Purpose of Creation Myths - 836 Words

The Purpose of Creation Myths The general purpose for all myths is to bring an understanding of unknown. The ancient people widely used myths to explain new phenomena and occurrences. The lack of scientific modes of theory formulation caused the people of old to come up with myths to fill the vacuum with the knowledge that existed during their time. The need by man to explain his origin and the origin of the universe led him to the formulation of creation and origin myths. Men of olds came up with myths to explain the mysteries they had no clue about including creation. Almost every culture on earth has a creation myth. Most if not all of these myths borrow from the core theme of a God-centered creation as contained in the book of Genesis chapter one. According to Van Over (11), a good number of these creation stories show a similarity in the point of their origin. Rumor has it that some of these myths have emanated from actual historical occurrences or events. All creation myths emerge from one ancient source and only diverge when it comes to their timing and the surrounding cultural circumstances. The variations in the myths come as a result of the differences in time and cultural circumstances. Aside from the two causes of variation, in general all creation myths show a basic outline and they also share some basic elements. One of the major difficulties in gaining an understanding of the creation myths rests in the question of whether or not the ancients understoodShow MoreRelatedThe Creation Myths Of Enuma Elish And The Spider Woman1564 Words   |  7 Pagescalled â€Å"Creation Myths†. These stories explain how the world, mankind, animals, and plants came into existence. Every human culture produces unique, but similar explanations of how supernatural forces created the world and the human race. In fact, the two interesting myths of Enuma Elish and Spider woman, both display a narrative of creation. Even though these myths share the telling of creation as a common factor, differences arise as well. For instants, the view of man and his purpose, how theRead MoreMotifs in Creation Myths Essay1658 Words   |  7 Pagesin Creation Myths The motifs found in the creation myths are undoubtedly different from those found in any other type of myth. Contrary to popular belief, the purpose of the creation myths is much greater than a primitive attempt to explain the mysteries of creation. Behind each creation myth is a vast variety of symbolism along with a number of motives which are often shared between cultures, despite vast geographical differences. My intention here is not only to discuss the purpose ofRead MoreIndian And African Culture : Indian Culture931 Words   |  4 PagesAfrican culture both possess creation myths in their cultural background. Indian and African creation myths are world-different, in that they rely on completely different stories of how the universe and the Earth were created. However, a common trait shared among the two cultural creation myths is that of a divine creator, or set of creators. In the Indian culture, and that’s India, not native American indians, the Vedic religion tel ls the story of the creation myth of Rig Veda. Brown (1942) discussesRead MoreThe Universal Qualities of Chinese Creation Myths Essay1119 Words   |  5 PagesChinese Creation Myths From every culture and every generation come myths, myths that discuss things such as the existence of a god, the purpose of the sun and the moon and most importantly creation and how we came to be on this earth. Creation myths not only contain an explanation for our existence but will also say or demonstrate something distinctive about the culture from which it originated in a way unique to that culture. 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In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the ritualsRead MoreCosmology : A Creation Myth1227 Words   |  5 PagesAt the infrastructure of nearly every culture is a creation myth that explains how Earth in its entity came to be. Cosmology is defined as being all of the assumptions we make about how the universe is arranged. Modern society has developed possible assumptions in regards as to how the universe came to be and in similar so did ancient cultures. These myths have an immense influence on people’s framework of reference. They all come from one early source and are divergent only because time and localRead MoreCosmic Paper978 Words   |  4 PagesCosmic Creation Myths Across Taliah Daniels Hum/105 December 19, 2012 GLORIA PUGLIESE Cosmic Creation Myths Across Regarding Creation Although there are a great number of creation myths that are propagated by people of Chinese descent, virtually all of them acknowledge Pan Gu. Those that due generally state that Pan Gu was the first being and that all existence in the universe—especially the earth and the heavens—is comprised of this being. The general story of Pan Gu begins with hisRead MoreWorld of Gods and the World of Men as Perceived by the Sumerians1052 Words   |  5 Pagessettlement. The relationship between the world of the gods and that of men was perceived differently by the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Hebrew ancient civilizations. This is demonstrated by the way each group viewed the process of creation. They had different thoughts on the creation of their gods, the universe and of man. This essay will discuss the relationship between humans and their gods in three different ancient civilizations: Sumerian, Egyptian and Hebrew. The Sumerians lived in a harsh climateRead MoreA Comparative Analysis of Hindu and Chinese Creation Myths1165 Words   |  5 PagesRegarding Creation Although there are a great number of creation myths that are propagated by people of Chinese descent, virtually all of them acknowledge Pan Gu. Those that due generally state that Pan Gu was the first being and that all existence in the universe especially the earth and the heavens is comprised of this being. The general story of Pan Gu begins with his conception inside of an egg. In that egg is the yin and the yang, the notion of duality which brings an eternal harmony and