Unit One -- Creation Myths

In our first unit we will focus on creation myths, framing our discussion within the context of Joseph Campbell's essay "The Four Functions of Mythology." How do Babylonian, Hebrew, and Greek creation myths use philosophical and religious metaphors as scientific explanations to help provide an understanding of the world? Moreover, why is it that the myths of these cultures represent the creative forces of the universe as masculine, whereas the feminine principle is portrayed as being responsible for bringing disease and suffering into the world? We will explore power and gender issues related to this question through the stories of Pandora and Eve, the first women of Greek and Hebrew myth respectively.

This 19th century shaman's rattle takes the form of a grebe with two smaller birds resting on its back. Grebes and other waterbirds are often cast as the heroes of creation stories in Native American tribes of the Northwest Coast. They dive into the primordial waters to bring up the first fragments of earth that makes the creation of people possible.

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