Cosmic Mythology

Cosmic Creation Myths Across Cultures

Jessica Farrah

Hum/105

Janurary-18-2016

Paul Nersesian

Mythology. When you think of what that means to you it may be mainstream as in Hercules, Troy, and many other movies and stories that have been inspired by the gods and religion. Yet there is a much deeper story behind what we know. Tracing back for centuries in forms of different religions and countries upon their own belief. In this paper I will discuss the Greek Theogoina and the Sumarian creation myth of Ulligara and Zalgarra.

In Greece, circa 700 BC, Hesiod lived and wrote a poem called the Theogonia, which means “the birth of the gods.” Today, we call it the Theogony, and it is more spiritual than Greek and Latin poetry about myths that followed the Theogony. Hesiod is closer to a time when there was less distinction between the world of myth and that of daily life. (63. Leonard, McClure)

The Earth, in the Theogony, is represented by Gaia. The Sky is represented by Ouranos. Tartarus is an early stage in the development of the Underworld. Chaos, or a “yawning void” came into being, and then Gaia, also known as the mother of the Earth in some cultures, followed by Tartaros and Eros. Chaos, Gaia, Ouranos, and Tartaros are the creators of all things in the Theogony. Things kind of generated spontaneously and eventually Gaia and Ouranos, who are also considered brother and sister, produced twelve Titans; six male and six female. They also gave life to the Cyclopes and the Hundred-Handed Giants. Ouranos entrapped the Cyclopes and Giants within Gaia. Gaia gets mad at Ouranos because of this and when she has Kronos, her last child, she has him castrate his father. When Kronos does this, he essentially separated the Earth from the sky and becomes master of the world. A prophecy is told that forsees Kronos being overthrown by his own son, much like Kronos did to Ouranos. To stop that from happening Kronos actually eats each of his children, except...