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 in which they live appeared. Ideas about this have been formed for centuries, growing from thoughts and conjectures into myths about the creation of the world.
That is why the mythology of any nation begins with attempts to explain the origins 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 appearance of everything around logically arose among the representatives of Homo Sapiens. The collective consciousness of a group of people in the early stages of development vividly reflected the degree of understanding of a particular phenomenon, including such as the creation of the world and man by higher powers.
People passed on 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 varied the thinking of our ancestors was, because in their stories either gods, then birds, or animals acted as the primary source and creator. There was perhaps a similarity in one thing - the world arose from Nothing, from Primeval Chaos. But his further development took place in the way that representatives of this or that people chose for him.
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 various specialties and directions were engaged in the study of found manuscripts, cave paintings, archaeological artifacts in order to recreate the worldview that was characteristic of the inhabitants of a country many thousands of years ago.
Unfortunately, the myths about the creation of the world have not survived in our time in full. Of the surviving passages, it is not always possible to restore the original plot of the work, which prompts historians and archaeologists to persistently search for other sources that can fill in the missing gaps.
Nevertheless, from the material that is available to modern generations, one can extract a lot of useful information, in particular: how they lived, what they believed, who the ancient people worshiped, what is the difference in worldviews among different peoples and what is the purpose of creating a world their versions.
Enormous help in the search and restoration of information is provided by modern technologies: transistors, computers, lasers, various highly specialized devices.
The theories of creating the world, which were common among the ancient inhabitants of our planet, allow us to conclude: any legend was based on an understanding of the fact that all things arose from Chaos due to something Almighty, Comprehensive, feminine or masculine (depending on the foundations of society).
We will try to briefly outline the most popular versions of the legends of ancient people in order to make a general idea of their worldview.
Myths about the creation of the world: Egypt and the cosmogony of the ancient Egyptians
The inhabitants of Egyptian civilization were adherents of the divine principle of all things. However, the history of the creation of the world through the eyes of different generations of Egyptians is somewhat different.
Thebes version of the appearance of the world
The most widespread (Theban) version tells that the very first God, Amon, appeared from the waters of the boundless and bottomless ocean. He created himself, after which he created other Gods and people.
In later mythology, Amon is already known as Amon-Ra or simply Ra (God of the Sun).
The first ones that Amon created were Shu - the first air, Tefnut - the first moisture. Of these, God Ra created the Goddess Hathor, who was the Eye of Ra and was supposed to monitor the actions of the Deity. The first tears from the Eye of Ra caused the appearance of people. Since Hathor - Eye of Ra - was angry with the Divine for being separate from his body, Amon-Ra put Hathor on his forehead as a third eye. From his lips, Ra created other Gods, including his wife, the Goddess Mut, and the son 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 laid the foundation of the Divine principle in the basis of their views on its origin. But this was the supremacy over the world and people of not one God, but their whole galaxy, which was honored and expressed their respect by numerous sacrifices.
World view of the ancient Greeks
The richest mythology inherited by new generations was left by the ancient Greeks, who paid great attention to their culture and gave it paramount importance. If we consider the myths about the creation of the world, Greece, perhaps, surpasses any other country in their number and variety. They were divided into matriarchal and patriarchal: depending on who his hero was - a woman or a man.
Matriarchal and patriarchal versions of the emergence of the world
For example, according to one of the matriarchal myths, the progenitor of the world was Gaia - Mother Earth, which arose from Chaos and gave birth to the God of Heaven - Uranus. The son, in gratitude to his mother for his appearance, poured rain on her, fertilizing the earth and awakening the seeds that slept in it to life.
The patriarchal version is more extended and deeper: in the beginning there was only Chaos - dark and limitless. He gave birth to the Goddess of the Earth - Gaia, from whom all life went, and the God of Love Eros, breathing life into everything around.
In contrast to the living and aspiring to the sun, a sullen and gloomy Tartarus - a dark abyss - was born underground. Eternal Darkness and Dark Night also arose. They gave birth to the Eternal Light and Bright Day. Since then, Day and Night succeed each other.
Then other creatures and phenomena appeared: Deities, titans, cyclops, giants, winds and stars. As a result of a long struggle between the Gods, Zeus, the son of Kronos, raised by his mother in a cave and toppled his father from the throne, led the Sky Olympus. Starting from Zeus, other famous Greek gods take their history , who were considered the ancestors of people and their patrons: Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes and others.
