Creation Myths of Ancient Greco-Roman and Hebrew Cultures.
Victoria Carpenter
Mr. Fraley
Ancient Literature
26 March 2014
Creation Myths of Ancient Greco-Roman and Hebrew Cultures. Ancient Creation myths are similar but at the same time are still very different. What is a myth? A myth refers to a fiction story or only half true story. What makes up a myth? It has several different characteristics that make it different from other types of stories. Ancient Greco-Roman myths are interesting because they talk about another religion and how they are being reflected. Hebrew creation myths are also interesting because they explain the power of God who made the universe in just 6 days.
In the Greco-Roman cultures, the creation myths start with the gods; Hesiod explains this well in his Theogony in the 8th century B.C. What is the Theogony? The Theogony is a poem written by Hesiod in the 8th – 7th century describing where the Greek gods came from. The ancestry of the gods traces back to the creation of the world through Chaos. Orphics, who were the followers of the mystic cult called Orphism, had told a different way the world was created. It begins with Chronos, “time”; the Orphics thought that it was the name Kronos, goes with Adrasteia, which means “necessity”. From Chronos came Aither, Erebos, and Chaos, which mean “upper air”, “darkness”, and “the yawning void”. According to Dr. Simon Goldhill, In Aither, Chronos fashions an egg, from which is born Phanes, the creator of everything, a bisexual deity with gold wings and four eyes. Phanes is called by many names, including Eros, and has a daughter, Night, who becomes his consort. Night gives birth to Gaia and Uranos (Goldhill 128). Hesiod’s Theogony opening sentence is, “First of all Chaos came into being”. After Chaos is Gaia or Ge, meaning “the earth”, Tartaros, meaning “the underworld”, Eros, meaning “desire”, Erebos, meaning “the gloom of the underworld”, and Night, “the gloom of the earth”. Night and Erebos had Aither, meaning “the bright upper
Mr. Fraley
Ancient Literature
26 March 2014
Creation Myths of Ancient Greco-Roman and Hebrew Cultures. Ancient Creation myths are similar but at the same time are still very different. What is a myth? A myth refers to a fiction story or only half true story. What makes up a myth? It has several different characteristics that make it different from other types of stories. Ancient Greco-Roman myths are interesting because they talk about another religion and how they are being reflected. Hebrew creation myths are also interesting because they explain the power of God who made the universe in just 6 days.
In the Greco-Roman cultures, the creation myths start with the gods; Hesiod explains this well in his Theogony in the 8th century B.C. What is the Theogony? The Theogony is a poem written by Hesiod in the 8th – 7th century describing where the Greek gods came from. The ancestry of the gods traces back to the creation of the world through Chaos. Orphics, who were the followers of the mystic cult called Orphism, had told a different way the world was created. It begins with Chronos, “time”; the Orphics thought that it was the name Kronos, goes with Adrasteia, which means “necessity”. From Chronos came Aither, Erebos, and Chaos, which mean “upper air”, “darkness”, and “the yawning void”. According to Dr. Simon Goldhill, In Aither, Chronos fashions an egg, from which is born Phanes, the creator of everything, a bisexual deity with gold wings and four eyes. Phanes is called by many names, including Eros, and has a daughter, Night, who becomes his consort. Night gives birth to Gaia and Uranos (Goldhill 128). Hesiod’s Theogony opening sentence is, “First of all Chaos came into being”. After Chaos is Gaia or Ge, meaning “the earth”, Tartaros, meaning “the underworld”, Eros, meaning “desire”, Erebos, meaning “the gloom of the underworld”, and Night, “the gloom of the earth”. Night and Erebos had Aither, meaning “the bright upper
Cited: Goldhill, Simon. “The Birth of the Gods, The Ancestry of the Gods.” World Mythology. Ed. Peter Bently. New York: Duncan Baird, 2006. Print. Conner, Nancy. The Everything Classical Mythology Book. 2nd ed. 1. Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2010. 54-78. Print. Genesis. Holy Bible NIV. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2005. Print. Crowley, Roger. "Creation Myth: Day Five." http://www.romerica.com/myth/heb_creation_day5.htm. N.p. 2014. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.