answer is that of origin. How was man put on earth? Why and from what was he created? Who created him? What does his creation imply about the status of human beings? Some or all of these questions are answered by a religion’s creation stories. Every religion’s creation myths attempt to give solutions to problems present to that religious society. Because of this, each religion may have one or more creation stories, each of those different from one another in the questions they ask and the answers they give.

When this word “myth” is used, the term is usually related to a fable, invention or a fiction story. Over the years, many scholars started approaching the study of myth differently. These scholars have approach myths in a way their meaning was traditionally regarded. In many traditions these myth are true stories and never refer to as false stories. ( http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/grecoromanmyth1/a/whatismyth.htm )