MYTHS ABOUT THE CREATION OF THE WORLD AND THE FIRST PEOPLE
Egypt Ethic mythology
The Egyptians believed that people and their Ka (soul) were molded from clay by the ram-headed god Khnum. He is the main creator of the world. He sculpted the whole world on a potter's wheel and created people and animals in the same way.
Myth of the ancient Indians
The progenitor of the world was Brahma. People emerged from the body of Purusha - the primordial man whom the gods sacrificed at the beginning of the world. They threw him like a sacrificial animal onto the straw, doused him with oil, and surrounded him with wood. From this sacrifice, dismembered into pieces, hymns and chants, horses, bulls, goats and sheep were born. From his mouth arose priests, his hands became warriors, from his thighs farmers were created, and from his feet the lower class was born. From the mind of Purusha arose the month, from the eye - the sun, fire was born from his mouth, and from his breath - the wind. The air came from his navel, the sky came from his head, and the cardinal directions were created from his ears, and his feet became the earth. Thus, from a great sacrifice, the eternal gods created the world.
Greek mythology
According to Greek mythology, people were fashioned from earth and water by Prometheus, son of the Titan Iapetus, cousin of Zeus. Prometheus created people looking at the sky, in the likeness of the gods.
According to some myths, humans and animals were created Greek gods in the depths of the earth from a mixture of fire and earth, and the gods instructed Prometheus and Epimetheus to distribute the abilities between them. Epimetheus is to blame for the defenselessness of people, since he spent all the abilities to live on earth on animals, so Prometheus had to take care of people (gave them fire, etc.).
Myth of the peoples of Central America
The gods molded the first people from wet clay. But they did not live up to the hopes of the great gods. Everything would be fine: they are alive and can speak, but can clay fools even turn their heads? They stare at one point and roll their eyes. Otherwise they will start to crawl, and a little rain will sprinkle them. But the worst thing is that they came out soulless, brainless...
The gods got down to business for the second time. “Let's try to make people out of wood!” - they agreed. No sooner said than done. And the earth was populated by wooden idols. But they had no heart, and they were foolish.
And the gods decided to once again take on the creation of people. “To create people from flesh and blood, we need a noble material that will give them life, strength, and intelligence,” the gods decided. They found this noble material - white and yellow maize (corn). They threshed the cobs, kneaded the dough, from which they molded the first intelligent people.
North American Indian Myth
One day there was such a hot summer that the pond in which the turtles lived dried up. Then the turtles decided to look for another place to live and hit the road.
The fattest turtle, to make his way easier, took off his shell. So she walked without a shell until she turned into a man - the ancestor of the Turtle family.
Myth of the North American Acoma tribetells that the first two women learned in a dream that people live underground. They dug a hole and freed the people.
Myth of the Inca people
In Tiwanaku, the creator of all things created the tribes there. He made one person from each tribe out of clay and drew a dress for them to wear; those who should be with long hair, sculpted with long hair, and those who should be cut - with short hair; and each people was given its own language, and its own songs, and grains, and food.
When the creator finished this work, he breathed life and soul into every man and woman and ordered them to go underground. And each tribe went out where it was ordered.
Myth of the Indians of Mexico
When everything was ready on Earth, Nohotsakyum created people. The first were the Calcia, that is, the monkey people, then the Koha-ko - the boar people, then the Kapuk - the jaguar people and, finally, the Chan-ka - the pheasant people. This is how he created different nations. He made them from clay - men, women, children, fitted their eyes, noses, arms, legs and everything else, then put the figures in the fire, on which he usually baked tortillas (corn cakes). The clay hardened from the fire, and people came to life.
Australian myths
At first, the Earth was covered with sea, and at the bottom of the dried-up primeval ocean and on the slopes of rocks protruding from the waves, there were already... lumps of helpless creatures with glued fingers and teeth, closed ears and eyes. Other similar human “larvae” lived in water and looked like shapeless balls raw meat, in which the rudiments of parts of the human body were only guessed. The flycatcher bird used a stone knife to separate human fetuses from each other, cut out their eyes, ears, mouth, nose, fingers... She taught them how to make fire by friction, how to cook food, gave them a spear, a spear thrower, a boomerang, and provided each of them with a personal churing-goa (guardian of the soul).
Various Australian tribes consider the kangaroo, emu, opossum, wild dog, lizard, crow, and bat as their ancestors.
Once upon a time there lived two brothers, two twins - Bunjil and Palian. Bunjil could transform into a falcon, and Palian into a raven. One brother made mountains and rivers on the earth with a wooden sword, and the other made salt water and fish that live in the sea. One day Bunjil took two pieces of bark, put clay on them and began to crush it with a knife, sculpting legs, torso, arms and head - so he created a man. He also made a second one. He was pleased with his work and performed a dance with joy. Since then people have existed, since then they have been dancing for joy. He attached wood fibers to one man as hair, and to another too - the first had curly hair, the second had straight hair. Since then, men of some births have curly hair, while others have straight hair.
