Legends and myths about the creation of the world. The most interesting myths about the creation of the world

The history of the creation of the world has worried people since ancient times. Representatives of different countries and peoples have repeatedly thought about how the world appeared in which they live. Representations about this were formed over the centuries, growing out of thoughts and guesses into myths about the creation of the world.

That is why the mythology of any people begins with attempts to explain the origin of the surrounding reality. People understood then and understand now that any phenomenon has a beginning and an end; And the logical question of the emergence of everything around logically arose in the representatives of Homo Sapiens. The collective consciousness of a group of people in the early stages of development clearly reflected the degree of understanding of this or that phenomenon, including such as the creation of peace and man by higher forces.

People passed theories of creating the world by word of mouth, embellishing them, adding more and more details. Basically, the myths about the creation of the world show us how diverse the thinking of our ancestors was, for the gods, birds, animals were the first source and creator in their stories. The similarity was, perhaps, in one - the world emerged from Nothing, from Primitive Chaos. But its further development took place in the way chosen by the representatives of this or that people.

Restoration of the picture of the world of ancient peoples in modern times

The rapid development of the world in recent decades has given a chance for a better restoration of the picture of the world of ancient peoples. Scientists of different specialties and directions were engaged in research of the found manuscripts, rock art, archeological artifacts in order to recreate the world perception that was characteristic of the inhabitants of this or that country many thousands of years ago.

To my great regret, myths about the creation of the world have not been preserved in our time in full. From the surviving passages, it is not always possible to restore the original plot of the work, which encourages historians and archaeologists to persevere in search of other sources that can fill the missing gaps.

Nevertheless, from the material that is available to modern generations, it is possible to extract a lot of useful information, in particular: how to live, what to believe, to whom ancient people worshiped, what is the difference in worldviews among different peoples and what is the goal of creating a world in which Their versions.

A huge help in the search and recovery of information is provided by modern technologies: transistors, computers, lasers, various highly specialized devices.

The theories of the creation of the world, which existed among the ancient inhabitants of our planet, allow us to conclude that at the heart of any legend was the understanding that all things arose from Chaos due to something Almighty, All-encompassing, feminine or masculine (depending on the foundations of society).

We will try to summarize the most popular versions of legends of ancient people in order to draw a general picture of their worldview.

Myths about the creation of the world: Egypt and the cosmogony of the ancient Egyptians

The inhabitants of the Egyptian civilization were adherents of the Divine origin of all things. However, the history of the creation of the world through the eyes of different generations of Egyptians is somewhat different.

Theban version of the appearance of the world

The most common (Theban) version narrates that from the waters of the boundless and bottomless ocean appeared the very first God - Amon. He created himself, then created other Gods and people.

In later mythology Amon is already known under the name Amon-Ra or simply Ra (God of the Sun).

The first who Amon created was Shu - the first air, Tefnut - the first moisture. Of these, God Ra created the Goddess Hathor, who was the Eye of Ra and had to follow the actions of the Deity. The first tears from Oka Ra caused people to appear. Since Hathor - the Eye of Ra - was angry with the Deity for being separate from his body, Amon-Ra planted Hathor on his forehead as the third eye. From his mouth Ra created other Gods, including his wife, the Goddess Mut, and the son of Khonsu - the lunar deity. Together they represented the Theban Triad of the Gods.

Such a legend about the creation of the world gives an understanding that the Egyptians based the views on its creation laid the Divine Principle. But this was the supremacy of the world and the people of not only God, but a whole of their pleiad, who were honored and expressed their respect with numerous sacrifices.

World view of the ancient Greeks

The ancient Greeks left the richest mythology in the inheritance to the new generations, who paid great attention to their culture and attached it the paramount importance. If we consider the myths about the creation of the world, Greece, perhaps, surpasses any other country by their number and variety. They were divided into matriarchal and patriarchal: depending on who was his hero - a woman or a man.

Matriarchal and patriarchal versions of the appearance of the world

For example, according to one of the matriarchal myths, the progenitor of the world was Gaia - Mother Earth, originated from Chaos and gave birth to the God of Heaven - Uranus. The son, in gratitude to his mother for his appearance, poured rain upon her, impregnated the earth and awakened the seeds that had fallen asleep to her life.

The patriarchal version is more extended and profound: at first there was only Chaos - dark and boundless. He produced the Earth Goddess - Gaia, from whom all living things went, and the God of Love Eros breathing life into everything around.

In contrast to the living and aspiring to the sun, a gloomy and gloomy Tartarus was born underground - a dark abyss. There was also Eternal Darkness and Dark Night. They gave birth to the Eternal Light and Light Day. Since then, Day and Night are replacing each other.

Then came other creatures and phenomena: Deities, titans, cyclops, giants, winds and stars. As a result of a long struggle between the Gods, Zeus, the son of Kronos, who was raised by his mother in a cave and who ousted his father from the throne, rose at the head of the Celestial Olympus. Starting with Zeus, other famous Greek gods take their history , which were considered the ancestors of people and their patrons: Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes and others.

