Top 11 Creation Myths


		Top 11 Creation Myths (Top Posts - History - 122504 [updated 031509]) A multitude of creation myths have existed through- out the cultures of evolved apes, with quite a few of them surviving long enough to make it into modern times. One recent creation myth, an effort by religionists to deal with the ongoing advances in scientific areas, starts out the list, and the most popular surviving myth in the western-influenced and Arabic-influenced worlds rounds out the list. #11 : "The Creator" Designs Nature #10 : Hammer of the Gods, Norse Mythology #9 : Zoroastrianism, The Religion of Ancient Persia #8 : By the Rivers of Babylon, Mesopotamian Religions #7 : Spirits of Ancient Egypt #6 : Aztecs, South of the Border, Down Mexico Way #5 : China, The Middle Kingdom #4 : Japan, This Island Earth #3 : Hinduism, Rendezvous With Brahma #2 : The Greeks and the Titans #1 : The Genesis of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic Faiths - - - #11 : "The Creator" Designs Nature The following myth is something that religious folks who are interested in nature as a result of "the Cre- ator" might find of import, to fit somewhere in their perceptions of a marriage between science and "the Creator" that some of them seek: - - - Becoming dissatisfied with myths 1-10 mentioned above (as if, for in actuality, the ID myth is simply an effort by religionists to get evolution doubt and religious faith instituted in U.S. science classes), reli- gionists who advocate Intelligent Design (an effort to interpret science in a manner that leaves room for "the Creator") seek some way to reconcile science with religion, specifically with monotheism of a Judeo- Christian/western perspective, for the most part, al- though a vaguer "In God We Trust" Deism is also in play with the ID crowd. - - - And in the beginning was "the Creator", and lo, being a lonely being, it sought companionship in the empti- ness which filled all that ever was. So, in its infinite wisdom, it designed "the Universe", implementing all the laws of nature, and so it began. And at that moment, within the instructions laid down, "the Creator" implemented the physics by which, on the 3rd rock from an average star in a nondescript gal- axy, eventually, a form of life evolved that "the Creator" could interact with, on occasion, following billions of years of development of other life forms, some of which eventually ended up in the evolved ape known as homo sapiens. - - - Aside -- One version of this myth has the design of nature by "the Creator" falling short of the mark insofar as cre- ation of life was concerned. In that version, "the Creator" decided to intervene in the realm of nature, and while earth was amidst its fiery developmental stage, with massive comet/aster- oid collisions, no oxygen in the atmosphere, "the Creator" supernaturalistically planted DNA instruc- tions which took about 4 billion years to eventually result in a being "the Creator" could relate to. How did "the Creator" relate to his creation? With stuff like guilt, hell-threats, disease, plagues, death, starvation, and with (per one particular version of the myth that many in the west like) the appearance of a blood sacrifice called Jesus, to supposedly save the worthy (the believers in the 'right' version of super- naturalism). From whom are the worthy being saved? Well, from "the Creator", of course. -- End Aside - - - And so it was, the great plan, a masterstroke of "the Creator", but whatever you do, don't blame "the Cre- ator" for anything 'wrong', 'cause "the Creator" is per- fection -and- is grrrrrrrreat, so anything 'wrong' must be due to something or someone not "the Creator". So goes much of the mythos of "the Creator" stories. Amen. - - - The Top 10 Intelligent Designs (or Creation Myths) http://www.livescience.com/history/top10_intelligent_designs.html - - - Several parents won a lawsuit against a Pennsylvania school district in 2005 that had added the controversial theory of "intelligent design" to its curriculum. Unlike the theory of evolution which is taught at most schools as a fact-based science, "intelligent design" -- as argued by the plaintiffs -- was nothing more than a philosophy predicated on the Judeo-Christian belief that the logical sequences found in nature are not random happenings or surprising mutations, but deftly managed events cre- ated by a greater omniscient and omnipresent intelligence with a specific plan. In short, the work of God. A federal judge thought otherwise. But therein lies the rub: Which god? When the founding fathers established the Constitution of the United States, they chose to include the separation of church and state. This was to ensure that the state-sanctioned religious per- secutions that plagued much of Europe during the 16th century would not despoil the young, yet grand experi- ment in democracy that was to become this