Norse mythology
Having created the world, Odin (the supreme deity) and his brothers planned to populate it. One day on the seashore they found two trees: ash and alder. The gods cut them down and made a man out of ash and a woman out of alder. Then one of the gods breathed life into them, another gave them reason, and the third gave them blood and rosy cheeks. This is how the first people appeared, and their names were: the man was Ask, and the woman was Embla.
Greek mythology gave the world the most interesting and instructive stories, fascinating stories and adventures. The narrative immerses us in fairy world, where you can meet heroes and gods, terrible monsters and unusual animals. The myths of Ancient Greece, written many centuries ago, are currently the greatest cultural heritage of all humanity.
What are myths
Mythology is an amazing separate world in which people confronted the deities of Olympus, fought for honor and resisted evil and destruction.
However, it is worth remembering that myths are works created exclusively by people using imagination and fiction. These are stories about gods, heroes and exploits, unusual phenomena nature and mysterious creatures.
The origin of legends is no different from the origin folk tales and legends. The Greeks invented and retold unusual stories that mixed truth and fiction.
It is possible that there was some truth in the stories - a real-life incident or example could have been taken as a basis.
The source of the myths of Ancient Greece
Where from? modern people Are the myths and their plots known for certain? It turns out that Greek mythology was preserved on the tablets of the Aegean culture. They were written in Linear B, which was only deciphered in the 20th century.
The Cretan-Mycenaean period, to which this type of writing belongs, knew most of the gods: Zeus, Athena, Dionysus, and so on. However, due to the decline of civilization and the emergence of ancient Greek mythology, mythology could have its gaps: we know it only from the most recent sources.
Various plots of the myths of Ancient Greece were often used by writers of that time. And before the advent of the Hellenistic era, it became popular to create your own legends based on them.
The largest and most famous sources are:
- Homer, Iliad, Odyssey
- Hesiod "Theogony"
- Pseudo-Apollodorus, "Library"
- Gigin, "Myths"
- Ovid, "Metamorphoses"
- Nonnus, "The Acts of Dionysus"
Karl Marx believed that the mythology of Greece was a vast repository of art, and also created the basis for it, thus performing a double function.
Ancient Greek mythology
Myths did not appear overnight: they took shape over several centuries and were passed on from mouth to mouth. Thanks to the poetry of Hesiod and Homer, the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, we can become familiar with stories in the present day.
Each story has value, preserving the atmosphere of antiquity. Specially trained people - mythographers - began to appear in Greece in the 4th century BC.
These include the sophist Hippias, Herodotus of Heraclea, Heraclitus of Pontus and others. Dionysius of Samois, in particular, was involved in compiling genealogical tables and studying tragic myths.
There are many myths, but the most popular are the stories associated with Olympus and its inhabitants.
However, the complex hierarchy and history of the origin of the gods can confuse any reader, and therefore we propose to understand this in detail!
With the help of myths, it becomes possible to recreate the picture of the world as imagined by the inhabitants of Ancient Greece: the world is inhabited by monsters and giants, including giants, one-eyed creatures and Titans.
Origin of the Gods
Eternal, boundless Chaos enveloped the Earth. It contained the world's source of life.
It was believed that it was Chaos that gave birth to everything around: the world, immortal gods, the goddess of the Earth Gaia, who gave life to everything growing and living, and the powerful force that animates everything - Love.
However, a birth also took place under the Earth: the gloomy Tartarus was born - an abyss of horror filled with eternal darkness.
In the process of creating the world, Chaos gave birth to the Eternal Darkness, called Erebus, and the dark Night, called Nikta. As a result of the union of Nyx and Erebus, Ether was born - eternal Light and Hemera - bright day. Thanks to their appearance, light filled the whole world, and day and night began to replace each other.
Gaia, a powerful and blessed goddess, created the vast blue Sky - Uranus. Spread over the Earth, it reigned over the whole world. The High Mountains proudly stretched towards him, and the roaring Sea spread across the entire Earth.
Goddess Gaia and her titan children
After Mother Earth created the Sky, Mountains and Sea, Uranus decided to take Gaia as his wife. From the divine union there were 6 sons and 6 daughters.
The Titan Ocean and the goddess Thetis created all the rivers that rolled their waters to the sea, and the goddesses of the seas, called Oceanids. Titan Hipperion and Theia gave the world Helios - the Sun, Selene - the Moon and Eos - the Dawn. Astraea and Eos gave birth to all the stars and all the winds: Boreas - northern, Eurus - eastern, Noth - southern, Zephyr - western.
