Chinese.

Scandinavians.

Greeks.

Zoroastrians.

Arikara Indians.

Huron Indians.

Mayan Indians.

Any mythology is based on myths about the creation of the world and people. It is difficult to identify any specific trend in all this. The creators of the world are sometimes gods, sometimes animals, and even plants. How a primordial creature arose from primeval Chaos and how it created the world - every myth has its own story about this. This article presents several myths about the creation of the world of the Slavs, Greeks, Sumerians, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, Scandinavians, Zoroastrians, Arikara, Huron, Mayan Indians.

Slavs.

The Slavs had several legends about where the world and its inhabitants came from. Many peoples (ancient Greeks, Iranians, Chinese) had myths that the world arose from an egg. Similar legends and tales can be found among the Slavs. In the Tale of the Three Kingdoms, the hero goes in search of three princesses in the underworld. First he finds himself in the copper kingdom, then in the silver and gold. Each princess gives the hero an egg, which he, in turn, rolls into and encloses each kingdom. Having emerged into the white light, he throws the eggs onto the ground and unfolds all three kingdoms.

One of the old legends says: “In the beginning, when there was nothing in the world except the boundless sea, a duck, flying over it, dropped an egg into water depths. The egg split, and from its lower part the mother earth came out, and from the upper part arose the high vault of heaven.”

Another legend connects the appearance of the world with the hero’s duel with the serpent who guarded the golden egg. The hero killed the serpent, split the egg - three kingdoms emerged from it: heavenly, earthly and underground.

And here is how the Carpathian Slavs talked about the birth of the world:
When was the beginning of the world,
Then there was neither sky nor earth, only the blue sea,
And in the middle of the sea there is a tall oak tree,
Two marvelous doves sat down on an oak tree,
Have you started thinking about how to establish a light?
We will go down to the bottom of the sea,
Let's take out the fine sand,
Fine sand, golden stone.
We will sow fine sand,
We will blow the golden stone.
From the fine sand - black earth,
The water is cold, the grass is green.
From the golden stone - blue sky, blue sky, bright sun,
The month and all the stars are clear.

Here's another myth. At the beginning of time the world was in darkness. But the Almighty revealed the Golden Egg, which contained the Rod - the Parent of all things.
The clan gave birth to Love - Mother Lada and, by the power of Love, destroying its prison, gave birth to the Universe - countless star worlds, as well as our earthly world.
The sun then came out from His face.
The bright moon is from His chest.
The frequent stars are from His eyes.
The clear dawns are from His eyebrows.
Dark nights - yes from His thoughts.
Violent winds - from the breath)..
"Book of Kolyada", 1 a
So Rod gave birth to everything that we see around - everything that comes with Rod - everything that we call Nature. The genus separated the visible, revealed world, that is, Reality, from the invisible, spiritual world - from Novi. Rod separated Truth from Falsehood.
In the chariot of fire, Rod affirmed thunder. The Sun God Ra, who emerged from the person of the Family, was established in a golden boat, and the Month - in a silver one. Rod released from his lips the Spirit of God - the bird Mother Sva. By the Spirit of God, the Rod gave birth to Svarog - the Heavenly Father.
Svarog finished making peace. He became the master earthly world, ruler of God's Kingdom. Svarog established twelve pillars supporting the firmament.
From the Word of the Most High, Rod created the god Barma, who began to mutter prayers, glorifications, and recite the Vedas. He also gave birth to the Spirit of Barma, his wife Tarusa.
The clan became the Heavenly Spring and gave birth to the waters of the Great Ocean. From the foam of the Ocean waters the World Duck appeared, giving birth to many gods - Yasuns and Dasun demons. The clan gave birth to the Cow Zemun and the Goat Sedun, milk spilled from their breasts and became the Milky Way. Then he created the Alatyr stone, with which he began to churn this Milk. From the butter obtained after churning, Mother Earth of Cheese was created.

Sumerians.

