A myth is a traditional, typically ancient story dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, or heroes. Creation myths often explain the natural world of a people by illustrating their psychology, customs, and traditions. The three myths learned in class where Yanamano, Ancient Hebrew, and the Maya. The Yanamano lived in the rain forest. They believed the cosmos was made up of four layers. The top was empty. The second layer was the visible sky. The third was Earth, all of which was a huge jungle of villages. The fourth layer was only one village, inhabited by spirits who travel to Earth to eat souls of children. The Gods and layers all occurred at the same time. There were several Gods in fact, and each with their own purpose. The creation myth then was that a spirit came down to eat children, and two others shot and wounded him.
His blood from the wound fell to Earth and made Yanamano men. Then, these men became pregnant, in their legs no less, and from the legs where born men and women. Fortunately for the children, the new men where not fierce as their predecessors, who all became spirits. The Ancient Hebrew creation myth is a little more familiar to Western society. First there was an all-powerful being that brought order to chaos of water. That being created everything in six days and man was in his image. Later in the came tradition you had a foul able God, who creates water, man out of dust, a garden, beasts and woman from mans rib.
This story is found in Genesis, and is widely accepted as Creationism my many Christians today. The final myth came from the Maya in Mesa America. The Pop II Vuh (I know Im spelling this wrong!) gives us their creation story as follows: In the beginning there was nothing except the calm sea. Creators made dry land, animals, etc and gave each their own place to live. But when they ordered them to speak, they could not. So they began making people. The first people were made of mud, but they had no brains, and dissolved in water. The second people where then made of wood, again with no brains, but they could reproduce. The Gods instructed the birds to kill these people because they could not worship them, by plucking out their eyes. Those who survived are todays monkeys.
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Finally, the Gods decided to make the people from corn meal with blood and brains that could reproduce and worship them. All three myths are different but they attempt to answer the same question: Where did we come from? They take a glimpse into ancient society and discover the norms, beliefs, and values that where important to them. We see how culture began and put into perspective who theyve become.