The overthrow of Uranus - the beginning of a new era
The goddess Gaia - the mighty Earth - gave birth to 6 more sons: 3 Cyclopes - giants with one eye in their forehead, and 3 fifty-headed, hundred-armed monsters called Hecantocheirs. They possessed limitless power that knew no limits.
Struck by the ugliness of his giant children, Uranus renounced them and ordered them to be imprisoned in the bowels of the Earth. Gaia, being a Mother, suffered, weighed down by a terrible burden: after all, her own children were imprisoned in her bowels. Unable to bear it, Gaia called on her titan children, persuading them to rebel against their father, Uranus.
Battle of the gods with the titans
Being great and powerful, the titans were still afraid of their father. And only Kronos, the youngest and treacherous, accepted his mother’s offer. Having outwitted Uranus, he overthrew him, seizing power.
As punishment for the act of Kronos, the goddess Night gave birth to death (Tanat), discord (Eris), deception (Apata),
Kronos devouring his child
destruction (Ker), nightmare (Hypnos) and vengeance (Nemesis) and other terrible gods. All of them brought horror, discord, deception, struggle and misfortune into the world of Kronos.
Despite his cunning, Kronos was afraid. His fear was built on personal experience: after all, the children could overthrow him, as he once overthrew Uranus, his father.
Fearing for his life, Kronos ordered his wife Rhea to bring him their children. To Rhea's horror, 5 of them were eaten: Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon.
Zeus and his reign
Heeding the advice of her father Uranus and mother Gaia, Rhea fled to the island of Crete. There, in a deep cave, she gave birth to her youngest son, Zeus.
By hiding the newborn in her, Rhea deceived the tough Kronos by allowing him to swallow a long stone, wrapped in swaddling clothes, instead of her son.
As time went. Kronos did not understand his wife's deception. Zeus grew up while in Crete. His nannies were the nymphs Adrastea and Idea; instead of his mother’s milk, he was fed with the milk of the divine goat Amalthea, and hardworking bees brought honey to baby Zeus from Mount Dikty.
If Zeus began to cry, the young Curetes standing at the entrance to the cave struck their shields with their swords. Loud sounds drowned out the crying so that Kronos wouldn't hear it.
The myth of the birth of Zeus: feeding the milk of the divine goat Amalthea
Zeus has grown up. Having defeated Kronos in battle with the help of the Titans and Cyclops, he became the supreme deity of the Olympian Pantheon. The Lord of the heavenly powers commanded thunder, lightning, clouds and downpours. He dominated the Universe, giving people laws and maintaining order.
Views of the Ancient Greeks
The Hellenes believed that the gods of Olympus were similar to people, and the relationships between them were comparable to human ones. Their lives were also filled with quarrels and reconciliations, envy and interference, resentment and forgiveness, joy, fun and love.
In the ideas of the ancient Greeks, each deity had its own occupation and sphere of influence:
- Zeus - lord of the sky, father of gods and people
- Hera - wife of Zeus, patroness of the family
- Poseidon - sea
- Hestia - family hearth
- Demeter – agriculture
- Apollo – light and music
- Athena - wisdom
- Hermes - trade and messenger of the gods
- Hephaestus - fire
- Aphrodite - beauty
- Ares - war
- Artemis - hunting
From the earth, people each turned to their god, according to their purpose. Temples were built everywhere to appease them, and gifts were offered instead of sacrifices.
In Greek mythology, not only Chaos, the Titans and the Olympian Pantheon were important, there were other gods as well.
- Nymphs Naiads who lived in streams and rivers
- Nereids - nymphs of the seas
- Dryads and Satyrs - nymphs of the forests
- Echo - nymph of the mountains
- Fate Goddesses: Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos.
Ancient Greece gave us a rich world of myths. It is filled with deep meaning and instructive stories. Thanks to them, people can learn ancient wisdom and knowledge.
How many different legends are there on this moment, can't be counted. But believe me, every person should familiarize themselves with them by spending time with Apollo, Hephaestus, Hercules, Narcissus, Poseidon and others. Welcome to the ancient world of the ancient Greeks!
Myths about the creation of the world
Mythology is the science that studies ancient myths or legends associated with religious beliefs people of antiquity, and including, in addition to detailed story about the origin of the gods, a theory explaining how the world was created.
Of all the peoples scattered across the face of the earth, only the Jews learned about the origin of the world directly from God, who not only told them in detail how the earth and all living creatures on it were created, but also bestowed a set of laws regulating their behavior. They received comprehensive answers to all the questions that they might have, leaving no room for speculation.
It was different for all other peoples. The Greeks and Romans, for example, who did not have the knowledge that Holy Scripture gives us, but who wanted to know where the world came from, were forced to create their own theories. Looking around in search of a basis on which to build this theory, they could not help but notice and admire the wonders of nature. Change of day and night, summer and winter, rain and dry weather; the fact that even the tallest trees grow from tiny seeds, the greatest rivers from small streams, and the most beautiful flowers and the most delicate fruits from small green buds - all this seemed to suggest to them that there was a supreme being who created everything. it is for a purpose.