The Sumerians explained the origin of the universe as follows.
In Sumerian mythology, heaven and earth were originally thought of as a mountain, the base of which was the earth, personified in the goddess Ki, and the top was the sky, the god An. From their union was born the god of air and wind Enlil, himself called “ Great mountain", and his temple in the city of Nippur was called the "House of the Mountain": he separated heaven from earth and organized the cosmos-Universe. Thanks to Enlil, the luminaries also appear. Enlil falls in love with the goddess Ninlil and takes possession of her by force as she sails down the river in her barge. For this, the elder gods banish him to the underworld, but Ninlil, who has already conceived a son, the moon god Nanna, follows him, and Nanna is born in the underworld. In the underworld, Enlil takes the form of guards three times the afterlife, gives birth to three underground gods from Ninlil. They return to the heavenly world. From now on, Nanna in a bark, accompanied by stars and planets, travels across the sky at night, and across the day during the day. underground kingdom. He gives birth to a son, the solar god Utu, who wanders across the sky during the day, and at night he travels across underground world, bringing light, drink and food to the dead. Then Enlil develops the earth: he raised “the seed of the fields” from the earth, brought into being “everything useful,” and invented the hoe.
There is another version of the creation myth.
The beginning of this story is quite beautiful. A long time ago, when there was neither heaven nor earth, there lived Tiamat, the goddess of sweet waters, Apsu, the god of salty waters, and their son, the fog rising above the water.
Then Tiamat and Apsu gave birth to two pairs of twins: Lahma and Lahama (demons), and then Anshar and Kishar, who were smarter and stronger than the elders. Anshar and Kishar had a child named Annu. Annu became the god of the sky. Ea was born to Annu. This is the god of underground waters and magic.
The younger gods - Lahma, Lahama, Anshar, Kishar, Annu and Ea - gathered every evening for a noisy feast. They prevented Apsu and Tiamat from getting enough sleep. Only Mummu, the eldest son of Apsu and Tiamat, did not take part in these amusements. Apsu and Mummu appealed to the younger gods with a request to stop the celebrations, but they were not listened to. The elders decided to kill everyone who interfered with sleep.
Ea decided to kill Apsu, who had started a conspiracy against the younger ones.
Tiamat decided to take revenge for the death of her husband. Her new husband, the god Kingu, strongly supported this idea.
So Tiamat and Kingu hatched a plan for revenge. Having learned about Tiamat's plan, Ea turned to his grandfather Anshar for advice. Anshar suggested striking Tiamat with magic, since her husband was dealt with in this way. But Ea's magical powers do not affect Tiamat.
Anu, Ea's father, tried to reason with the angry goddess, but nothing worked. Since magic and negotiations came to nothing, all that remained was to turn to physical force.
Who should we send to battle? Everyone decided that only Marduk could do this. Anshar, Anu and Ea initiated the secrets of divine magic into young Marduk. Marduk is ready to fight Tiamat, demanding the undivided power of the supreme god as a reward for victory.
Young Marduk gathered all the Anunnaki (as the gods called themselves) so that they would approve the war with the supreme goddess and recognize him as their king. Anshar sent his secretary Kaku to call Lakhma, Lahama, Kishara and Damkina. Having learned about the impending war, the gods were horrified, but a good dinner with plenty of wine calmed them down.
In addition, Marduk demonstrated his magical powers, and the gods recognized him as king.
The merciless battle lasted for a long time. Tiamat fought desperately. But Marduk defeated the goddess.
Marduk took the “tables of destinies” from Kingu (they determined the movement of the world and the course of all events) and put them around his neck. He cut the body of the slain Tiamat into two parts: from one he made the sky, from the other - the earth. People were created from the blood of the murdered Kingu.

Egyptians.

In the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, “the pride of the Sun,” as the Greeks called it, Atum was considered the creator and primal being. He arose from Nun, the primary ocean, which Atum called his father, when there was nothing yet - neither sky, nor earth, nor soil.
Atum rose like a hill among the waters of the world's oceans.
The prototypes of such hills were real hills that stood out on the water surface of the flooded Nile. Suitably fortified, they became a platform for the first temples, the construction of which seemed to perpetuate the act of creating the world. The shape of the pyramid is apparently associated with the idea of ​​a primary hill.
- I exist! I will create the world! I have no father and no mother; I am the first god in the Universe, and I will create other gods! With incredible effort, Atum broke away from the water, soared over the abyss and, raising his hands, cast a magic spell. At the same moment, a deafening roar was heard, and Ben-Ben Hill rose from the abyss amid the foamy spray. Atum sank down onto the hill and began to ponder what he should do next.
But the lonely creator had nothing to create from, and he copulated with his own hand and absorbed his own seed, and then spewed out of the mouth of the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut, the first divine couple. Ocean Nun blessed the creation, commanding it to grow. As soon as they were born, the children disappeared somewhere. Atum could not find them and sent his daughter, the Divine Eye of Atum, to search. The goddess returned the fugitives, and the overjoyed father shed tears. His tears turned into the first people.
From the first couple born of Atum came the god Geb and Nut, the goddess and embodiment of Heaven. The air god Shu and his wife separated the earth and the sky: Nut rose in the form of a firmament above Geb, leaning on it with her hands and feet, Shu began to support the firmament in this position with his own hands.
It was necessary to separate heaven and earth, because as long as they remain united, in embrace, there is no place on earth for other creatures.
But Geb and Nut managed to give birth to twins Osiris and Isis, as well as Set and Nephthys. Osiris was destined to be the first to be killed and resurrected to an eternal afterlife.
The earth and sky are surrounded on all sides by waters. Every night Nut swallows the sun, and in the morning again
gives birth to him.

