Preview

Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1099 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cosmic Creation Myths Across Culture Analysis
Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures
Indica Mendoza
HUM/105
October 30, 2014
Joseph Magil

Myths are tales told throughout time for generations to pronounce how the world was designed and created. These creation stories also tell how originally the first people came to inhabit it. There are a wide variety of altered myths for different cultures that try to explain exactly how the world came to be from the very beginning. For example, the Inca people came to believe the creator of their world was Pachacamac the sun. According to Distant Train (2007), “Pachacamac was so bright that nothing else could be seen in the sky but him. But the night sky was empty; so he made the stars, the planets and the moon. The moon Pachamama became his wife and together they both ruled earth and the sky. Pachacamac first man
…show more content…
According to Distant Train (2007), “ALOM was the god of the sky, COYOPA was the ruler of the sound of thunder. TOHIL was the god of fire, YUM CIMIL was the Death God (also called Ah Puch), or god of the underworld. XIB CHAC was the Mayan rain god”. The difference Between the Mayans and the Inca the Mayans had believed that the universe was divided into thirteen layers. Each of these layers had its own god. Another difference was their creators weren’t a man or women like the Inca’s. A thing that they had in common where earth the sky and the gods and goddesses different names but semi the same. According to Distant Train (2007), “For reasons still unknown Mayan civilization went into decline”. The ruins that was left behind was almost demolished by the Spanish. The down fall to the Inca Empire and culture was largely destroyed by the Spanish as well. While these myths come from different cultures they have very similar thing in common. Although they might be myths who knows if some parts can be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Aztecs and the Incas are two biggest and strongest civilizations in America in the 15th century. They have a lot in common. Both Incan and Aztec religions were polytheistic and had many rituals performed by priests. Besides, the Aztecs and the Incas were all conquered by Spanish, the Aztecs by Herman Cortes and the Incas by Francisco Pizarro. They seem the same but they are very different.…

    • 68 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some similarities that Mayapan and Tikal hade were that they both grew corn in a corn maze. They also both made flower by grinding it. Mayapan and Tikal both worshiped nature gods. There were a lot of nature’s gods, such as the sun god and the rain god. Some people still worship these gods in south Mexico. Mayapan and Tikal both killed animals, such as rabbits, dear, and wild dogs.…

    • 212 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Cosmic creation myths are at the center of literally every culture of the human race. The Inca and The Navajo people are no different each has a cosmic creation myth. The two myths are similar in many ways there also are some differences in each cosmic creation myth. The Christian cosmic myth is one most every person from our American culture is familiar with, god created the world in 6 days, and on the seventh day he rested. Then there was Adam and Eve, and the Garden of Eden. The rest of the story is well known.…

    • 999 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The cause to exist or act of producing is the creation. There is a big mystery behind the creation of this world that surrounds the science mind. Each Culture in the world has clarifications on the way of creation of the world. It is shown by creation myths what signifies the underworld, earth, and sky. Creation myths indicate any destruction or destroyers. Dissimilar myths of creation informs regarding natural phenomena or cosmic occurrences that took place. All creation myths have difference and similarities in the cosmic elements, the steps of creation, creations, and their creators.…

    • 894 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Mayas, Incas and Aztecs. They all had a very distinctive culture, that defined the way they lived, and influenced the way their followers still live today. For example, the Maya lifestyle was greatly based on religion, with big temples known today as architectural wonders. Along with their culture, each civilization also had a set of achievements, which in some cases are continued to be used today. The Inca people would weave colorful woolen cloths, which served as blankets for those who could afford them. Lastly, each civilization had a decline. The Maya civilization ended up falling, whereas the Inca and Aztec civilizations ended up being conquered by the Spanish. When the spanish began to conquer the Aztec civilization, their mission…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The slaves of the Aztecs had quite a bit to do with their culture and strong religious beliefs. The religion of the Aztecs includes numerous sacrifices to their gods. The Mayans also sacrificed to their gods and they also did it frequently, however not as often as the Aztecs. When it came to the Aztecs they would sacrifice anyone, but they sacrificed their slaves and captives the most. Other religious comparisons include the way they both were Polytheistic. They both had a major belief in their main god, the sun god; however the Aztecs named their god Huitzilopochtli. It was believed in both cultures that the sun god brought warmth…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The similarities and differences of two myths the Aztec myth and the Mayan myth people could understand the values and beliefs of these two cultures. Creation myths show the understanding of the culture and how they see the world. Mayan myth Tikal Mexico, the Mayan myth starts off with two gods Tepeu the Maker and Gucumatz the feathered spirit. Whatever the two thought of would become a being, they thought earth and land formed, they thought sky, rivers, valleys and all appeared and became “Earth”. The gods created all the creatures that roam the earth today the gods wanted them to praise them, but they couldn't speak only bark, chirp, and howl, the two gods were disappointed, but agreed on to create a better…