Soon the ancient people came to the conclusion that the almighty hand that created all these wonders of nature could also create the very Earth on which they live. This thought gave rise to others, assumptions grew into certainty, and soon the following myth or legend appeared, which began to be passed on from generation to generation:
There was no sea, no land and no open sky above everything, -
The face of nature was one throughout the entire breadth of the universe, -
Chaos was his name. Unarticulated and rough bulk,
He was an inert burden - and only - where they were collected
Seeds of loosely connected things are of different essences together.
There was no earth yet. Land, sea and air were so mixed that the earth was not solid, the sea was liquid, and the air was transparent.
Titan did not yet give any light to the world,
And the newly-minted Phoebus did not grow horns,
And the earth did not hang, flown around by an air current,
Having lost my own weight, and along the long earthly borders
Amphitrite had not yet stretched out her hands at that time.
Where there was land, there was both sea and air.
And it was impossible to stand on land or swim on the waters...
The air was devoid of light, and nothing preserved forms.
Everything was still in the struggle, then, in the mass of one
Cold fought with heat, dryness fought with humidity,
The battle with the weighty was fought by the weightless, the hard with the soft.
And over this formless mass reigned a careless deity named Chaos, and no one knew what it looked like, since there was no light yet. Chaos shared the throne with his wife, the dark goddess of the night named Nyx, or Nyx, whose black robes and even blacker appearance could not disperse the surrounding darkness.
Time passed, and the couple got tired of power and called their son Erebus (Darkness) to their aid. The first thing he did was overthrow his father and take his throne, and then, deciding that he needed a companion, he married his mother Nyx. Of course, from the point of view of modern views, they committed a mortal sin, but the ancients, who did not yet have written laws, did not consider such a marriage sinful at all and, without any embarrassment, tell us how Erebus and Nyx ruled together until their wonderful children Ether ( Light) and Hemera (Day), having united, did not overthrow them and did not usurp power over the world.
And then for the first time the illuminated Chaos revealed its entire unsightly essence. Ether and Hemera carefully examined the chaos that reigned everywhere and, seeing the possibilities inherent in it, decided to turn it into a beautiful thing. However, they well understood the enormity of the task set for themselves and felt that they could not cope alone, and therefore they called upon Eros (Cupid, or Love), their own child, to their aid. With their combined efforts they created Pontus (the sea) and Gaia (Ge, Tellus, or Terra), as the earth was then called.
At the beginning of its existence, the Earth was not at all as beautiful as it has become now. There were no trees covered with thick foliage shaking their branches on the hills, no flowers growing in the valleys, no grass in the meadows, no birds flying in the air. The ground was bare; Silence and peace reigned everywhere. Eros was the first to notice this and, grabbing his life-giving arrows, launched them into the cold chest of the earth. And immediately its brown surface was covered with luxurious greenery, colorful birds fluttered out of the foliage of the trees that grew right before our eyes, a wide variety of animals appeared in the dense meadows, and fast fish flashed in the clear waters of the streams. Life, joy and movement reigned everywhere.
Gaia, waking up from sleep, admired everything that Eros had done to decorate her, and, deciding to complete and crown his labors, she created Uranus (Sky).
This version of the creation of the world, one of many common in Greece and Rome, enjoyed the greatest popularity.
Gaia first of all gave birth to one like herself
Uranus, shining with stars, so that it covers it everywhere.
Hesiod (Translated by G. Vlastov)
Another common version was that Erebus and Nyx created a giant egg from which Eros, the god of Love, emerged and created the Earth.
In the terrible chaos of Erebus' house
There was a small closed nook
There the goddess of the night secretly put
An egg to be kept in the dark,
And at the right time from this egg
Happy Love hatched.
Aristophanes
The ancients believed that the earth was shaped like a disk, not a ball, as scientists later proved. The Greeks thought that their country was located in the very center of the Earth, but exactly in the center of Greece is high mountain Olympus, the mythical abode of the gods. The earth is divided into two equal halves by the Pontus (the sea, which obviously meant the Mediterranean and Black Sea), and around them “a constant, even stream” flows the great river Ocean, on which there are never storms. All rivers flow from it, and the sea itself is fed by its waters.
The Greeks also believed that the territories located to the north of their country were inhabited by the happy people of the Hyperboreans, who lived in constant joy and enjoyed an eternal spring. They, as the Greeks believed, could not be reached either by land or by sea. They knew neither illness, nor old age, nor death, and were so virtuous that the gods often visited them and even took part in their festivals and games. The people, endowed with the favors of the gods, could not help but be happy, and their sunny country was sung by many poets.
To the south of Greece, also not far from the great Ocean River, lived another people, just as happy and virtuous as the Hyperboreans - the Ethiopians. They, too, often hosted the gods, who shared their innocent amusements with great pleasure.
And far, far away, off the banks of the same wonderful river, according to some myths, there were the beautiful islands of Blest, where mortals who lived their lives sinlessly and thereby earned the mercy of the gods were transported without feeling the touch of death, and there enjoyed eternal bliss. These islands had their own sun, and the cold winter winds from the north did not reach them.
On a land called Shine,
What lies beyond the glorious west,
All year round, day and night around
Eternal peace reigns.
There is not a pale moon in the sky,
No distant twinkling stars.
The sun always shines - both night and day,
Illuminating the world of chosen souls.
They don't need to sow, they don't need to reap,
They don't have to work, oh no!
They don't know tears and don't know worries,
Only happiness awaits them in the future!
Ether and Hemera took power from Erebus and Nyx, but they did not have to enjoy it for long, since Uranus and Gaia, who were more powerful than their parents, soon drove them out and began to rule on their own. But before they had time to settle on the top of Olympus, twelve gigantic children were born to them, the Titans, who had the same strength as their father, Uranus, who was mortally afraid of them. Fearing that they would use her to overthrow him, immediately after birth he grabbed his children and threw them to the bottom of a dark abyss called Tartarus, where he chained them tightly.
This abyss was located deep underground, and Uranus knew that his six sons (Oceanus, Coy, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus and Cronus), as well as six Titanide daughters (Elijah, Rhea, Themis, Tethys, Mnemosyne and Phoebe) could not get out of this cave outside. The Titans did not remain the only inhabitants of Tartarus for long, for one day its bronze doors opened again to receive the Cyclopes - Brontus (Thunder), Steropes (Lightning) and Argas (Lightning) - three children of Uranus and Gaia, born later. The Cyclopes, along with the Titans, turned Tartarus into hell with their endless demands to be freed. After some time, their number increased again - Uranus cast into Tartarus three terrible Centimans (hundred-armed monsters), who shared the fate of their older brothers.
Gaia, terribly upset by her husband's treatment of the children, protested vehemently, but it was all in vain. Uranus never agreed to free the giants, and when their screams reached his ears, he trembled for his life. Beside herself with anger, Gaia vowed revenge and descended to Tartarus, where she began to convince the Titans to plot against her father and wrest power from his hands.
They all listened carefully to their mother's words, but no one had the courage to take on this matter, except for Cronus, the youngest of the titans, who is more often called Saturn or Time. He suffered more than anyone from imprisonment and chains and hated his father for his cruelty. Gaia finally managed to convince him to overthrow his father, and, freeing him from his bonds, she handed him the scythe that she had brought with her and wished him courage and a victorious return.
Armed and encouraged by his mother, Cronus attacked his unsuspecting father, defeated him thanks to his wonderful weapon and, tightly binding him, took the vacated throne, intending to become the eternal ruler of the Universe. Enraged, Uranus cursed his son and predicted that the day would come when he too would be overthrown by his children as punishment for raising his hand against his father.
Cronus did not pay any attention to this and freed the titans from Tartarus, his brothers and sisters, who, in gratitude for the fact that he had rescued them from terrible captivity, agreed to recognize him as their ruler. Their joy knew no bounds when he took his own sister Rhea (Cybele, Ops) as his wife, and gave everyone else different kingdoms of the Universe so that they could rule them as they pleased. He gave Oceanus and Tethys, for example, the ocean and all the rivers on earth, and entrusted Hyperion and Phoebe with controlling the sun and moon, which, as the ancients believed, rode across the sky every day in sparkling golden chariots.
Peace and tranquility reigned on Mount Olympus and its environs, and the pleased Cronus congratulated himself on the victorious completion of his enterprise. But one fine morning his peace was disturbed by the message that he had a son. And then he suddenly remembered his father’s curse. Fearing that he would lose power, he hurried to his wife, intending to swallow the newborn child in order to avoid future troubles. Rhea, who did not suspect anything, heard his request to show her son. She happily placed the child in her husband's outstretched hands, but imagine her amazement and horror when she saw that he had swallowed the child.
Time passed, Gaia gave birth to another baby, but he too suffered the same fate. One after another, newborn children disappeared into the huge mouth of the insatiable Kron, who personified time, which creates only to destroy. In vain did the mother, distraught with grief, try to save at least one baby - the selfish, hard-hearted Kron did not want to heed her pleas. Desperate to pity him, Rhea finally decided to use cunning to get what she could not achieve with prayers, and as soon as her youngest son, Jupiter (Job, Zeus), was born, she hid him.
Cronus, having learned about the birth of his son, came to Rhea to do with him as with the other children. Rhea begged not to destroy her son, but, not achieving success, she pretended to resign herself. Quickly wrapping a large stone in swaddling clothes, she handed it to Kron, depicting inconsolable grief on her face.
