B”H
Most of you can’t get on InSite yet, so I am posting this discussion board to my blog.
What do you think is the purpose of an Origin Story? Please use at least two examples from the reading to back up what you say.
Please answer in a comment to this post that is at least 100 words long. Make sure you include your name so I can give you credit.
By: Madison D. Robertson
The purpose of a Origin Story is to basically make us think or assume on how people were brought on the earth and what gods were there. They discussed the many gods who were brought to the world and how they had children who were also gods. For example, in the Ancient Egyptian Origin Story from the British Museum, it was telling about how Shu, the god of the air, and Tefnut, the goddess of moisture had two children named Geb, the god of the earth and Nut, the goddess of the sky. Another purpose could be showing how cultures and theories are different all around the world. In Culture Stories, it discussed the beliefs in different countries from P’an Ku hatching from the cosmic egg in China to the different gods during their gradual movement in Greece.
An origin story is simply the background information that is used to tell why something is the way it is or how something was started. For instance, in the story of Anansi, in the end it tells us because of that story that, thats the reason why in africa they love telling stories and they call them “spider-stories”. A origin story usually is based on a fanciful or mythical structure that certain people to some extent beleive in. For example in, Birth in Dawn, explains the birth of the world in a fanciful way. These stories are important because it gives culture and a mythical way to think of why certain things are the way they are or how they even came about.
B”H
Some good points, Sequavia. Why do you think is it important to look at life in a mythic (or metaphorical) way? How does that help us understand the world better? Anyone can answer!
The stories are very interesting to read, and gives better understand of how other cultures and or beliefs generated. The reading allows me to compare and contrast my religious beliefs to others. The Greek stories relate back the mythology that I reviewed while studying in high school. I believe if I would have done the research about their religious background I would be able to better scrutinize the context of Greek Mythology. It is amazing that we all live on earth together but we have different perspectives of how it came about. The only common ground that the cultures have is the place we reside. Majority of the “In the beginning” stories open up with emptiness as the world is created. The bible story is based on a monotheism belief, where there is only one divine creator, in contrast the Greek believe in many gods. The introduction of the multiple “In the beginning stories leads me to thinking out of the box, wanting to further study different religious beliefs.
The purpose of an origin story is to explain the beginning of life for a particular race or culture. Before reading this passage , I believed Genesis was the infinite explanation of how civilization was created. Now I see many cultures have their own explanation of where life began. For example, the Chinese most influential story was that of P’an Ku. Depending on how one interpreted the story, he could be compared to Genesis. He created the natural resources of the world, however it did not take him seven days to create. One of the most infamous creation stories is that of the Greeks. Creatures such as Zeus are the essence of Greek mythology which also could be compared to the Bible. – Efi Graham
Jasmine Tillett.
I think the purpose of an origin story is to describe the background of where a certain thing or person came from. Like in the Anasi story, it told the story about where spider stories came from. It may not be true sometimes but the culture that in comes from may think its sacred and has special meanings. Also in Gods and Goddesses, Egyptians created that story about how the earth was made and the gods and their offsprings ruled certain parts. The Egyptians had to create a reason on how the earth was created just like we do with the Bible. Everybody and everything has a story about how something was created. Not all may be true but if something is created there obviously is an origin from where it started.
The purpose of the Orgin Story is to make individuals aware of the many interpretations people have on how things came to be in the world. The beliefs range from the Gods’ creations, to animals creating man, and how stories came to be. For example, in the story Anansi, it tells the story of a spider’s obstacles to be forever remembered in African folktales. Orgin stories open up the imagination and creativity of the mind. In the story, Creation by and of the Self, a spirit becomes a man and forms all aspects of life as he needs them. The man in this story brought the air, water, women, and animals with the help of a woman. This and all orgin story expand the imagination of people, but I also believe it shapes society into believing that men will always be the dominate creature.
Trevarus West
An origin story is back-story acknowledging how people culture and the beliefs on how cultivation was created in there eyes or the way they look at it. For example in the reading of Ancient Egyptian; there is a part where it tells how he goddess of moisture,Tefnut had two kids Ged and Nut by the god of Air,Shu. Ged power was the god of earth and Nut was goddess of the sky. Its weird how there are so many people in the “world” we call home! But every one have different pictures in there mind on how they got here. For example the bible story tells the story of god and how he made us and earth. We all believe and pray to one god, the Greek in other hand pray to like 5 other gods. So basically what im trying to get across is that after reading the different stories, every culture have there own beliefs.
