The Rest of the Stories

THE REST OF THE STORIES

Written by the world Compiled by Genesis Grey

Preface For the most part, Americans are exposed primarily to ancient Greek & Roman mythologies.

While these are rich and fascinating, many other mythologies from around the globe exist and deserve recognition. This zine isn’t meant to be an exhaustive list of the world’s myths or by any means a full representation of the mythologies and cultures that follow; rather, it’s a sampler, a jumping off point. Enjoy!

! The Yoruba are an African ethnic group who originated in present-day Nigeria and parts of Benin and Togo. They are a very large ethnic group who has formed a healthy diaspora, ranging from the U.S. to Cuba to Brazil. The Yoruba have existed since ancient time; their mythology follows.

THE YORUBA CREATION STORY In the beginning, there was only the sky above and waters below, and this was ruled by the mighty Orisha, the council of gods. Olorun ruled the sky above and Olokun was master of all that was in the waters below.

One day, a god named Obatala decided to create dry land. He asked for permission from Olorun and advice from Orunmila, the wisest of the Orisha.

“You will need a long gold chain, a snail’s shell filled with sand, a white hen, a black cat, and a palm nut,” said Orunmila.

Once he had all of these items in a bag, Obatala hung the gold chain from a corner in the sky and began to climb down, down, down.

He kept climbing down down down for a very long, long time...until he finally reached the bottom of the chain.

Obatala poured the sand from the shell into the mist below, and released the hen.

The hen landed on the sand and immediately began pecking and scratching, scattering the sand into all directions.

The sand soon became vast mountains and valleys.

Obatala planted the palm nut ... and soon stood before an entire palm forest!

Obatala was very pleased with his work. He named the land Ife and settled down with the cat to live on his new land.

But after several months, Obatala became bored. He began shaping figures in clay. As he worked, he drank palm wine.

Obatala kept drinking bowl after bowl after bowl, and kept making more and more figures. When he was finished, he asked Olorun to breathe life into his clay people.

The next day, he saw his living, breathing work and he realized that they were all deformed and ugly! In horror, Obatala swore never to drink again and set to work building new, perfect beings from clay. As soon as Olorun breathed life into them, they immediately began building houses and cities.

Obatala became the patron of mankind, and more specifically, the deformed. All the Orisha were pleased with his work.

All except Olokun, the master of the sea, who was never consulted about the creation of the earth and mankind in the first place.

In anger he caused a great flood, which nearly wiped out all of Obatala’s creations. Once the waters resided, everyone took the very sea seriously from then on.

THE YORUBA PANTHEON ESHU is the messenger god, acting as a link between humans and the Yoruba deities (Orishas). He is also the benevolent trickster, using his tricks to teach mankind valuable lessons, and is the patron of roads, opportunities, healers and magicians. This god can be as giving as he can be cruel, therefore he was always the first to be honored during rites and ceremonies. In some traditions, he is associated with the devil (Candomble in Brazil) while in others he is the one who protects the home against dangers (Santiera), and his effigy is kept near the front door. He is also known as Eleggua.

IFE is the Yoruba word for the earth, named by the creator Orisha Obatala.

OBATALA is the creator of the earth and mankind in most Yoruba creation stories. He is the patron of mankind, and more specifically of the deformed, whom he created while in a drunken stupor.

OLORUN is the ruler of the sky and the father of the other Yoruba gods (Orishas), and the god of peace, purity, harmony and justice. In some cultures he is seen as an androgynous figure, representing the male and female principles in heaven and earth or even a female goddess. According to some traditions, Obatala owns everything which is white on earth: snow, air, clouds, bones and the brain. He is also known as Yansan, or Ogus in other branches of the Yoruba tradition.

OLODDUMARE is the main creative force for the Yoruba, much like a modern concept of God. OLOKUN is the god of the sea, and lives in a vast underwater palace with humans and fish as servants. In some traditions this god is also seen as female.

ORISHA is the Yoruba word for god.

OSHUN is the goddess (Orisha) of love and pleasure, beauty and diplomacy. She is very generous and loving to man but also has an extraordinary temper, which is difficult to sway. However, in most cases she teaches mankind to overcome their difficulties through kindness and negotiation. She is also associated with money.

ORUNMILA is the oldest son of Obatala and the god of prophecy. He instructed Obatala on how to create the earth.

OYA is the female warrior goddess of the Yoruba tradition and the fierce Orisha of wind, fire and thunder, as well as the patron of change. When enraged she creates tornadoes and hurricanes, and is the guardian of the gates of death.

