Myths and Early Religions

What Are Myths? Ancient stories dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, and heroes. Myths are used to explain Nature, Creation, and other Unexplainable ideas. They usually contain the values and morals of a particular culture. Myths are told orally and passed down through generations.

Myths vs. Fairy Tales Fairy Tales are pure imagination. There is very little reality to the stories, they are meant for entertaining children. Myths are based more in reality, and are used to explain science or other real-world concepts. For example…

The Stone and the Banana: An Indonesian Myth The Creator, who lived in the sky, used to let down his gifts to men at the end of a rope. 4

One day he lowered a stone; but our first father and mother would have none of it and they called out to their Maker, “What have we to do with this stone? Give us something else.”

The Creator complied and hauled away at the rope; the stone mounted up and up until it vanished from sight. Presently the rope was seen coming down from heaven again, and this time there was a banana at the end of it instead of a stone.

Our first parents ran at the banana and took it Our first parents ran at the banana and took it. Then there came a voice from heaven saying: “Because ye have chosen the banana, your life shall be like its life. When the banana-tree has offspring, the parent stem dies; so shall ye die and your children shall step into your place.”

“Had ye chosen the stone, your life would have been like the life of the stone, changeless and immortal.” The man and his wife mourned over their fatal choice, but it was too late; that is how through the eating of a banana, death came into the world.

Elements of a Myth Divine Being (God/Goddess, Creator, etc.) Mortals vs. Divine Being Punishment Moral Lesson Nature/Science explained

Elements of a Myth: The Stone and the Banana Divine Being (God/Goddess, Creator, etc.) “The Creator” Mortals vs. Divine Being Mother and Father Punishment Death is introduced to the world Moral Lesson Greed Nature/Science explained Death is explained

Early Religions Pre-Literate Religions Ancient Egyptian Religion Ancient Greek Religion Aztec Religion Norse Religion Do Pre-Literate Religions together: Animism, fetishism (idols, totems, etc.), sacrifice, supernatural elements. Remote cultures still practice these things today. Pre-Literate = oral culture. No written rituals or “scripture”