Trickster

In the beginning the only way for people to pass down their history, their philosophy and their culture was the spoken word. This is especially true when it comes to the Native American of North America as they had no written language. Their history was passed from generation to generation by way of storytelling also known as oral narratives, not only did these narratives tell the history of the people, but they also helped to shape the culture. These myths were the Native American’s way of…

Throughout our lives we are taught different stories that can affect us dramatically, either in a positive way or negative way. During our childhood we read the Tortoise and the Hare, which is a story that taught us the moral, “slow and steady wins the race”. We also read things such as: The Boy Who Cried Wolf, which taught us essentially not to lie, because if you lie enough, you won’t be believed when you tell the truth. These stories taught us valuable lessons growing up, but not only do…

The need for understanding plagues humanity. Our brains work tirelessly categorizing identifying, and creating patterns, relentlessly translating and processing the world around us. This is even the case while we slumber. According to the Activation Synthesis Theory of dreaming even when we are asleep we are trying to make sense of the haphazard cues, details and various stimuli festering in our subconscious. Burdened with the constant desire to understand and make sense of our environment,…

The majority of cultures have developed some sort of story or explanation that lays out all the answers as to why/how the earth was created; this is called a creation myth. The two societies Iroquois and Kono are an example of people who use myths to spread a basic understanding of their beliefs and values. While some similarities between the Iroquois and Kono people’s idea of creation parallel each other, there are also some significant differences. Creation myths are a way to explain the…

There are numerous creation mythos and folktales articulated all over the world. Four such creation myths from different cultures include the Navajo, Inca, Zulu, and the Aboriginal explain how the cosmos started. Some of these folktales are eccentric in the way they elucidate how nothingness births something that is marvelous. The mythos work together in a way that is harmonious yet disastrous. All of the apologues have a metaphysical supremacy or supernatural being at the center of its story of…

Origins. What are our origins? Where do we come from? How did we get here? These questions are some of the most highly debated and controversial topics, to this day. Everyone has their own ideas and sources about how the human race started. In the Bible, Genesis 1-3 contains not one but, two stories of creation. These three chapters are still being recreated it in pop culture today. The only problem with these stories is there are several discrepancies between the two. The first question…

A motif is a reoccurring idea that develops a central main message, or why something may occur. In this case, there are many similar ideas used in myths around the world. I think analyzing the motifs throughout different religions are important because the stories describe the beginning of the world and humanity. Some of these myths are still alive and are currently being worshipped, but others have died off and are no longer talked about. Concerning creation myths, there are three main motifs…

Long before the European race pierced through the North American continent, the indigenous people of what is now the “United States” lived in peace and harmony. Just like most other civilizations of their time, this broad group of indigenous natives created their own creation myths and stories to ease their worried minds of the past and future. Though there are hundreds of creation myths still cycling through cultures in today’s society, the Natives of North America have very distinct features…

Popol Vuh is a myth that was created by the mayans thousands of years ago. They made the story to explain how everything was created, that's why the first paragraph is titled “The Creation”. The Mayans used literary terms to show how they believe the earth was created, they also use the heart-of-sky to show that they believe in a higher power. In the fourth stanza the author uses imagery and says “He thinks of mountains, and great mountains come. He thinks of trees, and trees grow on the land.”…

The creation stories of Atrahasis and Genesis are similar thematically, but differ in many small details, which stem from the current events and history of the cultures they respectively came from.The parallels of these creation myths can be used to find how the Babylonians influenced the Jewish religion, and how the regions around Mesopotamia and later Israel influenced the culture. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, a snake steals away the plant of immortality from the titular character, similar to how…