Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Analysis
Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures
The story of Rangi & Papa and Viracocha
Leah E. Johnson
University of Phoenix
HUM/105 World Mythology
Instructor: Kristen McQuinn
July 21, 2013
Reading the various stories of how the world came to be is absolutely enthralling and totally captivating. One can lose hours reading story after story, especially since even each individual creation myth can have many various telling of the same story depending on region and individual tribes in a certain area. That is exactly how it is with the creation myth of the Incans. Incans lived up and down the eastern coast of South America in modern day Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Because of the geographical differences the story of Viracocha and how he …show more content…
The story of creation from the Maori of New Zealand seems to be much more consistent, and aside from being a fabulous creation myth is a wonderful love story as well. In French Polynesia tribes of Maori have thrived even until this day, which is one of the reasons that I chose to tell of their particular creation myth. It is wonderful that these stories remain alive and well even into our modern era and are told to new generations of existing tribes. Their story of creation is the story of Rangi and Papa. Rangi, short for Ranginui, was the father of the sky, father of all things. Papa, short for Papatuanuku, his bride was the mother of the earth, mother of all things. From the beginning of time Rangi and Papa were in a constant loving embrace. In their embrace they procreated and became father and mother to many offspring both human and godlike. In the story there are five main sons of Rangi and Papa. It was these sons that became oppressed by the constant embrace of their parents, for it caused a lack of space between the earth and sky, and in that lack of space a lack of light. Having grown tired of being trapped between their parent’s bodies they convened and discussed what to do. Tu, god of war, proposed that …show more content…
In one we see the presence of two beings as co-creators of the world, their sons born of their embrace also help create the world as we know it today. In the other story we see one single all powerful being that has the power to create and destroy. However in both stories we see that the world starts off in darkness, and after a short period of light turmoil arises, and it is in the aftermath of this turmoil that the world becomes as we know it
The story of Rangi & Papa and Viracocha
Leah E. Johnson
University of Phoenix
HUM/105 World Mythology
Instructor: Kristen McQuinn
July 21, 2013
Reading the various stories of how the world came to be is absolutely enthralling and totally captivating. One can lose hours reading story after story, especially since even each individual creation myth can have many various telling of the same story depending on region and individual tribes in a certain area. That is exactly how it is with the creation myth of the Incans. Incans lived up and down the eastern coast of South America in modern day Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Because of the geographical differences the story of Viracocha and how he …show more content…
The story of creation from the Maori of New Zealand seems to be much more consistent, and aside from being a fabulous creation myth is a wonderful love story as well. In French Polynesia tribes of Maori have thrived even until this day, which is one of the reasons that I chose to tell of their particular creation myth. It is wonderful that these stories remain alive and well even into our modern era and are told to new generations of existing tribes. Their story of creation is the story of Rangi and Papa. Rangi, short for Ranginui, was the father of the sky, father of all things. Papa, short for Papatuanuku, his bride was the mother of the earth, mother of all things. From the beginning of time Rangi and Papa were in a constant loving embrace. In their embrace they procreated and became father and mother to many offspring both human and godlike. In the story there are five main sons of Rangi and Papa. It was these sons that became oppressed by the constant embrace of their parents, for it caused a lack of space between the earth and sky, and in that lack of space a lack of light. Having grown tired of being trapped between their parent’s bodies they convened and discussed what to do. Tu, god of war, proposed that …show more content…
In one we see the presence of two beings as co-creators of the world, their sons born of their embrace also help create the world as we know it today. In the other story we see one single all powerful being that has the power to create and destroy. However in both stories we see that the world starts off in darkness, and after a short period of light turmoil arises, and it is in the aftermath of this turmoil that the world becomes as we know it