- According to the Mayans
- According to the Egyptians
- According to the Greeks
- According to the Jews
- According to the Chinese
- References
The myths about the origin of man are stories created with the intention to describe the creation of the universe, the Earth and the creation of the first living organisms such as animals and humans.
Usually, the cultures of different countries, being polytheistic and monotheistic, attribute this magnificent creation to mythological beings. They are stories that have been present since the world's first civilizations and cultures, some remaining today.
Jan Gossaert
Throughout time, man has asked countless questions related to the origin of the universe, as well as the creation of the human species, which is why in the past they were explained through religious myths.
However, scientific experiments have been carried out that attribute the origin of man to purely scientific and biological evolution procedures.
According to the Mayans
This image shows the Mayan Hero Twins, known from the Sacred Book of the Mayas, the Poopol Wuuj: Junajpu and Xbalanq'e. Painted by Lacambalam. Ornament taken from an ancient Mayan pottery.
The Popol Vuh was a sacred book that related the myths of the creation of the Earth and the explanation of the creation of man.
Although most of the Mayan literature was destroyed during the invasion of the Spanish in the 18th century, the Popol Vuh managed to survive the attacks of the conquerors.
The book the Mayans explains the sequence of events: first, the gods created the Earth, the sky, heavy animals and birds. However, they wanted to be worshiped and remembered, but their early creations could not speak.
Upon realizing this, they decided to create other beings that did have the ability to do so. In this sense, they developed a human experiment, which consisted of molding the body with clay; the first efforts, according to history, failed.
Then, they applied a new technique made with wood where the body structure had worked, but they still could not worship the gods. Hence, the gods unleashed a great flood for their destruction.
The last attempt was a mixture of corn and water, which eventually resulted in human flesh. The gods had been alarmed at the perfection of their creation, to the point of being afraid of being supplanted.
According to the Egyptians
Creation myths according to the Egyptians are related in sacred hieroglyphs found on pyramids, temples, and papyrus sheets. In these writings it is described how the Earth was created from the chaos of the god Atum.
For the Egyptians, the Earth was seen as a sacred place where the gods resided. The creation of the universe took place when the gods lived on Earth establishing different kingdoms.
Atum created himself through tears, sweat, and saliva. The god was represented in multiple forms, one of them being the Eye of Ra; a representation of Atum in his female form.
Human beings were created from the Eye of Ra. There are several versions of the myth of the creation of humanity; one of them explains the moment in which the Eye separated from Ra without wanting to return.
When Shu and Tefnut (sons of Atum) went looking for him, the Eye resisted. After a constant struggle between the Eye and other gods, the Eye shed tears from where the first humans were born.
According to the Greeks
Greece was one of the most influential civilizations of the Ancient Age.
Greek mythology begins with the creation myth, at the beginning of the gods and after the first men. Before creation, there was only chaos that manifested itself as a void in the universe.
Chaos manifested itself in the gods Gaia (Earth) and Eros (love); however, it is not known if Gaia and Eros were born out of chaos or if they were pre-existing beings. It is mentioned that Gaia (Earth) was born to become the home of the gods.
Gaia gave birth to Uranus (sky) and Okeanos (oceans). The myth tells how little by little the gods mated with each other to form all of creation.
After so many battles, the universe was divided, becoming Zeus (a descendant of Gaia and Uranus) in the supreme god and ruler of all the others. Prometheus (titan) was the one who created man on Earth and the goddess Athena was the one who gave him life.
Prometheus assigned Epimetheus the duty of granting all the creatures of the planet different qualities and abilities for their survival.
Prometheus thought of placing man upright, like the gods, granting him the fire of the gods. However, Zeus was upset and punished both Prometheus and the man, which is why he created Pandora (woman) as a form of punishment.
According to the Jews
For Jews and Christians, the Bible is a sacred book product of divine inspiration formed by a compendium of books divided into the Old and New Testaments.
Within the Old Testament is the book of Genesis, which relates the Creation of the world, of man and woman by Almighty God.
At first, the Earth was shapeless, empty, covered in darkness and water. For that reason, God began creating a perfect and symmetrical world.
For six days God created the entire universe, separated the light from the darkness, the sky from the Earth, grouped the waters and separated them from the dry land, giving rise to vegetation and the seas.
Next, he created the sun, the stars and all kinds of beasts capable of jumping and crawling. On the sixth day of creation, God thought to create man in the image and likeness, which he called Adam. The Bible affirms that man was created from dust, giving him life through a breath.
Seeing him alone, he broke a man's rib to form a companion, named Eva. That same day, God left instructions in order to test their faithfulness and obedience.
According to the Chinese
Nüwa is known in Chinese mythology as a goddess, creator, mother, sister, and even as an empress. However, she has been recognized over time as the Creator.
According to the Chinese creation myths, Nüwa began to create the universe, the sun, the moon, the Earth, animals and plants. After that, the gods decided to go down to Earth to accompany the creatures that Nüwa had created.
Nüwa had a human shape only in the upper part, made up of the head and the back; the lower part was made up of the body of a dragon and sometimes a serpent.
The goddess prepared to admire her creation; However, she felt lonely and sad, so she thought of creating a creature with feelings and thoughts like her.
After traveling throughout her paradise without finding any being that was like her, she stopped in a river and prepared to mold a different body with clay, this time with arms and legs so that the being could walk freely through paradise.
Having various body structures, he blew strongly to give them life; hence, the new beings began to dance and worship her. However, she thought that such creatures were few, so she set out to design new forms of human beings.
References
- The Maya myth of creation, April Holloway, (2013). Taken from ancient-origins.net
- The Creation Myth - Egypt, Portal Canadian Museum of History, (nd). Taken from historymuseum.ca
- Greek Mythology and human origins, John Black, (2013). Taken from ancient-origins.net
- The history of the creation of the world, Website About Español, (2018). Taken from aboutespanol.com
- Nüwa and the creation of man according to Chinese mythology, Miriam Martí, (nd). Taken from sobrechina.com