Memphis had its own version of the creation myth. The creator god Ptah creates all things with the power of thought and word: “Ptah pacified himself, creating all things and divine words. He gave birth to the gods, created cities, placed the gods in their sanctuaries. All kinds of works, arts, movements of arms and legs arose, according to the order, conceived by the heart and expressed by the tongue, which created the essence of all things."
The main gods of ancient Egypt, created by Ptah, were his own incarnations. In Egyptian mythology, there is another version of the creation of the world, which arose in the city of Shmunu - the “City of Eight”. According to her, the progenitors of all things were eight gods and goddesses - Nun and Nuanet, Huh and Huakhet, Kuk and Kuaket, Amun and Amaunet. Male deities had the heads of frogs, female deities - snakes. They lived in the waters of primeval chaos and created the primordial egg there. From this egg came the solar deity in the form of a bird, and the world was filled with light. "I am a soul emerging from chaos, my nest is invisible, my egg is not broken."
During the New Kingdom (XVI-XI centuries BC), the city of Thebes became the political capital of Egypt. The main Theban deity is the sun god Amon. The Great Hymn to Amun says:
Father of fathers and all gods,
Who raised the sky and established the earth,
People came from his eyes, gods became from his mouth
The king, long live he, long live,
May he be prosperous, the head of all gods
The myth of Amun combined previously existing versions of the creation myth. It tells that in the beginning the god Amon existed in the form of a serpent. He created eight great gods, who gave birth to Ra and Atum in Iunu, and Ptah in Memphis. They then returned to Thebes and died there.
There is almost no mention of the creation of man by the gods in Egyptian mythology. According to one version, people arose from the tears of the god Ra (this is explained by the similar sound of the Egyptian words “tears” and “people”); according to another, people were molded from clay by the god Khnum.
However, the Egyptians believed that people were “the flock of God” and that God created the world for people. "He created for them the sky and the earth. He destroyed the pitchless darkness of water and created air so that they could breathe. He created for them plants, livestock, birds and fish in order to nourish them." It should be noted that in almost all traditions, legends and myths this is common...

Chinese.

Scandinavians.

According to the Scandinavians, in the beginning there was emptiness Ginungagap. To the north of it was the frozen world of darkness Niflheim, and to the south lay the fiery hot country of Muspellheim. From such proximity, the world emptiness of Ginungagap was gradually filled with poisonous frost, which began to melt and turned into the evil frost giant Ymir. Ymir was the ancestor of all frost giants.
Then Ymir fell asleep. While he slept, the sweat dripping from his armpits became a man and a woman, and the sweat dripping from his feet became another man. When a lot of ice melted, the cow Audumla emerged from the resulting water. Ymir began to drink her milk, and she liked to lick the salty ice. Having licked the ice, she found a man under it, his name was Buri.
Buri had a son Boryo Bor married the frost giantess Bestla and they had three sons: Odin, Vili and Ve. The sons of the Storm hated Ymir and killed him. So much blood flowed from the body of the murdered Ymir that it drowned all the giants except Bergelmir, the grandson of Ymir, and his wife. They managed to escape the flood in a boat made from a tree trunk.
Odin and his brothers brought Ymir's body to the center of Ginungagapa and created a world from it. From Ymir's flesh they made the earth, from his blood - the ocean. From the skull they made the sky. And the brain was scattered into the sky, resulting in clouds.
The gods ignored only the part where the giants lived. It was called Etunheim. They fenced off the best part of this world with Ymir's eyelashes and settled people there, calling it Midgard.
Finally, the gods created people. From two tree knots a man and a woman, Ask and Emblya, emerged. All other people descended from them.
The last to be built was the impregnable fortress of Asgard, which rose high above Midgard. These two parts were connected by the rainbow bridge Bifrost. Among the gods, patrons of people, there were 12 gods and 14 goddesses (they were called Ases), as well as a whole company of other smaller deities (Vanir). This entire host of gods crossed the rainbow bridge and settled in Asgard.
The ash tree Yggdrasil grew above this multi-layered world. Its roots sprouted into Asgard, Jotunheim and Niflheim. An eagle and a hawk sat on the branches of Yggdrasil, a squirrel rushed up and down the trunk, deer lived at the roots, and below all sat the snake Nidhogg, who wanted to eat everything. Yggdrasil is what has always been, is and will be.

Greeks.

