Creation Myths

Questions

1.      In all these stories, how do the gods behave?

2.      What is the place of human beings in these stories?

3.      How does God behave toward Man?

Omaha Creation Myth:

1. The god just gives the people what they want, which was a place to live.  The god behaves charitably.

2. The human beings were lost and didn’t know where they belonged.  They were obviously not as glorious as the god or they would have made themselves a place to live.

3. He behaves as though he wants to help the people he created.

Pawnee Creation Myth:

1. Mother Corn behaves very powerfully.

2. They are ever indebted to Mother Corn.  They weren’t anything before she created them.

3. She is very commanding toward her people, but also very protective.  She wants to help them in every way she can.

An African Cosmogony:

1. The god in this story behaved very sickly.  He vomited everything up that was created and after that didn’t do much.

2. Humans came from the god that vomited them up, so the place of humans in this myth is to help keep the earth clean.

3. He helps man to learn how to create fire.  He wants to help them.