Republic. Scientific research has come a long way since Charles Darwin first posited the concept of "natural selection." In the intervening years, humanity has learned much about how we became the dominant species on the planet, how the Earth and the solar system were formed and the ever- changing development of the Universe. Over that time, how we understand the theory of evolution has also changed. Scientists now think that there is an intrinsic logic to our reality, that there are absolutes, laws of nature. Much remains a mystery, and as one question is answered, many others arise. The question that faced Pennsylva- nia's Dover School District was whether or not the im- position of one creation belief on a multi-ethnic, secular student body is in keeping with the law that prohibits the creation of a state religion. If they allow one belief sys- tem to be taught, surely they must also teach others? To help out with this dilemma, LiveScience presents a list of those Creation Myths that helped define civiliza- tions both past and present... - - - http://www.livescience.com/history/top10_intelligent_designs-1.html - - - #10 : Hammer of the Gods, Norse Mythology Mother's Milk: The giant cow Auðhumla feeds Ymir with her milk http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_norse.jpg With its bounty of brawny, barrel-chested gods and buxom goddesses, the ancient Norse religion of the Scandinavian and Germanic countries is truly the creation myth for fans of both pro wrestling and heavy metal music. According to Norse lore, before there was Earth (Midgard), there was Muspell, a fiery land guarded by the fire sword-wielding Surt; Ginnungagap, a great void, and Niflheim, a frozen ice-covered land. When the cold of Niflheim touched the fires of Mus- pell, the giant Ymir and a behemothic cow, Auðhumla, emerged from the thaw. Then, the cow licked the god Bor and his wife into being. The couple gave birth to Buri, who fathered three sons, Odin, Vili, and Vé. The sons rose up and killed Ymir and from his corpse created from his flesh, the Earth; the moun- tains from his bones, trees with his hair and rivers, and the seas and lakes with his blood. Within Ymir's hollowed-out skull, the gods created the starry heavens. What can we say: Pure metal magic!! - - - #9 : Zoroastrianism, The Religion of Ancient Persia The god Ahura Mazda: At first, he was only repre- sented as two wings, later the human figure was added. Credit: hindubooks.org http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_zoroastrian.jpg The Bundahishn of the Middle Persian era tells of the world created by the deity Ahura Mazda. The great mountain, Alburz, grew for 800 years until it touched the sky. From that point, rain fell, forming the Vourukasha sea and two great rivers. The first animal, the white bull, lived on the bank of the river Veh Rod. However, the evil spirit, Angra Mainyu, killed it. Its seed was carried to the moon and purified, cre- ating many animals and plants. Across the river lived the first man, Gayomard, bright as the sun. Angra Mainyu also killed him. Ouch! The sun purified his seed for forty years, which then sprouted a rhubarb plant. This plant grew into Mashya and Mashyanag, the first mortals. Instead of killing them, Angra Mainyu deceived them into worshipping him. After 50 years they bore twins, but they ate the twins, owing to their sin. After a very long time, two more twins were born, and from them came all humans (but specifically Persians). - - - #8 : By the Rivers of Babylon, Mesopotamian Religions Not ready for primetime: Image of Marduk and his snake dragon. Image Credit: J. Black & A. Green, Gods, demons and symbols of ancient Mesopotamia, 1992 http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_babylonian.jpg The Babylonian creation myth, the Enuma Elish, begins with the gods of water, Apsu (fresh), and Tiamat (salt), spawning several generations of gods, leading to Ea and his many brothers. However, these younger gods made so much noise that Apsu and Tiamat could not sleep (a complaint still common today amongst apartment- dwellers). Apsu plotted to kill them, but Ea killed him first. Tiamat vowed revenge and created many mon- sters, including the Mad Dog and Scorpion Man. Ea and the goddess Damkina created Marduk, a giant god with four eyes and four ears, as their protector. In tangling with Tiamat, Marduk, bearing the winds as weapons, hurled an evil wind down her gullet, incapacitating her, and then killed her with a single arrow to her heart. He then split her body in half and used it to create the heavens and the earth. Later he created man to do the drudge work that the gods refused to do, like farming, telemarketing and accounting. (Marduk currently appears on Cartoon Network's Sealab 2020!) - - - #7 : Spirits of Ancient Egypt Hold that pose: Geb, the god of the Earth, hoists Nut, the goddess of the sky, into position. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_egyptian.jpg The ancient Egyptians had several creation myths. All begin with the swirling, chaotic waters of Nu (or Nun). Atum willed himself into being, and then created a hill, otherwise there'd be no place for him to stand. Atum was genderless and possessed an all-seeing eye. He/she spat out a son, Shu, god of the air. Atum then vomited up a daughter, Tefnut, goddess of moisture. These two were charged with the task of creating order out of chaos. Shu and Tefnut generated Geb, the earth, and Nut, the sky. First they were entwined, but Geb lifted Nut above him. Gradually the world's order formed, but Shu and Tefnut became lost in the remaining darkness. Atum removed his/her all-seeing eye and sent it in search of them. (Just how all-seeing it was, and what did Atum do without, remains a mystery.) When Shu and Tefnut returned, thanks to the eye, Atum wept with joy. (Presumably he/she re-inserted the eye first.) Where the tears struck the earth, men sprang up. - - - #6 : Aztecs, South of the Border, Down Mexico Way Mother! Please!: Coatlicue was depicted as a woman with a skirt of snakes and a necklace of hearts torn from her victims. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_aztec.jpg The earth mother of the Aztecs, Coatlicue ("skirt of snakes,") is depicted in a fearsome way, wear- ing a necklace of human hearts and hands, and a skirt of snakes as her name suggests. The story goes that Coatlicue was impregnated by an obsidian knife and gave birth to Coyolxauhqui, goddess of the moon, and to 400 sons, who be- came the stars of the southern sky. Later, a ball of feathers fell from the sky which, upon Coatlicue finding it and placing it in her waist- band, caused her to become pregnant again. Coyolxauhqui and her brothers turned against their mother, whose unusual pregnancy shocked and outraged them, the origin being unknown. However, the child inside Coatlique, Huitzilopochtli, the god of war and the sun god, sprang from his mother's womb, fully-grown and armored (talk about a C- section!). He attacked Coyolxauhqui, killing her with the aid of a fire serpent. Cutting off her head, he flung it into the sky, where it became the moon. That was supposed to comfort Coatlicue, his mother--some comfort! - - - #5 : China, The Middle Kingdom Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Pan-gu separates the Earth from the Sky. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_china.jpg A cosmic egg floated within the timeless void, containing the opposing forces of yin and yang. After eons of incubation, the first being, Pan-gu emerged. The heavy parts (yin) of the egg drifted down- wards, forming the earth. The lighter parts (yang) rose to form the sky. Pan-gu, fearing the parts might re-form, stood upon the earth and held up the sky. He grew 10 feet per day for 18,000 years, until the sky was 30,000 miles high. His work completed, he died. His parts transformed into elements of the uni- verse, whether animals, weather phenomena, or celestial bodies. Some say the fleas on him became humans, but there is another explanation. The goddess Nuwa was lonely, so she fashioned men out of mud from the Yellow River. These first humans delighted her, but took long to make, so she flung muddy droplets over the earth, each one becoming a new person. These hastily-made people became the common- ers, with the earlier ones being the nobles, the first example of mass-production! - - - #4 : Japan, This Island Earth All in the Family: Izanagi and Izanami, the siblings that brought forth Japan and its inhabitants. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_japan.jpg The gods created two divine siblings, brother Izanagi and sister Izanami, who stood upon a float- ing bridge above the primordial ocean. Using the jeweled spear of the gods, they churned up the first island, Onogoro. Upon the island, Izanagi and Izanami married, and gave forth progeny that were malformed. The gods blamed it upon a breach of protocol. During the marriage ritual, Izanami, the woman, had spoken first. Correctly reprising their marriage ritual, the two coupled and produced the islands of Japan and more deities. However, in birthing Kagutsuchi-no-Kami, the fire god, Izanami died. Traumatized, Izanagi followed her to Yomi, the land of the dead. Izanami, having eaten the food of Yomi, could not return. When Izanagi suddenly saw Izanami's decomposing body, he was terrified and fled. Izanami, enraged, pursued him, accompanied by hideous women. Izanagi hurled personal items at them, which trans- formed into diversions. Escaping the cavern entrance of Yomi, he blocked it with a boulder, thus permanently separating life from death. (Rather like Persephone in Hades, isn't it?) - - - #3 : Hinduism, Rendezvous With Brahma The Other Trinity: Brahma, the creator, is pictured with four heads, though he used to have five. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_hindu.jpg The Hindu cosmology contains many myths of creation, and the principal players have risen and fallen in importance over the centuries. The earliest Vedic text, the Rig Veda, tells of a gigantic being, Purusha, possessing a thous- and heads, eyes, and feet. He enveloped the earth, extending beyond it by the space of ten fingers. When the gods sacrificed Purusha, his body produced clarified butter, which engendered the birds and animals. His body parts trans- formed into the world's elements, and the gods Agni, Vayu, and Indra. Also, the four castes of Hindu society were created from his body: the priests, warriors, general populace, and the servants. Historically later, the trinity of Brahma (the cre- ator), Vishnu (the preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer) gained prominence. Brahma appears in a lotus sprouting from the navel of the sleeping Vishnu. Brahma creates the universe, which lasts for one of his days, or 4.32 billion years. Then Shiva destroys the universe and the cycle restarts. Relax everybody, the current cycle has a couple billion years left. - - - #2 : The Greeks and the Titans Dads, think twice about curfew: The Mutilation of Uranus by Cronus, by Vasari and Gherardi. Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_greek.jpg The early Greek poets posited various cosmo- gonies. The best-preserved is Hesiod's Theogony. In this hymn, out of the primordial chaos came the earliest divinities, including Gaia (mother earth). Gaia created Uranus, the sky, to cover herself. They spawned a bizarre menagerie of gods and monsters, including the Hecatonchires, monsters with 50 heads and a hundred hands, and the Cyclopes, the "wheel-eyed," later forg- ers of Zeus's thunderbolts. Next came the gods known as the Titans, 6 sons and 6 daughters. Uranus, despising his monstrous children, imprisoned them in Tartarus, the earth's bowels. Enraged, Gaia made an enormous sickle and gave it to her youngest son, Cronus, with instruc- tions. When next Uranus appeared to copulate with Gaia, Cronus sprang out and hacked off his father's genitals! Where Uranus's blood and naughty bits fell, there sprang forth more monsters, the Giants and Furies. From the sea foam churned up by the the holy testi- cles came the goddess Aphrodite. Later, Cronus fathered the next generation of gods, Zeus and the Olympians. And, boy, were they dysfunctional! - - - #1 : The Genesis of the Judeo-Christian and Islamic Faiths Gifts from a Stranger: Adam and Eve, bears the following marking: 'Albrecht Durer of Nuremberg made this engraving in 1504' http://www.livescience.com/images/top10_creation_jud_christ.jpg Genesis, the first book of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible, contains two origin stories, both of which are accepted as the creation of the world by today's Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths. In the first, God says, "Let there be light," and light appears. In six days, he creates the sky, the land, plants, the sun and moon, animals, and all creatures, including humans. To all he says, "Be fruitful and multiply," which they do. On the seventh day God rests, contemplates his handi- work, and gives himself a good evaluation. In the second story, God creates the first man, Adam, from the earth. He makes a garden in Eden for Adam, but forbids him to eat fruit from the "Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil." Adam names the animals but remains lonely. God anesthetizes Adam and makes one of his ribs into the first woman, Eve. A talking serpent persuades her to eat the forbidden fruit, and she convinces Adam to do likewise. When God finds out, he drives them from the garden and makes man mortal. They should have stuck with apricots! - - - end of article - - - Further elaboration, myths present in Mesopotamia prior to the development of the versions iterated above: Myths http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=119916&tocid=68264#68264.toc Excerpt: "... 'Inanna's Descent," relates how the god- dess Inanna (Lady of the Date Clusters) set her heart on ruling the netherworld and tried to depose her older sister, the queen of the netherworld, Ereshkigal (Lady of the Greater Earth). Her attempt failed, and she was killed and changed into a piece of rotting meat in the netherworld. It took all the ingenuity of Enki (Lord of Sweet Waters in the Earth) to bring Inanna back to life, and even then she was released only on condition that she furnish a substitute to take her place. ... Most likely all of these myths have backgrounds in fertility cults and concern the disappearance of nature's fertility with the onset of the dry season or with the underground storage of food. ... Another Sumerian myth, the 'Eridu Genesis,' tells of the creation of man and animals, of the building of the