World Origins
Long interested in explanations of the origins of the universe, the human race tells many different versions of the creation myth—the earliest versions were told within matriarchal societies characterized by oral tradition. These versions spoke to the deeply embedded connection between humans and their natural surroundings, and the orality of the myth connected it to each person who heard and retold the story. The introduction of print text and the rise of the patriarchal tradition marginalized those narratives and in their place, grew the vast collection of media with which humans can communicate. The minimization of the oral tradition brought both beneficial and detrimental changes to the global culture, and as the way humans communicated changed, so did what they communicated.
As the oral myths evolved, some elements would remain as reminders of the past, and as a result of these remnants all of the recorded creation stories begin with otherworldly figures. These creators or creatrix bring order out of chaos, form the earth, and make humankind, and these stories also use recurrent symbols such as the sun, water, and animals to provide the details of man’s existence on earth (Leeming). These cosmogonies were originally holistic and promoted an equitable assent to power; however, those myths that trace their origins to the Abrahamic version often claim “exclusivity to justify the oppression of others, including each other” (Leeming, 85). The reoccurring features of these myths include the systematic creation of heaven and earth, followed by land and sea, then the beasts of the earth, and lastly, the Edenic arrival of Adam and Eve. One of the Abrahamic tribes formed the Jewish tradition, and the midrashic myth of Adam and Eve begins with Adam and Lilith, a woman who was unsatisfied by her position in Eden as well as her company, often described as shrewish and unsatisfied with what Adam had provided and at times referred to as demonic, who leaves the Garden of Eden. In this version, only then did God make Eve. Even the Judeo-Christian bible offers more than one version in the Chapter of Genesis, recounting first the creation of man and woman in one act of God then offering a second version in which Eve is made from the rib of Adam. Despite the varied interpretations, as the human race has struggled to do the will of God, the versions with Abrahamic ascriptions have been used, in many ways, as tools for oppression. One of the best examples for this destructive translation can be found in the way the creation myth set up a powerful binary system through which the puritanical foundations of American society initially demarcated man’s power over the earth.
As the oral myths evolved, some elements would remain as reminders of the past, and as a result of these remnants all of the recorded creation stories begin with otherworldly figures. These creators or creatrix bring order out of chaos, form the earth, and make humankind, and these stories also use recurrent symbols such as the sun, water, and animals to provide the details of man’s existence on earth (Leeming). These cosmogonies were originally holistic and promoted an equitable assent to power; however, those myths that trace their origins to the Abrahamic version often claim “exclusivity to justify the oppression of others, including each other” (Leeming, 85). The reoccurring features of these myths include the systematic creation of heaven and earth, followed by land and sea, then the beasts of the earth, and lastly, the Edenic arrival of Adam and Eve. One of the Abrahamic tribes formed the Jewish tradition, and the midrashic myth of Adam and Eve begins with Adam and Lilith, a woman who was unsatisfied by her position in Eden as well as her company, often described as shrewish and unsatisfied with what Adam had provided and at times referred to as demonic, who leaves the Garden of Eden. In this version, only then did God make Eve. Even the Judeo-Christian bible offers more than one version in the Chapter of Genesis, recounting first the creation of man and woman in one act of God then offering a second version in which Eve is made from the rib of Adam. Despite the varied interpretations, as the human race has struggled to do the will of God, the versions with Abrahamic ascriptions have been used, in many ways, as tools for oppression. One of the best examples for this destructive translation can be found in the way the creation myth set up a powerful binary system through which the puritanical foundations of American society initially demarcated man’s power over the earth.