Kron, obviously, was not very intelligent, for he swallowed the package without even inquiring about its contents.
Then she, swaddled in a huge stone, handed
Son of Uranus, the great lord, former king of the gods,
Who, grabbing him in his hands, lowered him into the womb -
Mad, not understanding in spirit what is in his future
Behind (this) stone his son is undefeated
and safe from it
Remained, who will soon overcome him with strength and hand,
He will deprive him of his honors and he himself will reign over the immortals.
Hesiod (Translated by G. Vlastov)
Unaware of the deception, Kron left, and the happy mother pressed the saved treasure to her chest. However, saving little Jupiter from inevitable death was not all - it was necessary to prevent his father from guessing about his existence.
Rhea entrusted her baby to the tender care of the Melian nymphs, who carried him to a cave on Mount Ida. Little Zeus was nursed by the goat Amalthea, who looked after him so selflessly that after his death she was ascended to heaven and placed in the constellation - this is how Rhea thanked her for her kindness. And so that the cry of Jupiter could not be heard on Olympus, the Curetes (Corybantes), the priests of Rhea, screamed wildly, shook their weapons, danced and sang war songs.
Kron could not understand why there was such a fuss. Taking a break from his many labors, he congratulated himself on how cleverly he had managed to avoid the troubles that his father had foreshadowed for him. But one day he learned that his wife had betrayed him and Jupiter was alive, and all his anxieties and fears were revived with renewed vigor. Cronus immediately began to rack his brains on how to get rid of his son, but did not have time to come up with anything, since Jupiter himself attacked him and, after a short but brutal fight, overthrew him from the throne.
Jupiter, rejoicing that he managed to defeat his father so quickly, seized supreme power and, on the advice of Rhea, who gave him a magic potion prepared by Metis, daughter of Ocean, forced Cronus to vomit out the children he had swallowed - Neptune, Pluto, Vesta, Ceres and Juno.
Following the example of his father, Jupiter divided his kingdom between his brothers and sisters. The smartest of the titans - Mnemosyne, Themis, Oceanus and Hyperion - unquestioningly obeyed the new ruler of the world, but others did not want to recognize him as their master, which led to a bloody battle between the gods and the titans.
Titan Prometheus: the myth of the creation of man. - Prometheus' division. - Fire of Prometheus. - The myth of Pandora - the first woman. - Pandora's Box. - Chained Prometheus: Punishment and release of the Titan Prometheus.
Titan Prometheus: the myth of the creation of man
The Titan Iapetus personifies in mythology the progenitor of the entire human race. Perhaps in the Titan Iapetus Greek myths we should recognize the biblical Japheth, the son of Noah, the progenitor of the entire human race. The Titan Iapetus has no specific mission or role in ancient mythology. The ancient Greeks revered Iapetus as the oldest representative of the Titans. Iapetus is a contemporary of the god Kronos (). From Asia, the daughter of Ocean, the Titan Iapetus has several children, including Prometheus, Epimetheus, Atlas and others.
Titan Prometheus represents the thinking power of the human mind, cunning and intelligence. The very name of Prometheus, translated from ancient Greek, means “knowing in advance,” “provider.” Although the Titan Iapetus in myths ancient Greece considered the ancestor of humanity, however, according to ancient legends, people owe their appearance that distinguishes them from animals.
“Prometheus,” says the Roman poet Ovid, “having soaked the earth with water, fashioned from it a man in the image of the gods, and - while all animals have their heads forever bowed to the ground - man can freely raise his head to the vault of heaven and look at the stars.”
The art of antiquity very often depicted myth about the creation of man by the Titan Prometheus, it is most often found on carved stones and bas-reliefs. One cameo depicts the Titan Prometheus as a sculptor assembling a human skeleton. On another antique cameo, the Titan Prometheus assembles into one human members, which he sculpted each separately.
In all ancient images, the Titan Prometheus is a craftsman who forms only the material shell of a person, and not a god who spiritualizes him. This role, according to ancient mythology, belongs to (Minerva), the goddess of wisdom. Many monuments of ancient art clearly express the roles that fell to the lot of each of these mythological characters in the creation of humanity.
A perfectly preserved bas-relief depicts the Titan Prometheus sitting on a rock under the shade of a tree. In front of Prometheus stands on the table small man, rather a child that Prometheus has just sculpted, but not quite finished yet. Three children, completely ready, stand next to the goddess Athena (Minerva). Athena places a butterfly on the head of one of them, among the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Thus, the Titan Prometheus is not the creator of one person, but an artisan who produces people in large numbers.
Prometheus's division
The myth of the Titan Prometheus is a myth about the eternal protector of humanity. Distinctive features Prometheus's character is proud conceit and non-recognition of the power of the gods.
