Common Creation Stories

What is the purpose of life? What is the reason for death? What is sin? Why do bad things have to happen? These are all common questions that people all around the world are constantly asking themselves. There are many different myths, theories, and stories out there that people turn to for these answers. Some of the most common creation stories are from the Cheyenne people, the Caddo and Mayan tribes and the Greeks and Hebrews. Although these stories are somewhat similar, they are also different in many ways. One similarity between these creation stories are the archetypes found throughout them. In the myths from the Cheyenne, Caddo, and Mayan people, plus the Greek stories and the Bible, there is always a main creator or higher being.
He cares for his creation and gives them what they need. Maheo is similar to the creator in the Hebrew creation story, the Bible. He is a very loving and forgiving God and they are both perfect creators. Each of them created the world for their people to be fruitful and populate it. One difference between the two gods from these stories is that Maheo needed help from the animals to create the rest of the world, while God, in the Hebrew story, is perfect and created it all himself. The coyote from the Caddo myth, The Coyote and the Origin of Death, was also, in a way, loving towards the people. Even though they believed he was the reason that death is permanent, he still knew that the people would have suffered anyway if the world became overpopulated. In the grand aspect of things, he was looking out for the people among
These creation stories and myths are similar because they all deal with nature. In How the World Was Made, Maheo used nature to create the world. Grandmother Turtle’s shell was used to carry the Earth, and that’s why turtles are so slow today. The coot is also very valued in the story because it pulled the land up from the water. In the stories The Wooden People and the Bible, the flood was used to destroy the gods’ creations. Also in the myth from the Mayan people, it explains why monkeys look like humans, because it represents previous human work. The Coyote and the Origin of Death, the whirlwind represents the spirits passing by. This story also explains why coyotes are always on the run and sneaky animals. In the Greek creation myths, some of the gods gave humanity special gifts, like fire and the ability to walk