Primal Myths and Creation

Carole Cusack

Primal Myths and Creation

Carole Cusack

KADIT (Karsilastirmali Dinler Okulu – School of Comparative History of Religion), Turkey. 22 July 2023.

visibility

…

description

16 pages

link

1 file

Human beings have sought to understand the origins of both the world they live in, and their own selves. This lecture considers two Indo-European myths of creation (Indian and Scandinavian) before discussing the Biblical account of creation and various Mesopotamian myths that relate to the book of Genesis..

Primal Myths and Creation Explanations of the Beginning of the Universe Carole M. Cusack University of Sydney Human Beings and the Quest for Origins § 1. ‘The creation myth, a complex, polyphonic story that told how the world was created when the first priest (often bearing the name Man, *Manu) offered his twin brother, the first king (often named Twin, *Yemo), in sacrifice, with the first ox. From Twin’s body, the world was made, in both its material and social component … [t]he Indic “Song of Purusa” (Rgveda, 10.90.11-14) dates to about 900 BCE’. (Lincoln, 1987, p. 199). § This story is also found in other sources, widely distributed across geography and history; for example, two thirteenth-century sources, the Old Russian Poem on the Dove King, and the Icelandic Prose Edda of Snorri Sturluson, and the medieval Irish Lebor Gebala Erenn, which may date to rather earlier, around the tenth century CE. All these sources are preserved within a Christian cultural context, which makes them quite remarkable. § 2. ‘Another myth, which has as its central character the first warrior, whose name was Third (*Trito), provided an analysis of the warrior class. Within this story, it was related that cattle originally belonged to Indo-Europeans but were stolen by a monster, a three-headed serpent which was, moreover, specifically identified as a non-IndoEuropean…Third … began his quest by invoking the aid of a warrior deity to whom he offered libations of intoxicating drinks. Having won the god’s assistance, and himself fortified by the same intoxicant, Third set forth, found the serpent, slew him, and recovered the cattle, which had been imprisoned by the monster.’ (Lincoln, 1987, p. 200). § The ‘Purusha Sukta’ (from the Rig Veda): § ‘When they divided Purusha, how many pieces did they prepare? What was his mouth? What are his arms, thighs and feet called? § The priest was his mouth, the warrior was made from his arms; His thighs were the commoner, and the servant was born from his feet. § The moon was born of his mind; of his eye, the sun was born; From his mouth Indra and fire; from his breath, wind was born. § From his navel there was the atmosphere; from his head, heaven was rolled together; From his feet the earth; from his ears the directions’ (cited in Lincoln, p. 200). § Triloka Purusha, as conceived of by a Jain artist in Gujurat, India, c. 1840-1860. From the Rijksmuseum, item no. RP-T-1993-374. § The Rig Veda contains texts that explain the origin of the physical and social worlds, such as the Purusa Sukta (the Hymn of Man). This hymn describes the creation of the sun, moon, winds, earth and atmosphere, and concludes that this creation was the first religious rite. There is a clear belief that the order of society was ordained by the gods; the concept of ‘caste’ is firmly established in the Vedic period and the social classes listed in the Purusa Sukta correspond with the four traditional castes. The Brahmins are priests whose high rank is due to their power in the religious sphere; the Ksatriyas are the hereditary warrior aristocracy; then the Vaisyas, the agriculturalists and artisans; and finally the Sudra, the slave class, who were possibly conquered by the Indo-Aryans who held the Vedas sacred. § Because the first religious act was the sacrifice of Purusha in order to create the world, sacrifice was the principal religious ritual throughout the Vedic period. The two principal sacrifices were the fire sacrifice and the Soma ritual. Both of these sacrifices were intended to uphold the cosmic order, which is a central concept in the Vedas. The god who was nominally the ruler of the supernatural world, Varuna (a name probably corresponding to the Greek Ouranos, the sky god who was the consort of the earth goddess Gaia), is chiefly concerned with rita (cosmic order) and its maintenance. Rita is a word that is related to the English ‘rite,’ and comprehends the same meaning of formality and solemnity, and also some of the dimensions of the meaning of ‘right’ (correctness, moral appropriateness). The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford, 1973, p. 1837. § Then High replied: ‘Bor’s sons [Odin and his two brothers] killed the giant Ymir. And when he fell, so much blood flowed from his wounds that with it they drowned all the race of the frost-giants, except that one escaped with his household … They took Ymir and transported him to the middle of Ginnunga-gap, and out of him made the earth, out of his blood made the sea and the lakes. The earth was made of the flesh and the rocks of the bones, stone and scree they made out of the teeth and molars and of the bones that had been broken.’ § Then spoke Just-As-High: ‘Out of the blood that came from his wounds and was flowing unconfined, out of this they made the sea …’ § Then spoke Third: ‘They also took his skull and made out of it the sky and set it up over the earth with four points, and under each corner they set a dwarf. Their names are Austri, Vestri, Nordri, Sudri. Then they took molten particles and sparks that were flying uncontrolled … and set them in the middle of the firmament of the sky … to illuminate heaven and earth,’ (Snorri Sturluson, Edda, trans. Anthony Faulkes, 1987, pp. 11-12). § The final issue in creation is that of the creation of humans. Unlike the Purusha Sukta, the Scandinavian myths separate the creation of humans from the creation of the physical universe. It is the same gods who are responsible, however, Odin and his brothers. They are walking in Midgard and see trees that resemble their own forms. § This is interesting because there is a reference in the New Testament, Mark chapter. 