Adam Dixon
In my opinion, i believe that the purpose of the origin stories are to get people thinking. it has us thinking ” where did the creation of man come from.” it allows us to open up our minds and gives up the opportunity to create hypothesis about where it all started. i don’t believe there is a right or wrong answer to it because there are so many versions. i’m not saying that any are right or any are wrong. it is up to use to decide what we believe in. like the Anansi story; he wanted to tell the stories of the earth, so maybe he interpreted what the sky god said and summarized it and maybe changed it a little bit. these stories allow us to interpret and summarize and also change it so that we can tell our kids about the creation of the world.
Also, the stories from the greek mythology and chinese and japanese areas are taught to people because they believe it possesses some of their heritage. many people believe that they a from a family of which Gods descent.so these stories of how the earth was created may tie into their family’s history.
According to (merriam-webster.com/dictionary/origin) origin means “the point at which something begins or rises or from which it derives or something that creates, causes, or gives rise to another”. So in my opinion I believe that an origin story starts or is the base for many other stories after it. For example my favorite type of history is about the ancient Egyptians and the ancient Greeks. What I noticed is that in each of these cultures and histories they have many origins such as the hieroglyphics and how they have their own meanings and how each Greek god has their own origin or beginning. So I believe an origin story is a base for many other stories to be built on top of.
Jasmine Howard
I feel that the purpose of the Origin Story is to create awareness in other groups of people around the world. The different beliefs, whether they are the belief that there is one God and that he created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, the animals created the world, or that there are multiple gods for different aspects of life, we get to learn about them through their Origin Story. Not only this, but in most Origin Stories, have we also learned their version of how the earth game to be. For example, the Egyptians believed that from an ocean, their first god, Atum, came to be and he created the other gods. Another example is in Greece. The Greeks believed that everything was created from chaos. Most people do not know this and learn it through an origin story.
I think the purpose of an Origin Story is to explain the background of how and why something is the way it is. For example all the Creation Stories all explained the process of how the creation began. They explained how the earth began and all had the same idea but in different ways. Also in Anansi that story explained how a spider wanted all stories to belong to him. He went through a varitey of different tasks to get all the stories to be his; and now in Africa stories he will always be remembered. Although not all Origin Stories may be true or believable, I think they are a way to describe the background of many different cultures.
The orgin stories are a very interesting learning tools. Reading about them made me realize that alot of different cultures are so much so alike but at the same time so different,the way they interpret things. For example the Eggs and Emptiness story, when told in China it’s opened with the splitting of two cosomic eggs but in the Germanic tale it is opened with a magic emptiness. However they both are said to have a dismembered giants. Orgin stories are a key to spreading education about different cultures. They are passed dwn from generation t generation. These creative stories are full of history and knowledge. Every story is alike but different. They all have a significant meanings and purposes.
Shakiyla Brockenbrough
By: Martese Wilkins
I believe the purpose of orgin stories is to give future generations the insight on the way the people who created those stories saw the world. They also give the basic information of mankind and how each believed their culture was started. The greeks believed that the story was started with many gods in a fight between the heavans and earth. They show you how the cultures may have evolved over time and mamy of those same beliefs still stand today. Like in “Japanease creation stories” they still believe that you gain your furture ties from your family history and that is how they begin with who becomes emperor by the emperial family but not in the creation two gods a male amd a female goddess. They used a neckalace, a sword, and a mirror which a still kept in today’s Janpanease shrines,.
The stories use many animals that are native to the climate like” Osebo the leopard” are in Africa. The stories help you to know about the different cultures around the world .
Chastity White
My thoughts:
I think the purpose of an origin story is to inform people of all where they came from. Many cultures have different stories of how people came about. Such as, from the text of Origin Stories you will learn from the Egyptian culture that by “an act of masturbation (described as such in the temple texts) he produces a divine son and daughter. Many people will perceive this son and daughter” whom we know as Adam and Eve. While other cultures, such as the Hindu, believe in formation of people from the Earth. The text from the Origin Stories also explains that “the god Brahma. Beginning from nothing, he goes through a lengthy process. First he creates, by thought alone, the waters. In them he deposits his seed, which grows into a golden egg. He himself is born in the egg. After a year, again by thought alone, he splits the egg in two. The halves become, in the usual way, heaven and earth.” So it is very important to have origin stories, so that we all can have some type of unerstanding of where we came from.
Read more: http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ab83#ixzz0ysZ4m2Ey
The purpose of a creation story is to tell why things are the way they are and history of how thw world became what it is today hence the word “creation”. Creation stories also bring forth things in the past that may be long forgotten or they may even provide people with an explanation on things that cant quite be proven In the India creation story Purusha body was used to create elements of the Earh. Those four elemnts was also the basis for the Caste System. In the Creation story it told how God created the earth and everything in it in seven days. But it also speaks on how the God world isnt perfect as is was said to be. with all of the death, famine, and crime going on that statement was proven to false.
Maleik Redwine