People worshiped the Gods, propitiated them in every possible way, erecting magnificent temples and bringing countless rich gifts to them. But in addition to the Divine creatures living on Olympus, there were also such respected creatures as: Nereids - marine inhabitants, Naiads - custodians of water bodies, Satire 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 to break off this life.
Myths about the creation of the world are full of many incredible descriptions, because, believing in the powers that are higher than man, people embellished themselves and their deeds, endowing them with supernormal abilities and opportunities inherent only to gods to rule the fate of the world and man in particular.
With the development of Greek civilization, myths about each of the deities became increasingly popular. A great many of them were created. 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 the ancient Indians
In the context of the theme "Myths about the creation of the world", India is known for several versions of the appearance of all things on Earth.
The most famous of them is similar to Greek traditions, because it also tells that at first the impenetrable darkness of Chaos reigned on Earth. She was motionless, but full of latent potential and great power. Later, Water emerged from Chaos, which generated Fire. Thanks to the great power of heat, a Golden Egg appeared in the Waters. At that time, there were no celestial bodies and time dimensions in the world. Nevertheless, in comparison with the modern count of time, the Golden Egg floated in the vast waters of the ocean for about a year, after which an ancestor of everything by the name of Brahma appeared. He broke the egg, as a result of which its upper part turned into Heaven, and the lower part into Earth. Between them Brahma was placed airspace.
Next, the ancestor created the countries of the world and laid the foundation for the countdown. Thus, according to the tradition of the Indians, the universe arose. However, Brahma felt very lonely and came to the conclusion that living beings must be created. The power of Brahma's thought was so great that with his help he was able to create the six sons - the great lords, and other goddesses and gods. Tired of such global affairs, Brahma transferred power over everything 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 Saranu and the god Vivasvat (who from God turned into a man by the will of the older gods). The first children of these gods were mortals, and the rest were gods. The first of the mortal children of the gods died Yama, who in the afterlife became the master of the kingdom of the dead. Brahma's other mortal child, Manu, survived the Great Flood. It is from this god that humans came.
Revels - The First Man on Earth
Another legend about the creation of the world tells of the appearance of the First Man named Pirushi (in other sources - Purusha). This myth is characteristic of the period of Brahmanism. Purusha was born thanks to the will of the Almighty Gods. However, later Pirushi sacrificed himself to the gods who created him: the body of the primordial man was cut into pieces, from which the celestial bodies (the Sun, the Moon and stars), the sky itself, the Earth, the countries of the world and the class of human society.
The Brahmanas arising from the mouth of Purusha were considered the highest class - caste. They were the priests of the gods on earth; knew the sacred texts. The next most important class was the ksatriyas - rulers and warriors. Their Primordial Man created from his shoulders. From the hips of Purusha appeared merchants and farmers - vaisyas. The lower class, arising from the feet of Pirusha, were the sudras - bonded people who performed the role of servants. The most unenviable position was occupied by the so-called untouchables - they could not even be touched, otherwise a person from another caste would immediately become one of the untouchables. Brahmins, ksatriyas, and vaisyas, upon reaching a certain age, were consecrated and became "twice born." Their life was divided into certain stages:
- Student (a person learns life from wiser adults and gain life experience).
- Family (a person creates a family and is obliged to become a decent family man and householder).
- Hermit (a person leaves the house and lives the life of a hermit monk, dying alone).
Brahmanism implied the existence of such concepts as Brahman - the foundation of the world, its cause and essence, the impersonal Absolute, and Atman - the spiritual principle of every person, unique to him and striving to merge with Brahman.
With the development of brahmanism, the idea of Samsara arises - the circulation of life; Incarnations - rebirth after death; Karma - destiny, the law that will determine in which body a person will be born in the next life; Moksha is the ideal to which the human soul must strive.
Speaking about the division of people into castes, it is worth noting that they should not have contacted each other. Simply put, each class of society was isolated from the other. Too rigid caste division is explained by the fact that only the brahmanas, representatives of the higher caste, could deal with mystical and religious problems.
Later, however, more democratic religious teachings emerged - Buddhism and Jainism, which held a point of view that was opposed to official teaching. Jainism has become a very influential religion within the country, but has remained within its borders, while Buddhism has become a world religion with millions of followers.
Despite the fact that the 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 - this is the presence in any legend of a certain First Man - Brahma, who eventually became the main deity that was believed in ancient India.