After the victory over the Titans (titanomachy), a dispute arose between the gods and the human race about what exactly people should sacrifice to the gods, and the Titan Prometheus became the guardian of the interests of humanity.
ZAUMNIK.RU, Egor A. Polikarpov - scientific editing, scientific proofreading, design, selection of illustrations, additions, explanations, translations from Latin and ancient Greek; all rights reserved.
Most mythologies have general stories about the origin of all things: the separation of elements of order from the primordial chaos, the separation of maternal and paternal gods, the emergence of land from the ocean, endless and timeless. Here are the most interesting myths and legends about the creation of the world.
Slavic
The ancient Slavs had many legends about where the world and everyone inhabiting it came from.
The creation of the world began with filling it with Love.
The Carpathian Slavs have a legend according to which the world was created by two pigeons who sat on an oak tree in the middle of the sea and thought “how to found the world.” They decided to go down to the bottom of the sea, take some fine sand, sow it, and from it would come “black earth, cold water, green grass.” And from a golden stone, which was also mined at the bottom of the sea, “blue sky, bright sun, clear month and all the stars” would come from it.
According to one myth, the world was initially shrouded in darkness. There was only the progenitor of all things - Rod. He was imprisoned in an egg, but managed to give birth to Lada (Love), and by her force he destroyed the shell. The creation of the world began with filling it with Love. The family created the kingdom of heaven, and under it - the heavenly kingdom, and separated the Ocean from the waters of heaven by the firmament. Then Rod separated Light and Darkness and gave birth to the Earth, which plunged into the dark abyss of the Ocean.
The Sun came out of Rod’s face, the Moon came out of his chest, and the stars came out of his eyes. From Rod's breath came winds, from tears - rain, snow and hail. His voice became thunder and lightning. Then Rod gave birth to Svarog and breathed into him a powerful spirit. It was Svarog who arranged the change of day and night, and also created the earth - he crushed a handful of earth in his hands, which then fell into the sea. The sun heated the Earth, and a crust was baked on it, and the Moon cooled the surface.
According to another legend, the world appeared as a result of the hero’s battle with the serpent who was guarding the golden egg. The hero killed the snake, split the egg, and from it emerged three kingdoms: heavenly, earthly and underground.
There is also a legend: in the beginning there was nothing but a boundless sea. A duck, flying over the surface of the sea, dropped an egg into the abyss of the water, it split, and from the lower part of it came “mother earth,” and from the upper part, “a high vault of heaven rose.”
Egyptian
Atum, who arose from Nun - the primary ocean, was considered the creator and primordial being. In the beginning there was no sky, no earth, no soil. Atum grew like a hill in the middle of the world's oceans. There is an assumption that the shape of the pyramid is also associated with the idea of a primary hill.
Atum absorbed his own seed and then vomited two children into the world.
Afterwards, Atum broke away from the water with great effort, soared over the abyss and cast a spell, as a result of which a second hill grew among the water surface - Ben-Ben. Atum sat down on a hill and began to think about what he should use to create the world. Since he was alone, he absorbed his own seed, and then vomited out the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut. And the first people appeared from the tears of Atum, who briefly lost his children - Shu and Tefnut, and then found them again and burst into tears of joy.
From this couple, born of Atum, came the gods Geb and Nut, and they, in turn, gave birth to the twins Osiris and Isis, as well as Set and Nephthys. Osiris became the first god to be killed and resurrected to an eternal afterlife.
Greek
In the Greek concept, there was originally Chaos, from which the land of Gaia emerged, and in its depths lay the deep abyss of Tartarus. Chaos gave birth to Nyukta (Night) and Erebus (Darkness). The night gave birth to Tanat (Death), Hypnos (Sleep), as well as moira - goddesses of fate. From Night came the goddess of rivalry and discord, Eris, who gave birth to Hunger, Sorrow, Murder, Lies, Exhaustive Labor, Battles and other troubles. From the connection of Night with Erebus, Ether and the shining day were born.
Gaia gave birth to Uranus (Sky), then Mountains rose from its depths, and Pontus (Sea) spilled across the plains.
Gaia and Uranus gave birth to the Titans: Oceanus, Tethys, Iapetus, Hyperion, Theia, Criya, Kay, Phoebe, Themis, Mnemosyne, Kronos and Rhea.
Kronos, with the help of his mother, overthrew his father, seizing power and marrying his sister Rhea. It was they who created a new tribe - the gods. But Kronos was afraid of his children, because he himself had once overthrown his own parent. That's why he swallowed them immediately after birth. Rhea hid one child in a cave in Crete. This rescued baby was Zeus. God was fed by goats, and his crying was drowned out by the blows of copper shields.
Having matured, Zeus overcame his father Cronus and forced him to vomit his brothers and sisters from his womb: Hades, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter and Hestia. Thus came the end of the era of the Titans - the era of the gods of Olympus began.