At the beginning of everything there was formless, dimensionless Chaos, then Gaia (Earth) appeared with Tartarus (the abyss) lying deep in its depths and the eternal force of attraction that existed long before them - Eros. The Greeks called the god of love, who accompanied the goddess of love Aphrodite, by the same name, but Eros, who stood at the beginning of the universe, excludes any feeling. Eros can be compared to the force of universal gravity - it is like a law. This force set Chaos and the Earth in motion. Chaos produces the feminine principle - Night and the masculine principle - Erebus (Darkness). The night gave birth to Tanat (Death), Sleep (Hypnos), a huge number of dreams, goddesses of fate - Moira, the goddess of retribution Nemesis, Deception, Old Age. The creation of the Night also became Eris, who embodied rivalry and strife, from which came Exhausting labor, Hunger, Sorrow, Battles, Murders, False words, Litigation and Lawlessness, but also the inexorably fair Orc, punishing anyone who takes a false oath. And from the connection of Night with Erebus, transparent Ether and shining Day were born - Light from Darkness!
According to the myth about the origin of the world, after this Gaia awakened: first Uranus (Sky) was born from her, then Mountains rose from her depths, their wooded slopes were filled with the nymphs she gave birth to, and Pontus (Sea) spilled over the plains. The covering of the Earth by Heaven led to the appearance of the first generation of gods - there were twelve of them: six brothers and six sisters, powerful and beautiful. They were not the only children from the union of Gaia and Uranus. Gaia also gave birth to three huge, ugly Cyclops with a large round eye in the middle of the forehead, and after them three more arrogant Hundred-Handed Giants. The Titans, having taken their sisters as wives, filled the expanses of Mother Earth and Father Sky with their offspring: they gave rise to a tribe of gods of the most ancient generation. The eldest of them, Oceanus, had three thousand daughters, beautiful-haired oceanids, and the same number of river streams that covered the entire land. Another pair of Titans produced Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon), Eos (Dawn) and numerous Stars. The third pair gave rise to the winds Boreas, Not and Zephyr. The Titan Iapetus could not boast of as abundant offspring as his older brothers, but he became famous for his few, but great sons: Atlas, who took on his shoulders the heavy burden of the firmament, and Prometheus, the noblest of the Titans.
The youngest son of Gaia and Uranus was Cronus, impudent and impatient. He did not want to endure either the arrogant patronage of his older brothers or the power of his own father. Perhaps he would not have dared to raise his hand against him, encroaching on the supreme power, if not for Gay’s mother. She shared with her matured son her long-standing resentment against her husband: he hated Uranus for the ugliness of his sons - the Hundred-Handed Giants - and imprisoned them in her dark depths. Cronus, under the protection of Nikta and with the help of his mother Gaia, seized his father's power. Taking his sister Rhea as his wife, Cron laid the foundation for a new tribe, to which people gave the name of the gods. However, the insidious Kron was afraid of his offspring, because he himself raised his hand against his father, and, so that no one would deprive him of power, he began to swallow his own children immediately after their birth. Rhea complained bitterly about her sad fate to Gaia and received advice from her on how to save another baby. When the child was born, Gaia herself hid him in one of the inaccessible caves, and Rhea gave the swaddled stone to her husband.
Meanwhile, Zeus (as the mother named the rescued baby) grew up in a hidden cave on the slopes of wooded Ida, the highest mountain on the island of Crete. He was guarded there by the young men of the Curetes and Corybantes, drowning out the children's cries with the blows of copper shields and the rattling of weapons, and Amalthea, the noblest of goats, fed him with her milk. In gratitude for this, Zeus, who subsequently took a place on Olympus, constantly took care of her, and after death he ascended her to heaven so that she would forever shine in the constellation Auriga. It is interesting that Zeus kept the skin of his nurse for himself, making a shield from it - a sign of supreme power. This shield was called “aegis”, which in Greek meant “goat”. According to him, Zeus received one of his most common epithets - aegis-sovereign. The horn, which Amalthea accidentally broke during her earthly life, was turned into a cornucopia by the ruler of the gods and given to his daughter Eirene, the patroness of the world.
Having matured, Zeus became stronger than his father and not through cunning, like Cronus, but in a fair fight he overcame him and forced him to vomit his swallowed brothers and sisters from the womb: Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Thus, according to the myth about the origin of the world, the end of the era of the Titans came, who by this time filled the heavenly and earthly spaces with several of their generations - the era of the gods of Olympus began.

Zoroastrians.

In the distant past, before the creation of the world, there was nothing: no heat, no light, no living creatures on earth or in heaven. In the vast space there was only one Zervan - endless eternity. It was empty and lonely, and then He had a plan to create the world. He wanted a son to be born to him. The desire was extremely great that Zervan began to perform sacrifices for a thousand years. And two sons were born in his womb - Ormuzd and Ahriman. Zervan decided that He would give his firstborn son Ormuzd power over the whole world. Ormuzd read the Father's thoughts and told Ahriman about them. However, evil was already the essence of Ahriman, and he, in order to be born first, hastily tore apart the shell of his Father and came into the world. The evil Ahriman declared to his father: “I am your son, Ormuzd.” Zervan looked at the ugly Ahriman filled with Darkness and began to sob: this was not what He was waiting for. Immediately behind Ahriman, Ormuzd appeared from the womb, emitting Light. Ahriman, thirsting for power over the world, was the younger brother, but by cunning he was the first to be born. Therefore, he boldly reminded Zervan that it was he who should rule the world, as promised. Zervan answered Ahriman: “Get lost, Evil One! I will make you king, but only for nine thousand years, but Ormuzd will have power over you, and after the end of the allotted time, the kingdom will be given to Ormuzd and He will correct everything according to His will.”
So, after the creation of the world, it was divided into two parts. The place of residence of Ormuzd, constant and limitless in time, full of omniscience and virtues, is pierced by endless light. The area subject to Ahriman, who is in darkness, ignorance and the passion of destruction, who was, is, but will not always exist, is called the Abyss. Between the Light and the Dark Abyss there was a void in which endless light and endless darkness were mixed. Ormuzd began the creation of a perfect world, shedding a particle of his pure light into the abyss that separated him from Ahriman. But Ahriman rose from the Darkness, as predicted. The insidious younger brother, who did not possess omniscience, did not know about the existence of Ormuzd, and was so enraged by what he saw of the creation of the world that he declared war on the entire Creation. Ormuzd tried to convince Ahriman that there was no benefit from such a war, and He did not hold any grudge against his brother. However, Ahriman did not listen, because he decided: “If the Omniscient Ormuzd is trying to resolve the matter peacefully, then He is powerless.” Ahriman did not know that he was not able to harm his brother, but could only harm existence - only the Omniscient Ormuzd knew about this.
The brothers are allotted nine thousand years from the beginning of the creation of the world: the first three thousand years events will take place according to the will of Ormuzd, the next three thousand years - the wills of Ormuzd and Ahriman will mix, and in the last three thousand years the evil Ahriman will be weakened and their confrontation over Creation will cease . Ormuzd showed Ahriman his victory at the end of history: the powerlessness of the Evil spirit and the destruction of the divas, the resurrection of the dead, the final incarnation and the future tranquility of creation forever. And Ahriman fled in fear back into the Darkness. And although he fled, he continued the mad struggle against Creation - he created divas and demons who rose to intimidate. The first thing Ahriman created was a lie that undermines the world. Ormuzd created for himself eternal immortal companions: Good Thought, Truth, Obedience, Devotion, Integrity and Immortality. Then He created beautiful angels who became messengers of Ormuzd and protectors of good. Ormuzd continued the creation of the world: He created Heaven and Earth, and between them he created light, stars, the moon and the sun. The Omniscient determined places for everyone so that they would always be ready to fight evil and be saved.

