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A myth explains or validates a truth which cannot be proved but is accepted on faith. The domain we are in is the time before Time. A cosmogonic myth explains the origin of the world cosmos and the ordering of the world cosmos . It becomes a model for the philosophical and the theological thought in a given culture. There are characteristic doctrines associated with cosmogonic myths, usually these four: I. Primordiality - Often the narrative tells us what existed prior to the ordering of the world. In ancient Egypt, four primordial elemental pairs included darkness, hidden-ness, infinity,and watery inertia. The Genesis story, which is familiar to most of us, tells us that "In the Beginning" there was a dark chaos and that the earth was without form. The creation narrative of the Quiche Maya of North America, describes the preordered world as one of "... silence, all was motionlessness, all was breathlessness. There was only the boundlessness of the sky, the quietude of the waters." II. Dualism and Antagonism - For the Azteca, also a North American people, there is a Supreme God, "Master of the Everywhere, who is like the night and the wind." As the source of life, the Supreme God is a dual being "Master and Mistress of one flesh" and from him/her comes all that exists. " Mother of the gods, Father of the gods, the Supreme God." The universe created by this dual Supreme God is, for the Aztecs, unstable and destructive. It is, in fact, this the present world ( which for the Aztecs began in 1011 C.E. ) which is the most recent world created in what is believed to be a series of creation cycles contained in The Story of the Four Suns. In the narrative from the Persian Zend Avesta (224-727 CE), we see that the cosmogony of the Persians, like that of the Aztecs, includes a creator and a series of creation cycles. The Creator, Ahura Mazda , does not have a dual nature for he and his creation is considered to be all good. There is, however, a malevolent creator god, Angra Mainyu (the Father of Lies), who was anticipated (thus created) by Ahura Mazda. In the Zend Avesta, Ahura Mazda says: I have created a universe where none existed;.... In opposition to this world, which is all life, Angra Mainyu created another world which is all death,.... III. Creation and Sacrifice - A third doctrine often associated with the cosmogonic myth is that of creation and sacrifice. The primordial chaotic elements either acquiesce in creation as with the Ancient Egyptians and the narrative of the Quiche Maya. In some cosmogonies, the primordial elements struggle against the creation, as in the Babylonian Myth Enuma Elish (2100-1900 BCE). In some cultures, there may be a ritual sacrifice to recreate the initial conditions described in the myth, as in the following narration of The Creation of the Fifth and Present World from the Azteca: At the beginning of time, the goddess Tlateutli was walking on the face of the primordial waters a great and wonderful maiden, with eyes and jaws at every joint that could see and bite like animals. She was spied by Quetzelcoatl and Tezcatlipoca; they decided to make a world of her. They transformed themselves into great serpents and came at her from either side. One seized her from the right hand to left foot and the other seized her from left had to right foot and they ripped her asunder. IV. Speculation - In the cosmogonic myth we can find speculation both scientific and philosophical about the universe, man, and the purpose (if any) to existance and human life. Observations on the nature and meaning of humankind and of the universe leads human beings to great wonderment and speculation as we can see in this example from the Toltec people of North America who view the universal creator as benevolent but puzzling: You who are in the innermost It is important to remember that each cosmogonic myth contains one or more important cultural truths for a given people whether it be time, the meaning of life, or other considerations. One may wonder why the ancient Persians were so concerned with the lie. The "lie" disrupts the life of any civilization and corrupts men and institutions (read George Orwell who was also concerned with the lie.) One may consider the Toltecs concern with what was "real" and what was "dreamed." |
