Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology 1st edition

Description

"Myth and Knowing" is a rich resource of myths and mythology through the ages, in which scholarly and literary materials combine to provide a seamless portrait of this multicultural topic. Balanced and nuanced discussions explore the ways in which myths have portrayed both men and women. In addition, art and maps contextualize selected myths, providing insights into the cultures and religious traditions from which they originated. 1 Purposes and Definitions 1 The Study of Mythology 1 What Is Myth Historically? 2 The Rise of Mythology 6 Mythology During the Enlightenment 7 Mythology in the 20th Century 13 Mythology Today 23 Reading Mythology 25 Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 28 2 Creation Myths 32 The Birth of Order 32 Classifying Cosmogonic Myths 32 Types of Creation Myth 34 Reading Creation Myths 45 Amma and Nummo Prepare the World 46 Dogon (Nigeria) The Creation, from The Eddas 58 Norse (Iceland) From Chaos to King Zeus, from Hesiod’s Theogony 63 Greek Contents Xi Out of the Blue 68 Iroquois: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora (Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada) The Creation of Ulligara and Zalgarra 75 Sumerian (Iraq) Creation Myth from the Vishnu Purana 79 Hindu (India) Genesis: The Creation Account 84 Hebrew (Israel/Middle East) The Popul Vu 90 Maya (Guatemala/The Yucatan) Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 99 3 The Female Divine 102 The Great Goddess 102 Archetypal Psychology 110 Goddesses as Literary Character Types 113 Reading the Female Divine 121 The Fire Goddess 122 Hawaiian White Buffalo Calf Woman 132 Brulé Sioux (Great Plains, North America) The Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzi 137 Sumerian (Iraq) A Taste of Earth 144 Vietnamese (Vietnam) Kali Beheaded 154 Hindu (India) Callisto and Arcas, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses 161 Roman (Italy) On the Origin of the World 168 Gnostic/Coptic (Egypt) Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 181 xii Contents 4 The Male Divine 185 The Prehistory of God 185 The “Sorcerer” of Trois Freres 185 The “Shaman” of Trois Freres 188 Images of the Masculine 188 Reading the Male Divine 208 Bhagavad Gita 208 Hindu (India) Enki and Ninhursanga 220 Sumerian (iraq) Orunmila Gives the Orishas Their Powers and His Friendship with Eshu 227 Yoruba (Nigeria) Thor’s Duel with Hrungnir 232 Norse (Iceland) Quetzalcoatl Rescues the Precious Bones and Discovers Corn 239 Aztec (Mexico) Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 243 5 Trickster Myths 247 The Embodiment of Ambiguities 247 Reading Trickster Myths 253 Why We Tell Stories about Spider 253 Ga (Ghana and West Africa) Ajapa, Aja the Dog, and the Yams 257 Yoruba (Nigeria and Benin) How Coyote Placed the Stars 265 Wasco (The Dalles, Oregon) Coyote Man and Saucy Duckfeather 268 Peter Blue Cloud (Modern Account, Iroquois) Northeastern United States The Trouble with Rose Hips 272 Lipan Apache (American Southwest) Contents Xiii Old Man Coyote Meets Coyote Woman 274 Blackfoot (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, and Wyoming) The Treasures of the Gods 277 Norse (Iceland) The Seven Great Deeds of Ma-ui 283 Oceania (Hawaii) Prometheus, from Hesiod’s Theogony 301 Greek Pa Pandir, or Daddy Moron 306 Malaysian The Raven Steals the Light 311 Haida (Haida Gwaii, Pacific Northwest North America) Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 318 6 Sacred Places 320 The Grounding of Mythology 320 Gulliford’s Nine Categories of Sacred Places 321 Deloria’s Four Categories of Sacred Sites 322 Sites of Longing and Fear 325 Combining Interpretive Strategies 325 Two Sacred Places of Human Origins 326 Reading Sacred Places Myths 328 The Zuni and the Grand Canyon 331 Zuni (Modern Account, Arizona) The Emergence 333 Zuni (Traditional Account, Arizona) Bighorn Medicine Wheel 336 Northern Cheyenne, Northern Arapaho, Eastern Shoshone, and Crow (Wyoming) The Medicine Wheel 343 Hyemeyohsts Storm (Wyoming) Sacred Landforms in Japan 347 Japanese The Mountain of the Lotus and the Fan 349 Japanese Xiv Contents Yosoji and the Goddess Fuji 352 Japanese The Ten Thousand Treasure Mountain 353 Yao (China) Kobo Stories 359 Buddhist (Japan) The Waters of Eternal Life 360 Jewish (Italy, ca. 11th Century) The Castle in the Lake 370 Post-Buddhism Bon (Tibet) The Cormorants from Utrést 376 Norland (Northern Norway) The Areca Tree 380 Vietnamese (Vietnam) Biriwilg Becomes a Painting 387 Aboriginal Australia Works Cited and Suggestions for Further Reading 393 Index I-1