8, verse 24, where a blind man cured by Jesus says, ‘I can see people, they look like trees to me, but they are walking about’ (Alexander Jones (gen. ed.), The Jerusalem Bible, London, Darton, Longman and Todd, 1974 [1968]). § Here Snorri says, ‘the man was called Ask (ash) and the woman was called Embla (elder)’. § Genesis 1: 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. § 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. § 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. § Genesis 1: 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” § 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” § Genesis 2: 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. § But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (www.biblegateway.com). § The academic study of religion is a separate discipline to theology. Theology is a faith- based investigation of topics like the nature of God, the way God works in the world, the morality and ethics God demands humans to live by, and other matters of belief and conduct that concern communities of believers. § The academic study of religion treats mythology, religion, and theology as human cultural products, and is interested to interpret them in non-supernatural ways. There are many approaches to the study of myth (linguistic, social, political) but they have in common the fact that they are exercises in anthropology, the scholars assume that myths will tell us important things about human beings and their meaning-making, as well as their social organization and behaviours (eating, marriage, occupations etc.). § For the monotheist religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) God creates the world out of nothing and sets up an absolute standard of truth, morality, and conduct for people to follow. All beings in the universe are inferior to the monotheistic deity. The Enuma Elish (from the opening words, meaning ‘When on high’) exists in Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian versions, attesting to its popular appeal and longevity. The picture shows the ‘seven tablets of creation’ which contain the text of the myth. § This clay tablet tells of the banquet celebrating Marduk’s defeat of Tiamat in primeval chaos. From Nineveh (modern Ninawa Governorate, Iraq). Neo-Assyrian period, 7th century BCE. (The British Museum, London). § The gods of the waters, Apsu (male) and Tiamat (female) have many children that create noise and disturbance. Apsu petitions Tiamat: ‘Their ways have become very grievous to me, by day I cannot rest, by night I cannot sleep. I shall abolish their ways and disperse them! Let peace prevail, so that we can sleep.’ § Tiamat was appalled that her husband wanted to kill their children. She threw him out and he plotted with other gods that agreed with him. These included Ea (Enki), a water god associated with both Anu (An) the sky god, and Enlil, the god of the atmosphere. Ea arranged the conception and birth of the hero god Marduk. § Tiamat promotes her lover Qingu to general of her forces and Ea informs the gods that she intends to go to war against them. Marduk is appointed general for the gods. Marduk defeats Tiamat and kills her brutally. § The Etemenanki Ziggurat was dedicated to Marduk in the city of Babylon, 6th century BCE. § Herodotus, the Greek historian, described the city of Babylon c. 440 BCE. § Alexander the Great had the Etemenanki Ziggurat demolished in 323 BCE. § A Sumerian story Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta tells of the tower destroyed by the gods. This has some parallels to the Tower of Babel story in the Bible (Genesis 11: 1-9). § Ziggurat in Elamite city of Dur Untaš (modern Choga Zanbil) (pictured). § The Epic of Gilgamesh tells of the adventures of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk (possibly a historical figure of the third millennium BCE), and his closest friend, Enkidu the wild man. Versions exist in Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian, Hittite, Hurrian, and Canaanite. § Gilgamesh kills the Bull of Heaven, a monster sent by Ishtar (whom he has rejected) to punish him. Gilgamesh and Enkidu offend Humbaba the protector of the cedar forest. The gods hold a council meeting and Shamash is confronted by the storm god Enlil. He can save only one of the offenders and he chooses Gilgamesh. § After Enkidu’s death Gilgamesh seeks immortality and meets Utnapishtim, the survivor of the Great Flood (a parallel with Noah in the Bible). He learns of the plant of Youth Regained and finds it but fails to eat it immediately and loses it. § The message of the vintner Siduri is that humans should eat, drink and be merry, for it is inevitable that they will die. Gilgamesh returns to Uruk and rules benevolently until his death. § SARGON: Sargon, strong king, king of Agade, am I. My mother was a high priestess, my father I do not know. My paternal kin inhabit the mountain region. My city (of birth) is Azupiranu, which lies on the bank of the Euphrates. My mother, a high priestess, conceived me, in secret she bore me. She placed me in a reed basket, with bitumen she caulked my hatch. She abandoned me to the river from which I could not escape. The river carried me along: to Aqqi, the water drawer, it brought me. Aqqi, the water drawer, when immersing his bucket lifted me up. Aqqi, the water drawer, raised me as his adopted son. Aqqi, the water drawer, set me to his garden work. During my garden work, Ishtar loved me (so that) 55 years I ruled as king. § MOSES: … the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and behold, the babe wept …Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water (Exodus). § This lecture has considered the concept of creation myths, myths which tell of the beginning of the world and the origin of human beings. § I have also shown that there are mythical beliefs/ stories that lay the groundwork of Abrahamic religions in the Bible, and that the closest links are with ancient Mesopotamian texts. § There are other important links to ancient Egypt, most notably between Psalm 104 and Akhenaten’s ‘Hymn to the Aten’. § The study of myth can give a context for the emergence of monotheism. Polytheistic gods need tools and raw materials to make worlds and people. The one God makes all from nothing, and stands outside his creation, as he is the holiest and most powerful of all beings, immeasurably greater than human beings.

Log In

Primal Myths and Creation

Related papers

Related papers

Related topics