People revered the Gods, in every possible way propitiated them, erecting magnificent temples and bringing in them countless rich gifts. But in addition to the Divine creatures living on Olympus, there were also such respectable beings as: Nereid - sea inhabitants, Naiads - keepers of water reservoirs, Satires and Dryads - forest talismans.

According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, the fate of all people was in the hands of three goddesses, whose name is Moira. They spun the thread of each person's life: from the day of birth to the day of death, deciding when this life to break.

Myths about the creation of the world are full of numerous incredible descriptions, for, believing in the forces that stand above man, people have embellished themselves and their deeds, endowing them with super abilities and inherent only to the gods to rule the fate of the world and of man in particular.

With the development of Greek civilization, myths about each of the deities became more and more popular. They were created a great variety. The worldview of the ancient Greeks significantly influenced the development of the history of the state that appeared at a later time, becoming the basis of its culture and traditions.

The appearance of the world through the eyes of ancient Indians

In the context of the theme "Myths about the creation of the world," India is known for several versions of the emergence of everything on Earth.

The most famous of them is similar to the Greek traditions, because it also tells us that in the beginning on Earth the impenetrable darkness of Chaos dominated. She was immovable, but full of hidden potential and great power. Later, Water appeared from Chaos, which gave birth to Fire. Thanks to the great power of warmth in the Waters, the Golden Egg appeared. At that time in the world there were no heavenly bodies and time measurements. Nevertheless, in comparison with the modern account of time, the Golden Egg swam in the vast waters of the ocean for about a year, after which the ancestor of the whole called Brahma appeared. He broke the egg, resulting in the upper part of it turned into Heaven, and the lower part - into the Earth. Between them Brahma was placed airspace.

Then the ancestor created the countries of the world and started the countdown. Thus, according to the legend of the Indians, the universe arose. However, Brahma felt very lonely and came to the conclusion that it was necessary to create living beings. The power of Brahma's thought was so great that he was able to create with his help six sons - great lords, and other goddesses and gods. Tired of such global affairs, Brahma transferred power over all existing in the universe to his sons, and he retired to rest.

As for the appearance of people in the world, according to the Indian version, they were born from the goddess Saranyu and the god Vivasvata (who from God became a man by the will of the elder gods). The first children of these gods were mortal, and the rest were gods. The first of the mortal children of the gods died Yama, in the afterlife became the master of the kingdom of the dead. Another mortal child of Brahma, Manu, experienced the Great Flood. From this god, and people came.

Pirushi - The First Man on Earth

Another legend about the creation of the world narrates about the appearance of the First Man, called Pirusha (in other sources - Purusha). This myth is characteristic of the period of Brahmanism. The Purusha was born because of the will of the Almighty Gods. However, later, Pirushi sacrificed himself to the gods that created him: the body of the primordial man was cut to pieces, from which the heavenly bodies (the Sun, Moon and stars) arose, the sky itself, the Earth, the land of light and the class of human society.

The highest class-caste-was the Brahmans, who emerged from the mouth of the Purusha. They were the priests of the gods on earth; Knew the sacred texts. The next important class were ksatriyas - rulers and soldiers. Their Primordial Man created from his shoulders. Traders and farmers - vaisyas appeared from the hips of Purusha. The lowest class that emerged from the feet of Pirusha was the sudras - servants who served as servants. The most unenviable position was occupied by the so-called untouchables - they could not even be touched, otherwise a person from another caste immediately became one of the untouchables. The brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas, after reaching a certain age, were dedicated and became "twice-born." Their life was divided into certain stages:

• Student (a person learns life from more wise adults and recruited life experience).
• Family (a person creates a family and is obliged to become a decent family man and a householder).
• The hermit (a person leaves the house and lives the life of a monk-hermit, dying alone).

Brahmanism presupposed the existence of such concepts as Brahman - the basis of the world, its cause and essence, the impersonal Absolute, and the Atman - the spiritual principle of every person, inherent only to him and striving to merge with Brahman.

With the development of Brahmanism, the idea of Samsara also arises - the rotation of being; Incarnations - rebirths after death; Karma - fate, the law, which will determine in what kind of body a person will be born in the next life; Moksha is the ideal to which the human soul should strive.

Speaking of the division of people into castes, it is worth noting that they should not have been in contact with each other. Simply put, each social class was isolated from the other. Too strict caste division explains the fact that only brahmanas, representatives of the higher caste, could engage in mystical and religious problems.

However, later there are more democratic religious teachings - Buddhism and Jainism, occupying the point of view opposed to the official teaching. Jainism became a very influential religion within the country, but it remained within its borders, while Buddhism became a world religion with millions of followers.

Despite the fact that theories of creating the world through the eyes of one and the same people are different, on the whole, there is a common beginning in them - the presence in any legend of some First Person - Brahma, who eventually became the main deity, believed in ancient India.