Cosmogony of Ancient India
The latest version of the cosmogony of Ancient India sees in the foundation of the world the triad of the Gods (the so-called Trimurti), which included Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Guardian, Shiva the Destroyer. Their responsibilities were clearly divided and delineated. Thus, Brahma cyclically gives birth to the Universe, which Vishnu preserves, and destroys Shiva. As long as the universe is there, Brahma's day lasts. As soon as the universe ceases to exist, the night of Brahma comes. 12 thousand divine years - such is the cyclic duration of day and night. These years consist of days that are equal to the human concept of the year. After the hundred-year-old life of Brahma, he is replaced by the new Brahma.
In general, the cult significance of Brahma is secondary. Evidence of this is the existence of only two temples in his honor. Shiva and Vishnu, on the contrary, gained widespread popularity, which was transformed into two powerful religious movements - Shaivism and Vishnuism.
Creating a Bible World
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 in its own way explains the origin of the world.
The creation of the world by God is covered in the first book of the Bible - Genesis. Like other myths, the legend tells that in the very beginning there was nothing, there was not even Earth. There was only continuous darkness, emptiness and cold. Almighty God contemplated all this, having decided to revive the world. He began his work with the creation of 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 naming them, respectively, day and night. This happened on the first day of the universe.
On the second day, a firmament was created by God, which divided the water into two parts: one part remained above the firmament, and the second under it. The name of the firmament has become Heaven.
The third day was marked by the creation of land, which God called the Earth. To do this, he collected all the water that was under the sky in one place, and called it the sea. To revive what was already created, God created trees and grass.
The fourth day was the day of the creation of the stars. God created them to separate day from night, and also so that they always illuminate the earth. Thanks to the luminaries, it has become possible to keep track of days, months, and years. During the day the great Sun shone, and at night the smaller Sun shone - the Moon (the stars helped him).
The fifth day was devoted to the creation of living beings. The very first appeared fish, aquatic animals and birds. God liked the creation, and he decided to increase their number.
On the sixth day, creatures living on land were created: wild animals, cattle, snakes. Since God still had much to do, he created an assistant for himself, calling him a Man and making himself like himself. Man was to become the lord of the earth and all that dwells and grows on it, while God left behind him the privilege of governing the whole world.
From the dust of the earth a man appeared. More precisely, it was molded from clay and called Adam ("man"). His God settled in Eden, a paradise country, along which a mighty river flowed, overgrown with trees with large and tasty fruits.
In the middle of paradise, two special trees stood out - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Adam was instructed to guard and care for the Garden of Eden . He could taste the fruits of any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God threatened him that by eating the fruit from this tree, Adam would die immediately.
Adam was bored alone in the garden, and then God told all living things to come to man. Adam gave all the birds, fish, reptiles and animals names, but did not find someone who could become him a worthy helper. Then God, taking pity on Adam, put him to sleep, took a rib from his body and created a woman from him. Having woken up, Adam was delighted with such a gift, deciding that the woman would become his faithful companion, assistant and wife.
God gave them parting words - to fill the earth, to possess it, to rule over sea fish, birds of the sky and other animals that walk and crawl on the ground. And he, tired of the labors and content with everything created, decided to rest. Since then, every seventh day is considered a holiday.
Such was the creation of the world in the days of Christians and Jews. This phenomenon is the main dogma of the religion of these peoples.
Myths about creating a world of different nations
In many respects, the history of human society is, first of all, the search for answers to fundamental questions: what was in the beginning; what is the purpose of creating the world; who is its creator. Based on the worldviews of peoples living in different eras and in different conditions, the answers to these questions acquired an individual interpretation for each society, which in general terms could be in contact with the interpretation of the emergence of peace among neighboring peoples.
Nevertheless, each nation believed in its own version, worshiped its god or gods, and tried to disseminate among the representatives of other societies and countries their doctrine, religion, concerning such an issue as the creation of the world. 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 nations there is not a single story where everything existing on earth appeared in an instant.
Ancient people identified the birth and development of the world with the birth of a person and his growing up: first, a person is born into the world, with each passing day gaining more and more knowledge and experience; then there is a period of formation and maturation, when the acquired knowledge becomes applicable in everyday life; and then comes the stage of aging, extinction, which implies a gradual loss of vitality by a person, which ultimately leads to death. The same stages in the views of our ancestors belonged to the world: the appearance of all living things due to one or another higher power, development and flowering, extinction.
Myths and legends that have survived to this day constitute an important part of the history of the development of the people, allowing you to associate your origin with certain events and gain an understanding of how it all began.