Comparative Analysis of Creation Myths Across Cultures

This essay provides a comparative analysis of several creation myths from different cultures, including Maori, Chinese, Native American, Indian, and Japanese traditions. The analysis begins by examining the settings and characters within each myth, highlighting the unique narratives of how the world and humanity came to be. The essay then delves into the cultural wisdom and values embedded in each story, revealing the distinct perspectives on the origins of nature, humanity, and the relationship between humans and deities. Furthermore, the essay explores the similarities and differences between the myths, identifying common themes such as the creation of light from darkness, the separation of earth and sky, and the evolution of nature, while also noting the variations in characters, genealogies, and tribal traditions. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of these myths in providing a cultural purpose and interpreting the human experience.

Running Head : ENGLISH LITERATURE
English Literature
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ENGLISH LITERATURE
1. What is the setting?
After reading the stories, it can be said that all are the mythical stories or the symbolic
narratives. The narratives state how the world began and how people first came to inhabit
it. The term ‘myth’ has a popular usage in the false and fanciful stories ascribing varying
degrees of truth to the myth creation. In the society, the creation myth is considered as
carrying profound truth in symbolical or metaphorical terms. These are considered
commonly as cosmological myths which are described as ordering the cosmos out of a
state of amorphousness or chaos. The setting of all the stories is around Rangi and Papa
appearing in the creation myth which explained the world’s origin. Since , every culture
has its own traditions and stories regarding the way the world was created, the Maori
culture also has their own version. The most important stories talk about the way
darkness becomes light, earth and sky are separated, nature evolved and nothing became
something.
2. Who are the characters?
The Maori culture emphasizes on the importance of the sophisticated religion having a
mythological structure which emphasizes the spiritual subjects to be extremely important.
There are many variations of the Maori Creation which differs a little from the minor
details. However, there are major themes along with the characters that are evident in all
of the versions. It further helps to maintain a central homogeny between the different
accounts. As far as the characters are concerned, Io is the referred to as the Supreme
Being and creator of the whole universe. Ranginui and Papatuanuku or the Sky father and
the Earth mother have been created by him. The sky father and the earth mother have
created numerous offspring and Tumatauenga is the fiercest of all. Another offspring,
Tanemahuta wants to separate the father and the mother. There is a dissenting vote from

2ENGLISH LITERATURE
only one of the sibling named as Tawhirimatea who stays silent and holds the breath.
Another offspring Urutengana says that there is only on missing element that is the
female element.
3. What cultural wisdom does each carry?
In the first story titled as The Separation of Heaven and Earth, the Maori explained the
origin of nature and humanity compiled by George Grey in the year 1850s. He was the
British governor of New Zealand and felt the requirement to convey with the Maori tribes
to fight against the British rule. The tales have been complied by Grey to which many of
the chiefs alluded in their negotiations with him. In the year 1854 , the compilation was
published. The story of Pan Gu and Nu Wa is a synthesis of three stories from the
classical mythology of China. The story of Corn and Medicine is derived from the stories
of Cherokee, the native people of Alabama and northern Georgia, Kentucky, western
North Carolina.
In the Bureau of American Ethnology in the later part of the 1800s, the stories were
told by older Cerokee to James Mooney in western North Carolina. The primary story
teller was Ayunini born in the year 1835 who never spoke English. He served as the
sergeant in the Confederate infantry in the Civil War and died in the year 1899. The story
of Creation By and From the Self originated from the second and fourth Brahmanas of the
Brhad-arayaka Upanishad written in India between 600- 700 B.C. The primary actor in
the story can be taken to be the Lord of Creation or Praja Pati or the creator (Brahma).
The story makes use of “he” as the subject as it is more metaphorical as any of the
sentient who creates by his own thought. The Origin of Japan and her People is related to
Kojiki or the Japenese “Record of Ancient Things”. In the 500s to 700s A.D, the Kojiki
was compiled and at the way of different emperors intent of preserving the mythic history

3ENGLISH LITERATURE
of Japan. It does not tell exactly the story of the world but relates the story of Japan and
its aristocrat families.
4.What values does it carry ?
It gives a different view on the driving forces of the members in the culture. It consists of
another viewpoint on the way the society and the individuals may have viewed all their
connections to their Gods. The creation myths have helped to show how and why the men
and women were created for holding the specific cultures with the Gods. It is evident that
there are not only varied interpretations that can exist between the Gods and the humans.
It is also about the ways where mythology can easily evolve from minor explanations of a
servant status to the philosophical doorways into questioning God’s nature.
5. How are they similar to one another? What elements /components are similar?
The stories are similar because all of them are the creation stories. All are attributed to
the creation of God. All symbolized the mythological stories on how the nature was
created, how the earth and the sky were created and the way other creatures came into
being.
6. How are they different from one another? What elements/ components are different?
There are difference of themes in the creation traditions such as the tribal versions, the Io
traditions, the creation genealogies and in terms of the characters. The creation myths are
considered to be one of the highly valued myths because such myths provide a direct
purpose to the existence of the culture along with the interpretation of the particular
creation of human beings. Having analysed and interpreted such creation myths, a
window is given into the driving forces of the members of the culture.

4ENGLISH LITERATURE
Bibliography
Donald L. Philippi, trans., 1969, Kojiki: Princeton, Princeton University Press, 655 p., and
Joseph M. Campbell, 1962, The Masks of God: Oriental Mythology: New York,
Viking Press, 561 p.
George Grey, 1956, Polynesian Mythology (ed. by William W. Bird): Christchurch,
Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd., 250 p. (BL 2615.G843p 1956)
James Mooney, 1900, Myths of the Cherokee: Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of
American Ethnology for 1897-1898, Part 1, p. 1-576. (J84.SI2.1 pt. 1 1897-98)
Jan Walls and Yvonne Walls (translators and editors), 1984, Classical Chinese Myths: Hong
Kong, Joint Publishing Company, 135 p. (BL1825.C48 1984)
S. Radhakrishnan, (editor and translator), 1953, The Principal Upanisads: New York, Harper
and Brothers Publishers, 958 p. (BL1120.E5 R2)