    • 233 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many Christians have a very vague idea about the collection of the Old- Testament. The Old-Testament books are stories of the most famous myths. The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is a book of Hebrew text, assemble by Jewish scholars of the seventh to tenth centuries A. D. It also contains two stories of creation. In addition, the book of Genesis is known as the book of creation of humankind. The book is also believes to be written during the reign of King Solomon and known as possessing two authors.…

    • 1231 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 1304 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The habitants of the world have always been curious of where they came from, how did the first man and women came to exist in the world. Even further back, how did the universe began. People have come up with different ideas each having their own idea of how everything began. Such ideas created the different cultures and different faiths that are known today. The people that agree on how the world began grew together and generation through generation taught their beliefs.…

    • 1521 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After reviewing and researching the many creations of Myths I have finally narrowed it down to two creations that are excite me to tell you about. Egyptian creation, starting from a creation of water, and Inca creation, a creation starting from a bright burning ball of fire we call the sun. I will give insight to how each Myth was created and compare the creators as well as give you my thoughts and findings of their similarities and differences.…

    • 1145 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The connection between the Aztecs and the universe is evident among their myths about how humans were created. One creation myth is the story of the goddess Tlaltecutli. In the story Tlaltecutli was ripped apart by the gods Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca and her body parts were used to create the earth and the other gods. This event caused Tlaltecutli to desire human hearts and she would not be quiet until they were brought to her. Nor would she bear fruit until she had been drenched in human blood. (AD1, p. 2) Another creation myth, and the most common legend amongst the Aztecs, was that the god Quetzalcoatl descended into the underworld and retrieved the bones and ashes of previous human beings in order to recreate humanity because the universe had been destroyed after the fourth Sun went out. Quetzalcoatl ground the bones into powder and used his blood to fertilize it and create humans. (AD1, p. 4) The Aztecs also had a myth that explained how the Sun and moon were created. According to legend, the gods Nanautzin and Tecuziztecatl sacrificed themselves by jumping into a fire, which turned them into the Sun and moon. The other gods also sacrificed themselves to provide nourishment for the Sun. However the Sun and the Earth still had an…

    • 1719 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the dawn of the first civilization to the bustling nations of modern day, great gatherings of people have tried to interpret their surroundings and justify their experiences in a spiritual and mystical way. Their experiences drive them to figure out the origin of nature and time and space. These so called "creation myths" varied in complexity and origin but each held similar views that a "greater power" ultimately began humanity and its domain. People interpreted what they observed in their surroundings and applied their knowledge to create these notions on what happened. Even though creation myths appeared all around the world and at different times, many of these tales follow a basic series of events. Many similarities occur and overlap…

    • 2120 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mayan Accomplishments

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Like many cultures, the Mayans believed in a heaven and an underworld in the afterlife. You would go to their heaven if you were good, and to the underworld if you did not worship correctly. The leader of the heavens was called Itzamn, who also ruled the night and day and would be called upon in the bad times. The ruler of the underworld was called Ah Puch, the god of death. the modern Maya call Ah Puch Yum Cimil (lord of death). More important gods included Chac, the god of rain and weather, Ah Mun, the god of corn and farming, and Ek Chuah, the god of war and sacrifice. The Mayans also believed that everything contained k’uh, which means sacredness. K’uh is also used to define the life force in all objects, and ties into the god's…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    inca vs. aztec

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Both the Aztecs and Incas revered and had their own god-like interpretation of the sun. The Incas were receptive of other belief systems, but also acted as a theocracy since all members of the Incan Empire had to worship the sun god, Inti. Also, the Sapa Inca was perceived to be a descendant of Inti. The name of the Aztec's sun god, Huitzilopochtli, was also the god of war. Incas and Aztecs were also notorious for practicing human sacrifices to their gods.…

    • 493 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays