Other Creation Myths

Types of Creation Myths World arises from body of Mother Earth goddess World arises from sexual union of father sky and mother earth Earth diver Cosmic egg Creation from chaos Creation from nothing Trickster Emergence

Chinese Pan Gu separates the earth and sky

Chinese I. Chinese

Chinese I. Chinese A.Chaos, then big black egg B. After 18,000 years Pan Gu opened the egg 1.Light matter (Yin)went up- sky 2.Dark matter (Yang)went down- earth 3.Pan Gu held them apart for 18,000 years as he grew 90,000 li (36 miles) tall

Chinese C. After death, Pan Gu’s 1. breath = wind & clouds 2. voice = thunder 3. one eye sun, other eye moon 4. body & limbs = five mountains 5. blood = water 6. veins = roads

Chinese 7. muscles = fertile land 8. hair = stars 9. skin = flowers & trees 10. marrow = jade & pearls 11. sweat = rain & dew 12. fleas & lice = humankind

Chinese Pan Gu combines elements of Chaos Cosmic egg Creation from body of god

Japanese II. Japanese A. Ocean of chaos 1. Reed arises: eternal land ruler, Kunitokotatchi 2. Then goddess, Izanami, and god, Izanagi

Japanese Izanami and Izanagi

Japanese C. Stirred ocean with jeweled spear, created first island, Onokoro-shima Ama-no-Hashidate The Bridge of Heaven

Japanese D. Izanami gave birth to the eight islands of Japan and all of the gods, but died in childbirth of fire god Meoto Iwa- the Wedded Rocks

Japanese E. Descent to Land of Gloom 1.Eating food traps 2.Warning not to look 3.Escape alone

Creation Myths F. Separation between life and death 1. Izanami: 1,ooo dead 2. Izanagi: 1,500 born

Creation Myths G. Amaterasu, sun goddess- Izanagi’s left eye H. Tsukiyomi, moon god- Izanagi’s right eye I. Susanowo, storm god- Izanagi’s nose

Norse Page from the Prose Eddas

Norse III. Scandinavian A. Emptiness of Ginnungagap 1. South: fiery realm of Muspell 2. North: icy realm Niflheim 3. Melting middle realm forms evil giant Ymir

Norse B. Ymir sweats- 1. from armpits male and female frost giants 2. from leg another male frost giant

Norse C. Ice melt formed a cow, Audhumla; milk fed Ymir 1. Cow licked salty ice, uncovered a man, Buri

Norse Ymir drinking from Audhumla

Norse 2. Buri had son, Bor, who married Bestla, daughter of a frost giant 3. Bor and Bestla had three sons: Odin, Vili, Ve

Norse D. Three brothers slew Ymir, whose blood drowned the frost giants

Norse Odin, Vili, and Ve kill Ymir

Norse E. Brothers made earth from Ymir 1.Flesh = earth 2.Bones & teeth = rocks & stones 3. Blood = rivers & lakes 4. Skull made into sky held up by dwarfs (Nord, Söder, Oster, Väster) 5. Brain = clouds 6. Fires from Muspell = sun, moon, stars

Norse

F. Earth made in the form of a circle, surrounded by great sea 1. Jotunheim, land of the giants 2. Midgard, protected from giants by Ymir’s eyebrows 3. Asgard above for gods, linked to Midgard by Bifrost, the rainbow bridge 4. Niflheim below, icy realm 5. Yggdrasil, ash tree, center of all realms

Norse

G. Midgard was home to the first man, Ask, and first woman, Embla 1.Created by brothers from two logs 2.Odin gave them breath and life 3.Vili gave them brains and feelings 4.Ve gave them hearing and sight

Norse Odin, Vili, and Ve create humans from logs

Cheyenne IV. Cheyenne (North America)

Cheyenne IV. Cheyenne (North America) A. Maheo, the All Spirit, lived alone in the void B. Created a great salty lake 1. All life could come from lake 2. Created water beings- fish, snails, crawfish (put sand and mud for bottom of lake) 3. Created water birds 4. Created light 5. Birds got tired of paddling- made them fly 6. Birds tired of flying, asked for dry land

Cheyenne C. Maheo’s Power allowed him to create 4 things (water, light, sky air, peoples of water)- needs help to create more 1. Snow goose & loon & mallard try to swim to bottom of lake to get mud- fail 2. Coot tries- succeeds (now flesh tastes like mud, so no one eats it) 3. Maheo places mud on Grandmother Turtle’s back (home is beneath water, within earth, on the earth) 4. Decorates turtle like beautiful woman- trees & grass for hair, flowers for ornaments

Cheyenne D. Earth Woman is most beautiful creation- Maheo gives her something of himself 1. Takes right rib, breathes on it 2. Lays on bosom of Earth Woman- first man 3. Takes left rib- first woman 4. Creates animals to provide for humans’ needs- deer, porcupines, antelope 5. Last creates buffalo- one animal that can do everything