Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Analysis

Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures
Lyndie McPherson
University of Phoenix
June 16, 2015
HUM/105 Modern Mythology
Allen Olsen

Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures
There seems to always be a question as to how we the humans came into existence. Everyone has their views and opinions as to how this happened. Different cultures have different ideas as well as stories and creation myths. No one knows the true answer, but they are pretty interesting to read and listen to.
There are several different cultures that have stories, and they are all very interesting, but I will tell you about just two of them. I have chosen to talk about the Zulu and the Navajo Creation stories. The two are different, but they also have a lot of similarities.
Begochiddy created four mountains. White in the East, blue in the South, yellow in the West, and black in the North. There was still no light. The first people grew frustrated with this and decided to leave the first world. In the center of the first world, Begochiddy planted a large seed that grew into a tall and hollow reed. He gathered his creations and went inside of the reed. The Reed grew taller into the second world, which was light and blue. The First People found that this was a nicer place to live, but the Cat People already lived there. The First People and the Cat People fought for many years but still couldn’t overcome their differences. Again, Begochiddy gathered up his creations and went back into the hollow reed. The Reed grew into the Third World, which was yellow, beautiful and full of light. The First People were happy. They built camps and had lots of children. Begochiddy created rivers and lakes and mountains and all kinds of animals and birds. Everyone lived there happily. While walking along the river one day, Coyote found and stole a baby, the child of the Water Monster of the Third World. When the Water Monster found out what had happened, he sent rainstorms from every direction, and it flooded the Third World. Begochiddy and his
In both of the myths, the creators were both the same gender. They both had seeds involved, but in the Zulu Creation, the man came from the reed in the seed and in the Navajo Creation the worlds came from the seed. Both worlds had people and some sort of animals. They both had mountains, rivers, and streams. They both had sources of light, such as the sun. In both worlds, the people who lived there loved their final living place.
Creation myths are one of the most highly valued myths because the myth itself gives purpose to its culture’s existence through its interpretation of the specific creation of human beings.
By interpreting and analyzing creation myths, we provide ourselves with a window into the driving forces of that culture’s members, as well as a viewpoint on how individuals and society may have viewed their connection to their god(s). In these creation myths, the elements of how, when, and why men and women are created serve as the basis for revealing the specific relationship a culture holds with its God(s). They also provide insights into other relationships. (How to Define Creation Myths, Tiffany Rhoades, 2013)
After reading and listening to the two creation myths, I have come to conclusion that, even though most myths come from different cultures and places in time, there will always be some sort of similarities and differences to make them unique in their own special