Read the Creation Myths. Each origin story offers explanations of various aspects or characterizations of life and culture. Some offer explanations as to how various races came to be. Some offer more of a ethnocentric view of the “chosen peoples” versus those that are not apart of the tribe, ethnicity, or nation. Some offer a more harmonious understanding of people. Some offer the Gods as great animals, some fashion God or Gods as anthropomorphic (taking on the image of man). Each choice of what goes into the story stresses some significant value. If a great raven is God, how does that stress importance and value of ravens? If God is female, then what does that cause listeners to value femininity? First read these Origin Stories, then complete the discussion assignment (Creation Myths Discussion I). Then do the following:
- Go on a walk, preferably in nature (a park, a trail in the woods, or just around the block if you have to).
- Think about what is present that is not man made. Think of the earth in an “unadulterated state” (goodness–that is a loaded term). Think of what you see that is wilderness, that is nature birds, dirt, sand, trees, etc…
- Think of how you would create an origin story (origin myth) to account for it.
- Do you choose to have a God/ Gods in the story?
- How is the earth fashioned?
- How are humans fashioned?
- What other things to you account for?
- Be creative. This is a story that is crafting the beginning of things. Use symbols, metaphors, similes, anything that comes to you mind.
The purpose of this is to first get yourself into a state of mind to think about nature and offer a story to account for it in some way. Then, think about that story you have just created. In a way this assignment get you thinking about what creation myths offer. The purpose is to get you to think of nature, offer creative accounts for it, and then offer an analysis of the story you just created. Another purpose of this is to get us to think of how stories, for this assignment “creation myths,” stress various characteristics and offer important insight into the meaning of life. The “how” bleeds into the “why;” meaning that the “how” the world was created often offers the “why” life is significant and “what is the purpose” for life.
- After crafting your short creation myth. Review this with an audio analysis. This offers you a chance to explain why you told the story the way you did. What other creation myth stories influenced this. What decisions did you make in the crafting of it? Why did you make those decisions? What words stand out? What metaphors were created?
- After offering your analytical review in an audio format (using the attach file icon in the Discussion board), read TWO other student’s creation stories and listen to their audio analysis. Reply to their creation story by doing at least one of two things.
- Find a quote in their creation story and/or audio analysis (it can be paraphrased), cite or paraphrase the quote and offer more explanation or more analysis to aspects of what that could mean.
- Compare and contrast your creation myth (the one you created) with theirs. Any differences? Any similarities? Why do you think there are these similar aspects? What do the differences suggest?
- Also feel free to do a mixture of both “a” and “b.”
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