Creation Myths

1. Creation Myths

2. Definition • A creation myth is a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. • Answers 2 Questions: • -How? • -Why?

3. The “Hows” • The “How” of a creation myth refer to its “symbolic” description of the way in which the world/universe came to be. • Generally, the hows are classified into categories by mythologists: • Creation ex nihilo: in which creation is accomplished by thought, word, or dream of a divine being. • “Earth Diver:” in which generally a bird or amphibian dives to the bottom of a primordial ocean to bring up “mud.” • Emergence: in which the deity or deities pass through several different proto-types until we reach the present world. • Dismemberment: in which a deity is killed and dismembered to become the world and all creation. • Chaos: in which order is either split off of or brought forth from divine unity.

4. The Whys • Not all creation myths cover this aspect. • The whys attempt to give a “reasonable” or “understandable” explanation for unanswerable questions about the way the world works. • Why: • are there seasons? • is there death in the world? • must childbirth be painful? • is there a loud noise to accompany lightning?

5. Discrepancies within myths… • Many myths are have several version which have small but significant discrepancies. • For instance: • Some versions of the Greek Creation myth tell us that Atlas (one word for map comes from his name) held up the world, others tell us that he held the earth and sky apart. • In the Genesis Creation Story, there are two versions of the creation of man. In one, male and female are made in the same clause, in the other man is made, after which woman is created to fill a void in the man’s life. • These discrepancies come from the fact that Creation Myths are among the first stories which are created by a culture. As such most come from the oral tradition not a single author. They, therefore, have different tellings which the writers tend to preserve when transcribing them.

6. Functions of Creation Myths • It is generally accepted by Mythologists that Creation Myths are “imaginative and symbolic” they have no scientific basis. As such, they are not viewed as a tool for studying the universe. • Uses: • Creation myths reveal the fundamental beliefs of the societies that created them. • They serve our need to understand “why” when science seems to be mostly explaining “how.” • In all, creation myths are a powerful tool in studying deep truths about ourselves.

7. Make a few predictions. • This weekend you will be reading 3 creation myths which have influence on modern western lit. • Make a prediction what will some of those questions be.