Arikara Indians.

The Great Heavenly Spirit, Nesaru, sometimes called the Great Mystery, was the ruler of all creation. Under the sky stretched a boundless sea, on which two ducks always swam. Nesaru created two brothers, the Wolf Man and the Happy Man, who commanded the ducks to dive to the bottom of the great sea and bring back some earth. From this land the Wolf Man created the Great Plains, and the Happy Man created the hills and mountains.
Two brothers went underground and found two spiders. They explained to spiders how to reproduce. The two spiders gave birth to many species of animals and plants, as well as humans. They also gave birth to a race of evil giants.
These giants were so evil that Nesar was eventually forced to destroy them by sending a great flood. Nesaru loved people and saved them from death.

Huron Indians.

At first there was nothing but water. Just a wide, wide sea. Its only inhabitants were animals. They lived on the water, under the water, or flew through the air.
Then a woman fell from the sky.
Two Arctic loons flew past and managed to catch her on their wings. However, the burden was too heavy. The loons were afraid that they would drop the woman and she would drown. They called out loudly for help. All the creatures flew and swam to their call.
The Great Sea Turtle said:
- Put the celestial woman on my back. It won't get anywhere off my wide back.
The loons did just that.
Then the council of animals began to think about what to do next. The wise Sea Turtle said that a woman needs land to live.
All the animals took turns diving to the bottom of the sea, but no one ever reached the bottom. Finally, the Toad dived. It took a long time before she appeared again and brought a handful of earth. She gave this land to the woman. The woman smoothed it out on the Turtle's back. This is how land came into being.
Over time, trees grew on it and rivers flowed.
The children of the very first woman began to live.
To this day, the earth rests on the back of the Great Sea Turtle.

Mayan Indians.

A long time ago there were no people, no animals, no stones, no trees on earth. There was nothing. It was an endless and sad plain covered with waters. The deities Tepev, Kukumats and Huracan lived in the twilight silence. They got to talking and came to an agreement about what needed to be done.
They kindled a light that illuminated the earth for the first time. The sea receded, revealing land that could be farmed and on which flowers and trees bloomed. A wonderful fragrance rose to the sky from the newly created forests.
The gods rejoiced at their creations. However, they thought that the trees should not be left without servants and guardians. Then they placed animals of all kinds on the branches and near the trunks. The animals remained motionless until the gods ordered each of them: - You will go drink water from the rivers. You will go to sleep in a cave. You will walk on four legs, and one day your back will experience the weight of the loads you carry. And you, bird, will live in the branches and fly through the air, without fear of falling.
The animals obeyed orders. The gods thought that all living beings should be placed in their natural environment, but should not live in silence, since silence is synonymous with devastation and death. Then they gave them votes. But the animals could only scream, unable to say a single sensible word.
The distressed gods consulted and turned to the animals: - Since you failed to understand who we are, you will forever live in fear of others. Some of you will devour others without any disgust.
Hearing these words, the animals tried to speak. However, only screams came out of their throats and mouths. The animals submitted and accepted the sentence: soon they began to be persecuted and sacrificed, their meat was boiled and they were eaten by much more intelligent creatures that were to be born.

source vision7.ru

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Students, graduate students, young scientists who use the knowledge base in their studies and work will be very grateful to you.

Posted on http://www.allbest.ru/

Municipal educational institution "Malotayabinskaya secondary school of the Yalchik region of the Chuvash Republic"

"EXCELSIOR-2011"

History section

Myths about the creation of the world

student

Ivanova Elina, 6th grade

Scientific adviser:

Izosimova Nadezhda Aleksandrovna, history teacher

Content

• Introduction
• I. Myths about the creation of the Universe from the world Egg
• Ancient China
• Ancient India
• Slavic mythology
• II. Myths about the creation of the world from the primordial Ocean
• Ancient Egypt
• Sumerian mythology
• III. Bible about the creation of the world
• Conclusion
• Literature

Introduction

All modern people know how our world works. We live on planet Earth, which, together with other planets, revolves around the Sun. Our Solar System is part of a galaxy with many other galaxies...

