Creation Myths

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Creation Myths

• The Origins of the Universe

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How does Hesiod describe the creation of the
world?  (Forces, powers, processes involved)
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• Hesiods version of creation
• Chaos is the primal elementfrom Chaos come
• Eros (procreative force),
• Night,
• Tartarus and Erebus (realms of the underworld)
• Ge (or Gaia, Earth)

• Sexual reproduction (or asexual, in some cases)
  natural forces procreate naturally
• Personified concepts express natural forces

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Night gives birth to a number of scary concepts .
. . Here she is shown on the side of order,
fighting against the giants slinging a
serpent-wound jar at a Giant who is part-serpent
himself.
Nyx
Great Altar of Zeus - Pergamon Nyx - Goddess of
Night hurls a serpent-wound vessel at a Giant
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Gaia
About Earth I will sing, all-mother, deep-rooted
and eldest, who nourishes all that there is in
the world all that go on the divine land, all
that sail on the sea and all that fly . . . Rich
and fortunate are those whom you honor. . . their
fields are laden with produce . . . They rule
with good laws in cities of beautiful women and
much happiness. Hail, mother of the gods, wife of
starry Uranus . . .
One of the very rare representations of Gaia,
from a Gigantomachy on the Altar of Zeus at
Pergamum
Homeric Hymn to Gaia
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What is the role of Gaia in creation?  What sort
of a goddess is Gaia?
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Sacred Marriage
Sky/male, earth/female (usually) Separation/confli
ct/ progress Human connection
Sacred Marriage, hieros gamos, is an archetype
found in many different cultures. In Greece, Gaia
and Uranus fill this role.
Why is sacred marriage such a wide-ranging mythic
theme?
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Violence
3) The battle of Gods and Titans 4) The Battle of
gods and Giants
Hesiods Creation story is founded on several
violent incidents

1. The castration of Uranus (who want letting his
   own children be born) by Cronus
2. The deposing of Cronus (who had swallowed his own
   children) by Zeus

What role does violence play in creation stories
of all sorts? Consider biblical creation,
scientific explanations, and other creation
stories you are familiar with.
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Titans Helius
Helius is the Greek word for sun a
personified concept. Helius drives a four-horse
chariot to bring the sun across the sky, crossing
into our world at the rim of ocean. He appears as
all-seeing, as in the Homeric Hymn to Demeter
Phaethon and the sun chariot
What is the lesson of the story of Phaethon?
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Titans Selene
She drives a two-horse chariot, or rides a horse,
crossing Helios at the ocean.
U. Colorado
Selene is Greek for Moon.
Forum Romanum
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Titans Selene
Selene loved Endymion, a mortal. Either by his
choice or by an oversight, he was granted
immortality but accompanied by eternal
sleep. Selene looks down on him every night as
she passes over the meadow where he lies sleeping.
Forum Romanum
All the same, Selene and Endymion had 50
children! The cosmic powers are eternal human
life cannot be extended in the same way. Even
humans who become immortal have limits to their
immortality.
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Titans Eos (Aurora)
Eos, or dawn, drove a two-horse chariot,
preceding the sun. She was actually more
important in mythology than either Helius or
Selene, figuring in the local myths of several
towns and featuring prominently in Athenian
art. She has elements in common with Usas, a
goddess from the Sanskrit Vedas and with
Aphrodite and Artemis.
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Titans Eos (Aurora)
(1) She carried off the hunter Kephalos to be her
lover (2) Her husband was Tithonus, whom she
carried off when he was a young schoolboy. He
was granted immortality but forgot to ask for
immortal youth as well. He grew older and older
and turned into a cricket.
Two stories show her as a seductress
Why should the dawn be seductive? What do these
stories show?
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Titans Eos (Aurora)
Christus Rex
Eos is also the mother of Memnon, King of the
Ethiopians, killed in the Trojan war. Her
mourning emphasizes the inevitability of death
for mortals.
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Titans Oceanus
Oceanus encircles the world in the endless stream
of ocean. Here the ocean is symbolized by his 50
daughters, the Oceanids. Eternal forces always
surround human struggle!
Christus Rex
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Alternate creation stories Aristophanes
Night, alone, brought forth an egg, from which
Eros, the desirable, burst forth like a swift
whirlwind. Is it really a creation story if its
in a comedy?
This may reflect the beliefs of a religious cult,
Orphism, in which the world egg played a central
part.
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Alternate creation stories Demokritos
The world begins as indiscriminate atoms, all
spinning around Eventually the atoms are drawn
together into the masses that make up the stars,
planets, and earth All matter is made up of
atoms, and no matter is ever lost or created
What are the philosophical implications of this
story?
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Other ideas
Binary oppositions and the formation of
meaning Mysticism vs. rationalism Matriarchy and
patriarchy