Unit 2 #5

In many of the creation myths i have red over the past week, i've found similarities, yet uniqueness within them. Many details within the myths are subjective to the myths country of origin, yet there is still the whole archetypal hero scenario going on. There's the creator(s), who is driven to change the world, they just wear different "cultural clothes". In the myths, light seemed to always be absent, and was a large factor in what need to be created. These myths reflect moral and cultural values from the country were they originated.

My Creation Myth

The deep, black, darkness clouds had hung over the future area called "Maryland" since the earths creation. Birds were the only creatures living on the earth, the strongest and most important of them being the seagulls. One day, the day that would change the world forever, a the largest flock of seagulls ever assembled  took of over the deep, murky waters of the Chesapeake bay. As the seagulls flew over the murky waters, the winds created by their strongly flapping wings drove the clouds away and light was finally shone on the and and water. Drifting feathers from the flock fell to the ground, and plants and all other animals were created from these stray plumes. That is how animals, plants, and the sunlight to maintain them, came into being in Maryland. How humans were created is a whole other story. 

unit 2, #3

The Egyptian creation myth I read was of Hermopolis. In the story, the primeval waters are represented by eight gods. The male gods are represented by frogs and the females by snakes. When they clash, the pyramidal mound is formed, and then the sun emerges form it. I've read other myths where gods clash, producing natural disasters or happenings, so i guess its a common theme in mythology. Another similarity this creation myth has to others is that it focusses on nature of the universe before the creation of the world. 

The Hindu/Indian creation myth i read was of Rig-Veda, one of the most sacred texts of Indian creation myth. It tells the stories of Pursha, the creator of the basic elements of the world. When he was sacrificed, his body parts became the basic elements of the earth. His mind was the moon, his eye the sun, his breath the wind, etc. This theme of body parts becoming the element is similar to the slavic myth i read which i will talk about in the next paragraph. 

The Slavic creation myth i read was of Rod and the Golden Egg. When the father of all mankind, Rod, breaks out of the golden egg, the darkness is imediatley broken through. He gets right away to seperating the oceans and seas from the skies, he separates light from darkness, truth from deceit. He divides the world into three parts, including one for the gods I'm assuming could be called "Heaven". This theme of creating a "Heaven", or simply a place for the gods is a common myth if found throughout a couple of the creation myths i read. Also, in the myth, the sun is created from Rod's face-a detail similar to that of the Hindu myth above, where elements are created from the gods bodies. 

The Chinese creation myth i read was of the the Yin and Yang. Before the Dao began to grow in the myth, dark limpidity and mysterious quiescence filled the earth.Creatures came into being and shapes were formed when the Dao began to grow. Heaven was formed, a similarity to other myths, and Earth became fixed within, another common theme in creation myths.Heaven is said to takes it body form the Yang, and Earth took its body from the Yang. When the Yin and Yang came together, all kinds of things were brought to being. In this creation myth, there is a theme of unison and harmony bringing things together. 

The Native American myth i read was of Grandfather Buzzard . The wind form the flapping of the buzzards wings creates the valleys and mountains, thats why the Cherokee say there land is mountainous. The animals needed light, a theme ever so common in all the creation myths i've read where light is needed, so they pull the sun out from behind the rainbow. I found a striking similarity to the Adam & Eve story from the bible in the next part of the myth. The creator told the plants and animals to stay awake for seven days and nights. Only a few obeyed, the owls and mountain lions, and they were rewarded with the ability to see in the dark. This is similar to the bible story because those who disobeyed weren't rewarded with greatness, (Adam & Eve ), and those who did obey the creator, ( God ), were rewarded. 

Interview with parents

Mom:

What is your understanding of myth?

·      A myth is a made up story, like fiction, from a very long time ago

How do you define myth?

·      A myth is a made up story, like fiction, from a very long time ago (she said that the same answers applied to both questions)

Do you remember any myths?

·      I remember the myth of Hercules 

What makes these myths memorable to you?

·      They were memorable because they were exciting, full of adventure and suspense 

Dad:

What is your understanding of myth?

·      Short story that has a moral or lesson to it, and usually involves fictional, unrealistic elements

How do you define myth?

·      Short story that has a moral or lesson to it, and usually involves fictional, unrealistic elements (he said that the same answers applied to both questions)

Do you remember any myths?

·      Beowulf, I read it in high school

What makes these myths memorable to you?

·      It was hard to understand and read, even though it was translated from some medieval language, it hard to follow

Essay

Throughout everything I have learned in class and on my own, I've been able to develop my own sense of what a myth really is. A myth is a really old tale, it cant just have been made up 10 years ago. Its something passed down in the oral tradition, and if its been written down, it hasn't been till recent years. I finds myth to not necessarily be fantasies, yet they are still somewhat magical. They help us to understand the human condition, help us to understand ourselves. They can answers the question "WHY?" and "HOW?'. I like the point made throughout some of the texts I've read and videos I've watched that characters within myths are repetitive, the just wear different "cultural clothes". The fact that mythology isn't religion, nut is is related and has ties to it is very interesting.

Campbell Mythos, part 1; My reaction

Campbell begins his says myth has four functions, mystical, image of world-cosmological, sociological, and ppsychological. He talks about how same "characters" appears in every cultures mythology-they just vary in characteristics. I noticed how he connected physcology with mythology, using ego, self, shadow.  It was nice having Susan Sarandon in the video to sum up and simplify everything that Joseph Campbell was talking about because he was really confusing and hard to follow. I agree with Sarandon's statement about "mythology beginning within us". Many of the themes and lessons that can be learned from mythology can be applicable to our lives.

Mythology in Modern Art

In modern art today, examples of mythology are still alive and well

Ravens, a source of evil  and il omens in myths, are depicted in Maxwell Dickson's painting, 'The Ravens'. Ravens appear in mythology of many different cultures. In Irish myths, they are a symbol of warfare. In Norse tales, ravens were often depicted flanking Odin, a very important Norse god.Ravens played a very important role in Native American Mythology.

This art instillation is very neat. Its a sculpture of the mythological creature Pegasus, made up of smart phones. Pegasus was a part of the Greek myths. He was a winged horse, born from Medusa after her head was chopped of. When he was born, he sprang forth with his twin, warrior brother Chrysaor, riding on his back.

Elephants are a very important animal in Indian mythology. When the gods and demons churned the seas to find the " elixir of life" that would make them immortal, nine jewels surfaced. One of the jewels was an elephants, making it considered to be precious, and causing it preserved and protected like the way jewels are supposed to be. Elephants also pop up in many other Indian myths. 

Devdutt Pattanaik: East vs. West -- the myths that mystify

I like how in the begining of the video, Pattanaik hooks the viewer in with an Indian myth, that then helps to flow into his definition of myth based on the concept of "THE" world vs "MY" world. "THE" world is objective, logical, universal, fact, and science. It answers the question "How?". "MY" world is subjective, emotional, personal, belief, and myth. It answers the question "Why?". His visual chart helped me to understand how myth is a fusion of stories, symbols, and rituals that all come together to shape a culture. I found his whole point about life repeating itself again and again very interesting. He makes a good point of how everyone views mythology differently.

Myth in the Library

I found the mythology section located in the non-fiction section, located near the religion section. I think they are located there because at one point, myths were considered true to some people. Some myths were also deemed to be religion at one point in time. Behind the librarians desk, Ms. Maxey keeps a pile of reserved mythology books.