SHANGO was once the mortal fourth king of Yoruba, but after his death became immortalized as a powerful Orisha of storms and thunder. Shango's storms are both devastating and cleansing.

YEMALLA is the mother goddess of the sea and the moon, as well as the patron of fertility and women's issues. She gives and sustains life lovingly but, like the sea itself, is equally dangerous when in a foul mood. Yemalla is also mysterious and the keeper of ancient secrets and memories.

Photographic renderings of the Yoruba orishas by James C. Lewis and Noire 3000 Studios

Above: Odudua, goddess of kinship, unity, devotion, creativity, community, love, and fertility, in the center.

“Odudua” means “She who exists for Herself and to create others.”

To the left: Goddess of love, pleasure, beauty, and diplomacy.

Below: Obatala, creator god.

.

! The Inca territory flourished into an empire between 1400 and 1500 AD in what is present-day Peru. Emperor Pachacuti claimed to be a direct descendent of the Inca sun god Inti, which aided his ascent to power. The Inca were a very rigorous, organized, innovative people whose descendants continue to inhabit the Andes in Peru.

THE INCA CREATION STORY In the beginning, Pachacamac the sun rose slowly from Lake Titicaca. Pachacamac was so bright that nothing else could be seen in the sky but him. But the night sky was empty; so he made the stars, the planets and the moon.

The beautiful moon, Pachamama, became his wife and together they ruled the heavens and the earth.

Pachacamac fashioned the first humans from the stone of an enormous mountain of rock. The first humans were pitiful creatures; they knew nothing of the world nor how to survive in it.

The sun and the moon bore a son and a daughter. Out of pity they sent their children to the earth to help them.

The son of Pachacamac taught men how to plow and plant the fields, and how to build houses. The daughter of the moon approached the women and taught them the art of weaving, and how to prepare food.

“Teach the humans to be kind and fair. I will provide light and warmth, every day without fail; but make sure they never forget their creators.”

Pachacamac’s son became the first Inca; he and his sister-wife ruled the first humans.

After a while, the Inca and his wife took a long journey to find the perfect place to his people to settle.

At every stop, they stuck one of their father’s golden rods in the earth. Each golden rod would be a symbol for his people to build a city.

When they reached the valley of Huanacauri, the golden rod sank into the ground and disappeared.

Inca decided that here should be the site of the first temple of the sun, and that here is where he and his people would settle.

Inca and his wife set off to gather his people. He went north and his wife wandered south.

The children of the sun were beautiful and spoke convincingly about Pachacamac and his principles of law.

When they met people in small villages, the people were so moved that they left their homes and followed the Inca and his wife to the valley of Huanacauri. Soon, they had followers from the entire region.

The followers of Inca’s wife settled with her followers in the south and her city was Hurin-Cuzco, Southern City. Inca and his followers settled in the northern part of the valley and named their town Hanan-Cuzco, City of the North.

From then on, all Inca cities were divided into northern and southern halves, representing the male and female forces.

THE INCA PANTHEON Apu Illapu was the rain god, an agricultural deity whom people would pray to when they needed rain.

The Inca believed his shadow was in the Milky Way, where he drew the water that he poured down to earth as rain.

Ayar Cachi was a god with a very hot temper. He was so difficult that his brother Manco Capac and sister Mama Occlo locked him up in a cave. He still sits in that cave about 30 kilometres from Cuzco (a city in Peru) and tries to get out every now and then. Local people believe this causes earthquakes in the area.

Illapa was the goddess of thunder and lightning. When she came to earth she became Yakumama, the goddess of water and rivers.

Inti was the sun god and the patron deity of the holy city of Cuzco, home of the sun. He was the patron god of the Incas and especially worshipped by farmers who needed his warmth and light to grow crops. Inti was represented with a human face in a great disk and is found on many temples.

K'uychi was the rainbow god. This deity was connected with fertility. He was the heavenly form of the goddess Sach'mama, the Mother Tree.

Mama Kilya was the wife of the sun god Inti. She was the Moon Mother who regulated women's menstrual cycles.

Mama Occlo was the sister of Manco Capac chosen by Pachacamac for her wisdom to civilize the people. She taught the women how to weave cloth and build houses.

Manco Capac was Pachacamac's son, celebrated for his courage. He was sent to earth to become the first king of the Incas. He taught his people how to grow plants, make weapons, work together, share resources and worship the gods.

