Origin myth

In Belcher’s introduction to his book, African Myths of Origin, he prefaces the reader’s approach to the reading of the African myths he collected with the importance of always remembering to respect the specifics of each tale. The particular details in the stories attached to each culture have much to do with that people groups unique identity. “They are,” Belcher observes “the stories which people tell visitors to explain who they are, and how they differ from their neighbors.” In this excellent compilation, the reader will find six stories with specifics that distinguish Ethiopia as a distinct culture from the other nations of Africa. It was only several decades before the composition of the renown story of Solomon and Makeda, the Queen of Sheba that a political shift in power was taking place in Ethiopia. To re-instill the Ethiopian sense of historical identity, the old tradition was “recorded in the Kebra Negast, the ‘Glory of Kings’, which recounts the origin of the dynasty.” Dedicated followers of any Abrahamic religions naturally will have a distinct interest in the Ethiopic tradition of King Solomon and Makeda. Known for his wisdom and riches - Solomon was the son of David and the third king in Israel’s united monarchy. Throughout ages, the mere mention of the name Solomon has symbolized an era…

The primary purpose of storytelling was to teach their young ones about their surroundings and how everything came to be. It served in society as way to teach the young ones what to be aware of and to pass down their cultures. An example of this is in many Native stories from the pre contact era. In the story of the (Iroque Story myth), it gave us an example how it taught people how the world came to be. Another example of this is in the story of Coyote and the Origin of Death. In that story, it…

The myth above started with a similar background as the Theogony by Hesoid. The cosmos in both myths are in Chaos at the very beginning until the appearance of world creator who reshaped the world. The special state of the cosmos is also mentioned in many other creation myths such as the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew Bible, the early cosmos is described using the word “Tohuwabohu” which means disordered and unsystematic. Also, the world creator Chaos spoke before creating which is similar to the…

Creation myths can tell us a lot about the way humans picture their place in their place in the universe. In each story, humans associate themselves with a defined set of characteristics –sometimes positive ones, sometimes negative ones. Many creation myths also attempt to explain the origin and purpose of human beings on earth, in addition to defining the power dynamics underlining the relationships humans have with nature and with each other. In many creation myths humans seem to be depicted…

Review of Literature: Origin Stories Across Cultures Origin stories have been prevalent for centuries and even before the religion of Christianity. Jerimiah Curtin defines origin stories as “the detailed and circumstantial account of the world and all the things and creatures contained in it” (Curtin ix). However, the Christian Bible is a primary source for it has similar correlations to many origin stories and is well-known around the world. The book of Genesis is the first of the Christian…

The Japanese creation myth and the Greek creation myth are not only very similar to each other, but they have many differences as well. These similarities are often portrayed through parallels between the two myths. These parallels are illustrated through the unity of heaven and earth, the rules of the Underworld and the state of many characters and deities throughout the myths. One very important difference between the two myths is in their origin. To elaborate on this, the Japanese creation…

These divine myths provided explanations, reassured life, encouraged people to live on and inspired great achievements. The creation of the universe and also humans are the same in the myths of the Greeks and the Romans. The gods and goddesses were the same for both these cultures but the Romans gave those gods Roman names. Ultimately, creation myths are popular because they allow questions about the origin of the universe and mankind to be answered. Moreover, these myths explain the very…

There is a starting point for everything in life. Each myth has a story that explains the beginning of time and how everything was created. There are some strong similarities between the Lakota Sioux, Wakaranga African, Aboriginal Australian, and Hopi myths. The first similarity between all four creation myths is the creator. Each myth has a specific force that starts the beginning of time on earth. Each creator helps build earth to its entirety. Multiple creators for different purposes…

The background of many origin stories is passed down from oral tradition by beginning with Native American origins, Jerimiah Curtin author of Native American Creation Myths states many of the Native American creations stories are unknown on were they originated since many were passed through oral tradition such as the Wintu tribe of California, the Cherokee of Oklahoma, and the Seminoles of Florida tribes. The Wintu tribe describes their creation of the world to begin with a void and the first…

Description This course provides an overview of mythology and its relationship to ancient and current cultures. The course covers the purposes and types of myths, the development of myths and mythological characters, the common elements of mythological structures, the predominant characteristics of deities and sacred places in myth, contemporary theories of myths and mythology, and how myths and mythic structures shape contemporary culture. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be…