first cities, and of the flood. ..." Eridu Genesis http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=33472 "In Mesopotamian religious literature, ancient Sumerian epic primarily concerned with the creation of the world, the building of cities, and the flood. According to the epic, after the universe was created out of the primeval sea and the gods were given birth, the deities in turn fashioned man from clay to cultivate the ground, care for flocks, and perpetuate the worship of the gods. Cities were soon built and kingship was instituted on Earth. For some reason, however, the gods determined to destroy mankind with a flood. Enki (Akkadian Ea), who did not agree with the decree, revealed it to Ziusudra (Utnapishtim), a man well known for his humility and obedience. Ziusudra did as Enki commanded him and built a huge boat, in which he successfully rode out the flood. Afterward, he prostrated himself before the gods An (Anu) and Enlil (Bel), and, as a reward for living a godly life, Ziusudra was given immortality." Gilgamesh http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=37553 Excerpt: "... The Gilgamesh of the poems and of the epic tablets was probably the Gilgamesh who ruled at Uruk in southern Mesopotamia sometime during the first half of the 3rd millennium BC and who was thus a contemporary of Agga, ruler of Kish; Gilgamesh of Uruk was also mentioned in the Sumerian list of kings as reigning after the flood. There is, however, no historical evidence for the exploits narrated in poems and epic. ..." India Religion and burial customs http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=121168&tocid=46833#46833.toc Excerpt: "... Some seals suggest influence from or at least traits held in common with Mesopotamia; among these are the Gilgamesh (Mesopotamian epic) motif of a man grappling with a pair of tigers and the bull-man Enkidu (a human with horns, tail, and rear hooves of a bull). ..." Middle Eastern Religion General Considerations http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=119914&tocid=68342#68342.toc Excerpt: "... The prototype of the biblical story of the Deluge has turned up in the Gilgamesh epic. A fragment (dating from about 1400 BC) of that Babylonian epic has been found at Megiddo in Israel, showing that the Mesopo- tamian version was current in Palestine before the Hebrews, under Joshua, conquered the land about 1200 BC. ..." Archaeology refutes the Bible's claim to history http://prohuman.net/history/archaeology_refutes_bible.htm Excerpt: "... Back in the days when archaeology was buttressing the old biblical tales, the relationship between science and religon had warmed consider- ably; now the old chill has crept back in. The comfy ecumenicism that allowed one to believe in, say, modern physics and Abraham, Isaac, et al. is dis- appearing; replaced by a somewhat sharper dividing line between science and faith. The implications are sweeping--after all, it is not the Song of the Nibelungen or the Epic of Gilgamesh that is being called into question here but a series of foundational myths to which fully half the world's population, in one way or another, subscribes. ..." Meteor clue to end of Middle East civilisations http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1361474/Meteor-clue-to-end-of-Middle-East-civilisations.html Excerpt: "... SCIENTISTS have found the first evidence that a devastating meteor impact in the Middle East might have triggered the mysterious collapse of civilisations more than 4,000 years ago. Studies of satellite images of southern Iraq have revealed a two-mile-wide circular depression which scientists say bears all the hallmarks of an impact crater. If confirmed, it would point to the Middle East being struck by a meteor with the violence equivalent to hundreds of nuclear bombs. Today's crater lies on what would have been shallow sea 4,000 years ago, and any impact would have caused devas- tating fires and flooding. The catastrophic effect of these could explain the mystery of why so many early cultures went into sudden decline around 2300 BC. ... A date of around 2300 BC for the impact may also cast new light on the legend of Gilgamesh, dating from the same period. The legend talks of "the Seven Judges of Hell", who raised their torches, lighting the land with flame, and a storm that turned day into night, "smashed the land like a cup", and flooded the area. The discovery of the crater has sparked great interest among scientists. Dr Benny Peiser, who lectures on the effects of meteor im- pacts at John Moores University, Liverpool, said it was one of the most significant discoveries in recent years and would corroborate research he and others have done. He said that craters recently found in Argentina date from around the same period - suggesting that the Earth may have been hit by a shower of large meteors at about the same time." - - -