Scandinavian
The Scandinavians believe that before the creation of the world there was a void called Ginungagap. To the north of it lay the frozen world of darkness Niflheim, and to the south lay the fiery country of Muspellheim. Gradually, the world emptiness of Ginungagap was filled with poisonous frost, which turned into the giant Ymir. He was the ancestor of all frost giants. When Ymir fell asleep, sweat began to drip from his armpits, and these drops turned into a man and a woman.
From this water also the cow Audumla was formed, whose milk Imir drank, as well as the second man born from sweat - Buri.
The son of Buri Bore Bor married the giantess Bestla, and they had three sons: Odin, Vili and Ve. For some reason, the sons of the Storm hated the giant Ymir and killed him. Then they took his body to the center of Ginungagapa and created the world: from flesh - the earth, from blood - the ocean, from the skull - the sky. Ymir's brain was scattered across the sky, creating clouds. With the eyelashes of Ymir they fenced off the best part of the world and settled people there.
Drops of sweat from the armpits of the Scandinavian giant Ymir turned into a man and a woman.
The gods created the people themselves from two tree branches. From the first man and woman all other people descended. The gods built the Asgard fortress for themselves, where they settled.
Chinese
In China, they believe that the Universe once had the shape of a huge chicken egg, in which the first ancestor Pangu was born. He slept in the egg for 18 thousand years, and when he woke up, he began to look for a way to get out. Pangu cut through the shell with an ax.
The two principles - light, formed by the spirit of Yang, and dark, formed by the spirit of Yin, became heaven and earth, respectively. Pangu stood on the ground and rested his head against the sky to prevent them from mixing again and turning into chaos. From his inhalations the winds rose, from his exhalations thunder roared, day came when the giant opened his eyes, and when he closed them, night fell. Every day Pangu grew 3 meters, making the sky higher and the earth thicker.
Zoroastrian
The Zoroastrians created an interesting concept of the universe. According to this concept, the world has existed for 12 thousand years. Its entire history is conventionally divided into four periods, each lasting 3 thousand years.
The first period is the pre-existence of things and ideas. At this stage of heavenly creation there already existed the prototypes of everything that was later created on Earth. This state of the world is called Menok ("invisible" or "spiritual").
The second period is considered to be the creation of the created world, that is, the real, visible, inhabited by “creatures.” Ahura Mazda creates the sky, the stars, the Sun, the first man and the first bull. Beyond the sphere of the Sun is the abode of Ahura Mazda himself. However, Ahriman begins to act at the same time. It invades the firmament, creates planets and comets that do not obey the uniform movement of the celestial spheres.
Ahriman pollutes the water and sends death to the first man Gayomart and the primeval bull. But from the first man are born man and woman, from whom the human race descends, and from the first bull come all animals. From the collision of two opposing principles, the whole world begins to move: waters become fluid, mountains arise, celestial bodies move. To neutralize the actions of “harmful” planets, Ahura Mazda assigns her spirits to each planet.
The third period of the existence of the universe covers the time before the appearance of the prophet Zoroaster.
During this period, the mythological heroes of the Avesta act: the king of the golden age - Yima the Shining, in whose kingdom there is no heat, no cold, no old age, no envy - the creation of the devas. This king saves people and livestock from the Flood by building a special shelter for them.
Among the righteous of this time, the ruler of a certain region, Vishtaspa, the patron of Zoroaster, is also mentioned. During the last, fourth period (after Zoroaster) in each millennium, three Saviors should appear to people, appearing as the sons of Zoroaster. The last of them, Savior Saoshyant, will decide the fate of the world and humanity. He will resurrect the dead, destroy evil and defeat Ahriman, after which the world will be cleansed with a “flow of molten metal”, and everything that remains after this will gain eternal life.
Sumerian-Akkadian
The mythology of Mesopotamia is the most ancient of all known in the world. It arose in the 4th millennium BC. e. in a state that at that time was called Akkad, and later developed in Assyria, Babylonia, Sumeria and Elam.
At the beginning of time there were only two gods, who personified fresh water (the god Apsu) and salt water (the goddess Tiamat). The waters existed independently of each other and never crossed. But once salty and fresh waters mixed - and the elder gods were born - the children of Apsu and Tiamat. Following the elder gods, many younger gods appeared. But the world still consisted of nothing but chaos; the gods felt cramped and uncomfortable in it, about which they often complained to the Supreme Apsu.
The cruel Apsu was tired of all this, and he decided to destroy all his children and grandchildren, but in the battle he could not defeat his son Enki, by whom he was defeated and cut into four parts, which turned into land, seas, rivers and fire. Tiamat wanted to take revenge for the murder of her husband, but she was also defeated by the younger god Marduk, who created wind and storms for the duel. After the victory, Marduk received a certain artifact “Me”, which determines the movement and fate of the entire world.