Cosmogony of Ancient India

The latest version of the cosmogony of Ancient India sees in the foundation of the world a triad of Gods (the so-called Trimurti), which included Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Keeper, Shiva the Destroyer. Their duties were clearly divided and demarcated. So, Brahma cyclically generates the universe, which is stored by Vishnu, and destroys Shiva. As long as there is the Universe, the day of Brahma lasts. As soon as the Universe ceases to exist, the night of Brahma comes. 12 thousand Divine years - this is the cyclical duration of day and night. These years consist of days that are equal to the human concept of the year. After a century of Brahma's life, a new Brahma replaces him.

In general, the cult significance of Brahma is secondary. Evidence of this is the existence of only two churches in his honor. Shiva and Vishnu, on the contrary, received the widest popularity, transformed into two powerful religious currents - Shaivism and Vishnuism.

Creating a world in the Bible

The history of the creation of the world according to the Bible is also very interesting from the point of view of theories about the creation of all things. The holy book of Christians and Jews explains the origin of the world in its own way.

The creation of the world by God is covered in the first book of the Bible - "Genesis". Just like other myths, the legend tells that in the beginning there was nothing, there was not even Earth. There was only solid darkness, emptiness and cold. All this was contemplated by Almighty God, who decided to revive the world. He began his work with the creation of the earth and sky, which did not have any definite shapes and shapes. After that, the Almighty created light and darkness, separating them from each other and calling them, respectively, day and night. This happened on the first day of the universe.

On the second day God created a firmament, which divided the water into two parts: one part remained above the firmament, and the other - under it. The name of the firmament became Heaven.

The third day was marked by the creation of a land, which God called the Earth. For this, he collected all the water that was under the sky, in one place, and called it the sea. To revive what has already been created, God created trees and grass.

The fourth day was the day of creation of the stars. Their God created for the separation of day to night, and also for them to always illuminate the earth. Thanks to the lights it became possible to keep track of the days, months and years. In the daytime the great sun shone, and at night - the smaller star - the Moon (stars helped him).

The fifth day was devoted to the creation of living beings. The very first fish, water animals and birds appeared. Created like God, and he decided to increase their number.

On the sixth day, creatures living on land were created: wild animals, cattle, snakes. Since there were still many things to do with God, he made himself an assistant, calling him a Man and making himself look like himself. Man had to become the ruler of the earth and all that dwells and grows on it, while God left the privilege to rule the whole world.

A man appeared from the earthly dust. To be more precise, he was fashioned from clay and called Adam ("man"). His God settled in Eden - a paradise country, along which flowed a mighty river, overgrown with trees with large and tasty fruits.

In the middle of the paradise were two special trees - the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Adam was commissioned to guard the Garden of Eden and take care of it. He could eat fruits from any tree, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God threatened him that by eating the fruit from this tree, Adam would immediately perish.

Adam was bored alone in the garden, and then God told all living beings to come to man. Adam gave all the birds, fish, reptiles and animals names, but did not find someone who could become his worthy helper. Then God took pity on Adam, put him to sleep, took out his rib from his body and created a woman from him. Waking up, Adam was delighted with such a gift, deciding that the woman would become his faithful companion, helper and wife.

God gave them instructions to fill the earth, to possess it, to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and other animals that walk and crawl on the earth. And he, tired of his labors and satisfied with all created, decided to rest. Since then, every seventh day is considered festive.

Such was the creation of the world by day, Christians and Jews. This phenomenon is the basic dogma of the religion of these peoples.

Myths about creating a world of different peoples

In many respects, the history of human society is, first of all, the search for answers to the fundamental questions: what was at the beginning; What is the purpose of creating peace; Who is its creator. Based on the worldviews of peoples who lived in different epochs and in different conditions, the answers to these questions acquired an individual interpretation for each society, which in general terms could come into contact with the interpretation of the emergence of peace among neighboring peoples.

Nevertheless, each people believed in their own version, worshiped their god or gods, tried to disseminate their teachings, religion, concerning the issue of creating peace among representatives of other societies and countries. The passage of several stages in this process has become an integral part of the legends of ancient people. They sacredly believed that everything in the world arose gradually, in turn. Among the myths of different peoples there is not a single story, where everything that exists on earth appeared in a moment.

Ancient people identified the birth and development of the world with the birth of a man and his growing up: first, a man is born into the world, acquiring more and more new knowledge and experience; Then there is a period of becoming and growing up, when the acquired knowledge becomes applicable in everyday life; And then comes the stage of aging, fading, which involves the gradual loss of a person's life force, which eventually leads to death. The same degree of attitude was in the views of our ancestors and the world: the emergence of all living things due to this or that higher power, development and flowering, fading.

Myths and legends that have survived to this day are an important part of the history of the people's development, allowing them to associate their origins with certain events and gain an understanding of where everything began.