The question of the structure of the Universe is inseparable from the question of its origin. Man has always been concerned about where this world came from and what the main stages of its formation were.

In any national traditional culture there are myths that explain the origin of the Universe and man, and also tell about the initial stage of the existence of the Earth. This part of mythology in science is usually called cosmogony, and myths are called cosmogonic.

Cosmogonic myths, creation myths, myths about the origin of the Universe from chaos, the main initial plot of most mythologies. They begin with a description of chaos (emptiness), lack of order in the Universe, and the interaction of the primordial elements. The main motives of cosmogonic myths are the structuring of cosmic space and time, the division of earth and sky by the gods, the establishment of a cosmic axis - the world tree, luminaries (the division of day and night, light and darkness), the creation of plants and animals. Creation usually ends with the creation of man.

Various peoples have myths about the origin of the world from the world egg, the primordial Ocean, and the Creator God.

Purpose of the work: to identify similarities and differences in the myths about the creation of the world of different peoples;

Objectives: analysis of myths from the point of view of their origin;

Object of study: myths of the peoples of the world about the creation of the world;

Hypothesis: creation of the world from the world Egg, from the primary Ocean and by God the Creator.

Research method: acquaintance with myths about the creation of the world and their analysis.

creation world myth bible

I. Myths about the creation of the Universe from the world Egg

Ancient China

In the beginning the Universe was like an egg. In this egg it arose by itself

Ancient India

In the beginning there was nothing. There was no sun, no moon, no star. Only water

extended indefinitely. At the beginning of everything, the primordial cosmic waters gave birth to fire. By the power of cosmic heat - tapas - an egg was born in the waters. It floated in the waters when time had not yet been measured, but after an interval equal to a year, the creator of the Universe, Brahma, arose from a golden embryo. Brahma, by the power of thought, divides the egg into two halves: from one the sky is created, from the other the earth; arises between them air space. Brahma established the earth among the waters, created the cardinal directions - no wonder he has four faces and four arms - and began counting time. But when the creator looked around and saw that the Universe was empty, the fear of loneliness gripped him. Since then, every person has been afraid of loneliness. Brahma continued to think and became convinced that one can be afraid of something outside oneself. The lonely person has no one to fear, but his existence is joyless. Then Brahma, by the power of thought, gave birth to seven sons - the rulers of all creatures. The eldest is Marichi, the embodiment of starlight, he was born from the soul of Brahma. From his eyes the second son was born - Atria. From the mouth was born Angiras, the mediator between people and gods. The fourth - Pulastya - from the right ear, and from the left - Pulakha. The sixth son of Kratu was born from the nostrils of Brahma. The youngest - seventh son of Brahma was Daksha, born from the big toe on his right foot; from the toe on his left foot his only daughter, Virini, was born. They produced numerous offspring with Daksha, their children becoming constellations in the sky.

Slavic mythology

At the beginning of time the world was in darkness. But the Almighty revealed the Golden Egg, which contained the Rod - the Parent of all things. The clan gave birth to Love - Mother Lada and, by the power of Love, destroying its prison, gave birth to the Universe - countless star worlds, as well as our earthly world.

The sun then came out from His face.

The bright moon is from His chest.

The frequent stars are from His eyes.

The clear dawns are from His eyebrows.

Dark nights - yes from His thoughts.

Violent winds - from the breath.

So Rod gave birth to everything that we see around - everything that comes with Rod - everything that we call Nature. The genus separated the visible, revealed world, that is, Reality, from the invisible, spiritual world - from Novi. Rod separated Truth from Falsehood. In the chariot of fire, Rod affirmed thunder. The Sun God Ra, who emerged from the person of the Family, was established in a golden boat, and the Month - in a silver one. Rod released from his lips the Spirit of God - the Mother bird. By the Spirit of God, the Rod gave birth to Svarog - the Heavenly Father. Svarog finished making peace. He became the master of the earthly World, the ruler of the Kingdom of God. Svarog established twelve pillars supporting the firmament. From the Word of the Most High, Rod created the god Barma, who began to mutter prayers, glorifications, and recite the Vedas. He also gave birth to the Spirit of Barma, his wife Tarusa. The clan became the Heavenly Spring and gave birth to the waters of the Great Ocean. From the foam of the Ocean waters the World Duck appeared, giving birth to many gods - Yasuns and Dasun demons. The clan gave birth to the Cow Zemun and the Goat Sedun, milk spilled from their breasts and became the Milky Way. Then he created the Alatyr stone, with which he began to churn this Milk. From the butter obtained after churning, Mother Earth of Cheese was created.

All three myths are united by the common idea of ​​the origin of the world from the Egg. From the Egg a creator is born, who subsequently separates the earth from the sky and creates all living things.

