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What are the different types of origin myths?
What is an origin myth?
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Nov 23, 2015 · Creation myths, or origin stories, tell us what a culture believes about how humans came to be. They can also tell us much about what that culture values. These are often religious or spiritual explanations for human life. Choose one of origin stories on this page to focus on. Read, watch, or listen to the story.
- Heliopolis Creation Story – Ancient Egypt
- Proto-Indo-European Creation Myths
- Mayan Creation Story
- Babylonian Creation Myth
- Creation of Mankind According to The Ancient Greeks
- Ainu Creation Story
- Raven Creation Story
- Creation Story According to Zoroastrianism
- The Sumerian Creation Myth
- Hindu Creation Story
According to the ancient Egyptians, the universe started with a primordial ocean known as Nun. At the center of Nun was a giant pyramid called benben. Deep within benben, came forth Atum (in some cases Ra, the sun deity), the creator deity. As the physical embodiment of the sun, Atum created life in an asexual manner. He also created the first Egyp...
Among many Proto-Indo-European cultures, Ymir was the force that existed in the time before time. This being was also the embodiment of the vast sea of chaos (Ginnungagap) – a region devoid of any life form or structure or order. Thus Ymir was there long before famous Norse gods like Odin, Thoror Freya even came onto the scene. Due to the absence o...
The Mayan creation story is contained in the Popul Vuh (also known the “Book of the Community” or the “Book of the People”). The text was written in Mayan hieroglyphics. Kind courtesy to the translation that was done later we know what the Mayan creation story is. According to the text, the beginning of time was filled with nothingness devoid of an...
The ancient Babylonians believed that in the beginning two primordial gods – Aspu and Tiamet(or Tiamat) – existed. Prior to that, the universe was a vast void of nothingness, land and sky had yet formed. Tiamet and Aspu mated and gave birth to a new crop of gods. It is believed that Tiamet grew enormous amount of hatred toward the new gods. Tiamet ...
In ancient Greece, the predominant creation story was the one that involved the Greek Titan Prometheus, the Titan who created man. In the beginning, the world was endlessly empty and full of a being known as Nyx – the deity of darkness. The goddess Nyx is believed to have laid a golden egg. After sitting on the egg for eons of years, the egg hatche...
The Ainu creation myth emerged from Ainu peoples of Japan. In this myth, time can be broken down into three parts – “mosir noskekehe” (“the world’s center”); “Mosir sikah ohta” (“a time when the universe was born”); and “mosir kes” (“end of the world”). According to the Ainu people, the creator god dispatched his trusted water wagtail to create the...
In many Native American cultures, the raven is arguably the most powerful creature in the entire cosmos. It is therefore not surprising that many of ancient tribes in the Americas considered the bird the creator of the universe. In one myth, the raven is believed to have encountered an adult man who he approached to inquire about the man’s whereabo...
The Zoroastrianism faith states that there existed two opposing deities in the beginning of time. Those beings were Ahura Mazdaand Angra Mainya, the deity of light and the deity of darkness respectively. Those two beings existed side by side, with each domineering over an area of the universe. Being a benevolent force, Ahura Mazda created angels/be...
During an expedition conducted by the University of Pennsylvania in 1893, an ancient Sumerian tablet was unearthed in Nippur (“Enlil City”) – i.e. modern-day Afak, Iraq. The tablet had the Sumerian creation myth – the Eridu Genesis. The tablet describes how the main deities – An (the sky father), Enlil (the earth and wind god), Enki (god of water, ...
Hindus have quite a number of creation stories. What runs through most of those creation stories is the cyclical nature of birth, death and rebirth. According to one Hindu creation story, in the beginning there existed a mighty cobra that lived in the vast cosmic ocean. And in the hands of this cobra lay the sleeping Vishnu, the creator god. As tim...
Creation myths are a type of origin myth narrating the formation of the universe. However, numerous cultures have stories that take place after the initial origin. These stories aim to explain the origins of natural phenomena or human institutions within an already existing world.
Everywhere around the world people tell stories about how the Universe began and how humans came into being. Scholars, namely anthropologists and ethnologists, call these tales “creation myths” or “origin stories.”. In comic-book lingo there is a specialized meaning for “origin stories.”.
By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) Ancient Greek mythology is full of classic stories which have become part of Western literature and culture; these stories have even given us some well-known words and phrases commonly used in English, and in other languages.
Jan 12, 2021 · A myth is a traditional story without an author that is usually intended to: teach a lesson. explain one of the many mysteries of life. explain a phenomenon of nature. describe the customs, institutions, or religious rites of a people. In ancient times, something like a clap of thunder must've caused quite a fright.
In this activity, you will become familiar with the idea of an origin story. Cultures around the world have their own origin stories, ways in which they believe and describe how the Universe came to be.
