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Mythology 1: The Creation Myths of the World
Highest Rated
Rating: 4.5 out of 5(19 ratings)
138 students

Mythology 1: The Creation Myths of the World

An introduction to the themes, motifs and common elements of the creation myths of the world.
Highest Rated
Created byBokos Borbala
Last updated 8/2022
English
English

What you'll learn

  • Creation myths of the world (Genesis, Greek-, Norse-, Sumerian-, Japanese etc. myths)
  • Compare and contrast the key themes, characters and narrative elements of creation myths
  • Identify common motifs (the cosmic egg, the world tree, the giant’s body, the cosmic parents, etc.)
  • Broaden your perspective and general knowledge by getting acquainted with the beliefs of other cultures

Course content

1 section • 15 lectures • 2h 8m total length

  • Introduction1:54

    Explore creation myths across cultures, analyzing similarities and differences to glimpse how communities view the world. Learn about Carl Jung’s collective unconscious and share your stories.

  • Theoretical Background 18:28

    Examine major theories used to study mythology and interpret myths as metaphorical texts. Trace from Plato's claim that myths are lies to the emergence of comparative, linguistic, and psychoanalytic methods.

  • Theoretical Background 212:00

    This lecture presents structuralism, Levi-Strauss, as a myth analysis method, breaking myths into mythemes and binary relations while touching on Propp's 31 functions, Campbell's monomyth, and Eliade's sacred versus profane.

  • The Bible (Genesis)5:27

    Examine the Genesis creation narrative: God forms the world in six days, rests on the seventh, and presents two creation accounts including the Garden of Eden and humankind's breath-driven origin.

  • The Greek Myth of Creation12:17

    Traces the Greek creation story from chaos to Gaia and Uranus, recounting the birth of the Titans, the underworld Tartarus, and Prometheus’s gifts that shape humanity, per Hesiod.

  • The Sumerian Myths of Creation. Part 1: The Gods8:09

    Trace how sumerian creation myths tie irrigation to the world's origin. Highlight enki and ninhursag's unions and the birth of plant goddesses and fertility.

  • The Sumerian Myths of Creation. Part 2: The Man7:10

    Explore how Sumerian and Akkadian myths explain human origins, from clay and divine blood to the creation of lifelike beings, their mortality, and the gods’ power struggles.

  • The Indian Myths of Creation7:04

    Explore multiple Hindu creation myths, including Purusha's sacrifice and dismemberment creating gods and cosmic order, and Brahma and Shiva governing cyclic worlds with the golden egg motif.

  • The Bible and the Rig Veda11:14

    Compare the Nasadiya Sukta with the Genesis, noting no initial existence and later-arising gods. See the text's contemplative tone and its linking of desire and light to cosmic birth.

  • Chinese and Japanese Creation Myths6:33

    Explore Chinese and Japanese creation myths: Tao and yin-yang birth the cosmos, Pangu forms the heavens and earth, and Izanami and Izanagi birth kami and islands through purification rites.

  • Creation Myths of Africa, Australia and the Pacific Archipelago7:28

    Explore Africa's cradle of humanity through Dogon, Mbuti, Maasai, and Zulu myths from Amma's egg to Nommo. Learn Australian dream time stories and Pacific Tangaroa myths, including Yurlunggur water serpent.

  • The Creation Myths of the Northern People9:56

    Trace the Norse creation myth from Ginnungagap, fire and ice, to Ymir and Audhumla, then the gods Odin, Vili, and Ve shape Midgard and Asgard from Ymir's body.

  • North American Myths of Creation11:36

    North American creation myths center on a great spirit who creates light, earth, sky, and people from water or mud, often via animal ancestors and shapeshifting.

  • Central and South American Myths of Creation13:35

    Explore Central and South American creation myths, including Ometeotl, Quetzalcoatl, and Viracocha, and the Popol Vuh, tracing how land, animals, and humans emerge after floods and divine refinement.

  • Conclusions6:07

    Explore common elements in world creation myths—ex nihilo origins, world parents, emergence from chaos, and order—highlighting binary oppositions and the shaping of humanity.

  • Test your knowledge!

Requirements

  • No specific requirements are needed.

Description

This course introduces students to the mythologies of various cultures with a special emphasis on ancient Sumerian, Judeo-Christian, Hindu, Greek, Asian, African, Australian, and American traditions. We will discuss a specific category of myths, that is, the creation myths of the world.

Creation myths have always fascinated mankind. They not only explain the birth of the universe and that of man, but also offer answers to mankind’s biggest questions: what is our purpose in the world? What is our relationship with our creator?

Creation myths vary throughout the world; however, many of them begin with a vision of chaos or complete disorder. A common element is the presence of a God, or gods, who, out of that emptiness create earth, air, water, and the heavens. Other stories talk about a cosmic egg which breaks, hatches, and a primordial being (usually a giant) emerges, who begins the work of creation. In other stories a giant has to be killed, or a god has to be sacrificed so that the gods can make the world out of his body. This, of course, signifies that life was created from death.

But what is even more interesting in the creation stories is the making of mankind. How were we formed? But most importantly: why were we created? In many stories God creates man out of love, in others because He is lonely and needs someone who worships Him and speaks His name, in other stories gods create humans because they need servants.

In one way or another such myths not only teach us about how the ancients saw their world, but also determine us to come up with our own interpretations, our own understanding of the age old stories.

So I invite you on a magical journey in which you’ll discover how Gaia united with, and later separated from Uranus, how Ninhursag, the Sumerian goddess molded the first humans from clay, how Odin and his brother killed Ymir, the ice giant and created the world from his body, and last, but not least, how Izanami and Izanagi descended from the bridge floating in the sky, and stirred up the waters of the ancient ocean with a diamond spear.


This course is comprised of a series of video lectures and includes:

  • Interactive video lessons (approximately 2 hours)

  • Links to external sources (ebooks and audiobooks)

  • Lecture handouts (transcripts) for printing and note taking

  • Quiz for testing your knowledge

Main objectives:

  • Be familiar with the most well-known myth of creation around the world

  • Get acquainted with the different types and categories of creation myths

  • Learn about the various ways in which man was created and what kind of relationship he had with the god(s)

  • Learn to master your critical thinking in discussing/analyzing creation myths

  • Be able to interpret mythical stories in a metaphorical as well as creative way


Who this course is for:

  • This course is intended for anyone who wants to discover the fascinating myths of creation across time and cultures.

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