II. Myths about the creation of the world from the primordial Ocean

Ancient Egypt

A long time ago, many millions of years ago, there was Chaos - an endless and bottomless ocean. This ocean was called Nun. He was a gloomy sight! The petrified cold waters of Nun seemed to be forever frozen in motionlessness. Nothing disturbed the peace. Centuries and millennia passed, and the Nun Ocean remained motionless. But one day a miracle happened. The water suddenly splashed, swayed, and the great god Atum appeared on the surface. - I exist! I will create the world! I have no father and no mother; I am the first god in the Universe, and I will create other gods! With incredible effort, Atum broke away from the water, soared over the abyss and, raising his hands, cast a magic spell. At the same moment, a deafening roar was heard, and Ben-Ben Hill rose from the abyss amid the foamy spray. Atum sank down onto the hill and began to ponder what he should do next. I will create the wind - this is how Atum thought. Without wind, this ocean will freeze again and remain motionless forever. And I will also create a goddess of rain and moisture - so that the water of the ocean will obey her. And Atum created the wind god Shu and the goddess Tefnut - a woman with the head of a fierce lioness. This was the first divine couple on earth. But then a misfortune happened. Impenetrable darkness still shrouded the Universe, and in the darkness of Chaos Atum lost his children. No matter how much he called them, no matter how much he shouted, deafening the watery desert with crying and lamentations, the answer to him was silence. In complete despair, Atum tore out his Eye and, turning to him, exclaimed: “My Eye!” Do what I tell you. Go to the ocean, find my children Shu and Tefnut and return them to me. The eye went into the ocean, and Atum sat down and began to wait for his return. Having finally lost all hope of seeing his children again, Atum shouted: “Oh woe!” What should I do? Not only did I forever lose my son Shu and my daughter Tefnut, I also lost my Eye! And he created a new Eye and placed it in his empty socket. After many years of searching, the Faithful Eye finally found them in the ocean. As soon as Shu and Tefnut stepped onto the hill, the god rushed to meet them in order to quickly hug them, when suddenly the Eye, all ablaze with rage, jumped up to Atum and angrily croaked: “What does this mean?!” Was it not at your word that I went to the Ocean of Nun and returned the lost children to you! I have done you a great service, and you. “Don’t be angry,” said Atum. - I will place you on my forehead, and from there you will contemplate the world that I will create, you will admire its beauty. But the offended Eye did not want to listen to any excuses. Trying at all costs to punish God for betrayal, he turned into a poisonous cobra snake. With a threatening hiss, the cobra swollen its neck and revealed its deadly teeth, aimed straight at Atum. However, God calmly took the snake in his hands and placed it on his forehead. Since then, the snake eye has adorned the crowns of gods and pharaohs. This snake is called a uraeus. A white lotus grew from the waters of the ocean. The bud opened, and the sun god Ra flew out from there, bringing the long-awaited light to the world. Seeing Atum and his children, Ra began to cry with joy. His tears fell to the ground and turned into people.

Sumerian mythology

A long time ago, when there was neither heaven nor earth, there lived Tiamat, the goddess of sweet waters, Apsu, the god of salty waters, and their son, the fog rising above the water.

Then Tiamat and Apsu gave birth to two pairs of twins: Lahma and Lahama (demons), and then Anshar and Kishar, who were smarter and stronger than the elders. Anshar and Kishar had a child named Annu. Annu became the god of the sky. Ea was born to Annu. This is the god of underground waters and magic. The younger gods - Lahma, Lahama, Anshar, Kishar, Annu and Ea - gathered every evening for a noisy feast. They prevented Apsu and Tiamat from getting enough sleep. Only Mummu, the eldest son of Apsu and Tiamat, did not take part in these amusements. Apsu and Mummu appealed to the younger gods with a request to stop the celebrations, but they were not listened to. The elders decided to kill everyone who interfered with sleep.

Ea decided to kill Apsu, who had started a conspiracy against the younger ones.

Tiamat decided to take revenge for the death of her husband. Her new husband, the god Kingu, strongly supported this idea. So Tiamat and Kingu hatched a plan for revenge. Having learned about Tiamat's plan, Ea turned to his grandfather Anshar for advice. Anshar suggested striking Tiamat with magic, since her husband was dealt with in this way. But Ea's magical powers do not affect Tiamat. Anu, Ea's father, tried to reason with the angry goddess, but nothing worked. Since magic and negotiations led nowhere, all that remained was to turn to physical force. Who should we send to battle? Everyone decided that only Marduk could do this. Anshar, Anu and Ea initiated the secrets of divine magic into young Marduk. Marduk is ready to fight Tiamat, demanding the undivided power of the supreme god as a reward for victory. Young Marduk gathered all the Anunnaki (as the gods called themselves) so that they would approve the war with the supreme goddess and recognize him as their king. Anshar sent his secretary Kaku to call Lakhma, Lahama, Kishara and Damkina. Having learned about the impending war, the gods were horrified, but a good dinner with plenty of wine calmed them down. In addition, Marduk demonstrated his magical powers, and the gods recognized him as king. The merciless battle lasted for a long time. Tiamat fought desperately. But Marduk defeated the goddess. Marduk took the “tables of destinies” from Kingu (they determined the movement of the world and the course of all events) and put them around his neck. He cut the body of the slain Tiamat into two parts: from one he made the sky, from the other - the earth. People were created from the blood of the murdered Kingu.

What should be highlighted from these myths... In both Sumerian and Egyptian mythology we find the concept of the primordial existence of only one vast ocean, which was on its own. This ocean was lifeless. Then gods are born from the Ocean, who give birth to other deities, with many relatives, and create the whole world. Gods create people. That is, in these myths three main stages can be traced, following one after another: 1 - the existence of the primordial Ocean, 2 - the birth of the gods and the creation of the world, 3 - the creation of man.

III. Bible about the creation of the world

Christianity views the emergence of the Universe as the creation of a single Creator God. God created the whole world in six days: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waterless and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. And God said, Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw light, that it was good: and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness night. And there was evening, and there was morning: one day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from water. And it became so. On the third day he gathered together all the waters on earth. So the ocean overflowed, and dry land appeared from the water. On the fourth day he created two luminaries: one to shine during the day, and the other at night. On the fifth day he created fish and reptiles, as well as birds in the sky. And on the sixth day he created all kinds of animals that roam the earth. Then God created man in his own image and likeness, and on the seventh day God rested from his labors and blessed this day, making it a holiday for eternity.

A distinctive feature of the Biblical myth is that the true creator of man is the one God the Creator. The whole world was created only for the sake of the existence of man, who is the image of God and who is destined to reign over the world. And in mythologies, the appearance of man looks like a minor event against the background of the origin of the gods. The creation of the world over six days is sequential, step-by-step. After the next stage of creation, God characterizes pristine nature and the creature as perfect in his own eyes. This recognition is not found in myths. The biblical understanding of the creation of the world and man differs from the myths about the creation of the world from the Egg and the primordial Ocean.

Conclusion

Cosmogonic myths of the peoples of the world are an integral part of mythology. Their material clearly shows the commonalities and differences. There is an interpenetration of cultures, and this is precisely what explains the similarity of motifs and elements in the myths of different peoples.

These myths will be passed on from generation to generation. They will last forever. And I think that the secrets of the Universe will always attract people.

Literature

1. Myths about the creation of the world / V.Ya. Petrukhin. - M: Astrel: AST: LUX, 2005.

2. Myths of Ancient India / E.N. Temkin. - M: Science, 1976.

3. Religion Ancient Egypt/ M.A. Korostovtsev. - M: Science, 1976.

4. History Ancient world/ A.A. Vigasin. - M: Enlightenment, 1993.

5. http://ru. wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%BC %D0%B8%D1%80%D0%B0_%D0%B2_%D0%91%D0%B8%D0%B1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%B8

Posted on Allbest.ru

Similar documents

The concept of myth and mythology. Geography of world mythologies. The origin of humanity and the origin of the rest of the world. Traditions describing the deeds of the gods and explaining the secrets of the world in the myths of Ancient Egypt, South and East Asia, in modern world religions.

abstract, added 06/22/2012


The idea of ​​the world in mythopoetic texts and ancient fine arts; models of the creation of the world. Legends about heavenly bodies, legends about the creation of the first people. Deities of the Slavs and pagan Rus', high and low mythology, village rumors.

course work, added 11/24/2010


Ancient legends about a flood or several floods. Works of Sumerian-Babylonian literature. Sumerian creation myth. The Poem of Gilgamesh. Differences and similarities between the biblical flood and the Sumerian-Babylonian flood. The idea of ​​hostility between civilization and nature.

test, added 03/20/2013


general description and directions of formation, as well as justification for the henotheistic nature of the ancient Egyptian religious tradition. Early beliefs and deities and animal cult. Legends and the creation of the world and their reflection in the mythology of Ancient Egypt.

presentation, added 11/18/2016


The ethnic and religious origins of the beliefs of the indigenous people of America. Education and general features of the religious traditions of Native American tribes. The cycle of life and death in the minds of the Indians. Myths of Indian tribes North America about the creation of the world.

abstract, added 05/28/2015


Ancient art Harappa. Mythology of Ancient India. The basis of the Hindu worldview. Legends of Buddha. Cosmogonic and anthropogenic myths about the gods and the lives of people. The main gods in Hinduism: Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesh. Vertical model of the world.

presentation, added 02/11/2014


The history of the formation of Islam, the role of the great messenger of Allah, Muhammad, in this process. Compositional features of the Koran, division of the Bible into the Old and New Testaments. Identification of biblical characters in the Koranic tales of the creation of the world and the prophets.

course work, added 01/21/2012


Ancient Indian epic about the origin of the world, the mythology of European peoples about the origin of man. Cosmogony of Slavic myths, their ideological unity with Finnish and Scandinavian mythology. The meaning and rituals of sacrifice among various religions and peoples.

course work, added 08/27/2009


The essence of God and his name in different religions. Ancient Egyptian legend of the Creation. Drawing parallels between Papyrus and the Bible. Belief in supernatural messengers of the gods - angels. Heavenly hierarchies and God's punishment in legends, myths and traditions.

abstract, added 07/14/2010


The origin of the ancient Egyptian religion, early beliefs. Features of ideas about the creation of the world different cities: Heliopolis, Hermopolis, Memphis. Main and local gods; the emergence of sun worship. The reasons for Akhenaten's coup and its consequences.