Pachacamac was the creator god of the Inca, also known as Viracocha. He was the sky god who created the sun, the moon and the people. He brought Manco Capac and Mama Occlo to the world to civilize people and teach them skills such as farming and crafts.

Pachamama was the goddess of the earth or earth mother and wife of Pachacamac. She is still the object of a cult all over the Andean mountains where people make her offerings of coca leaf and 'chicha' beer and pray to her on all major agricultural occasions.

Qochamama was the goddess of the sea or Sea Mother, especially worshipped in the coastal regions.

Sach'amama means Mother Tree. She was a goddess in the shape of a snake with two heads.

When she passed on to the heavenly world she transformed into K'uychi.

Yakumama means Mother Water. This water goddess was portrayed as a snake. When she came to the earth's surface, she transformed into a great river. She could also pass to the upper world. In that shape she was called Illapa meaning thunder and lightning.

Above: The Inca pantheon Below: A statue of Inti, the sun god

Above: Yakumama, the water/river goddess, in anaconda form. Painting by Pablo Amaringo To the left: Wooden idol of Pachacamac, the creator god. Photo by Francesco Sammarco

! Early vestiges of what is today known as Chinese culture existed as far back as 5000 BCE. The ancient Chinese mythology that follows was complicated by the presence of three major religions in China, beginning around the Han Dynasty (206 BCE- 220 CE): Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Taoism actually invented a new pantheon of Chinese gods that drew heavily on the ancient ones.

THE CHINESE CREATION STORY In the beginning, there was an enormous egg containing chaos. On the inside the chaos raged on and on- both yin and yang were mixed together. All the opposites were writhing together; male and female, cold and hot, wet and dry, dark and light.

Finally the egg burst open, and out leapt the giant dragon Pan-gu. Yin and yang swirled around him and he pushed the two shell halves apart. Thus the opposites were separated and the earth began to take shape.

Every day for 18,000 years Pan-gu grew ten feet – thus the sky was raised a little higher every day. Once the sky was 30,000 miles above the ground, Pan-gu stopped and began to hammer out the mountains and fill the valley with water to form great oceans.

He created rivers with his fingers and stamped the earth down to create flat lands. He gathered raw light and tossed them into the sky to become stars.

After 18,000 years, Pan-gu had grown old and tired. He had made the world with his hands and formed the basic principles of yin and yang. He wanted to lay down and sleep forever. Once he lay down he never rose again. When Pan-gu died, his body formed huge mountains. His skull formed the top of the sky, his hair formed all flowers and plants, his bones turned to jade and pearl and his arms and legs the four directions.

His blood became the rivers, his breath turned into the wind and his voice to thunder. One eye became the sun and the other the moon.

For many years the world was a very beautiful place but also lonely; there were no people.

The half-dragon goddess Nuwa was born after Pan-gu died, from part of the mixture of yin and yang that he had separated. She decided to create humans to have some other beings to talk to and share ideas with, but mostly just to love.

Nuwa went down to the edge of the Yellow River where there were vast, soft mud banks. She began forming figures out of clay. She decided that it would be much more practical for her creations to have legs instead of a dragon tail, thus her humans were not made in her image.

No sooner did she set the first little mud man on the ground did he start to jump, and dance and sing. He began to speak. “Look at me!”

Nuwa was delighted and began making more and more humans.

She made hundreds and hundreds of mud humans, but soon realized that it would take centuries for her to make enough people to fill the vast earth completely. Nuwa grabbed hold of a muddy stick and flung drops of mud across the land.

As the sun dried each drop, it became a new man or woman. Some say that these humans were the less intelligent ones. Those formed by Nuwa’s own hands became great leaders.

She told them to go and populate the earth. As they grew she loved them and protected them, and was revered as the mother of all humans.

THE CHINESE PANTHEON CHANG-O was originally a woman. She became the goddess of the moon and became immortal when she drank the water of immortality that had been given to her husband.

CHUN-TI was a goddess of war. She had many magical skills.

FENG PHO-PHO was the goddess of the winds. She was pictured as an old wrinkled woman who rode a tiger on a path of clouds. On calm days she stuffed the winds in her bag and carried them over her shoulder.

FU-XI is the god husband of Nuwa. Like Nuwa, he is also portrayed as halfman half-dragon. Fu-xi is the god who taught mankind many arts, such as the use of fishing nets, the breeding of silk worms, and the taming of wild animals. He also invented music, and, most importantly, the eight trigrams (Pakua), said to be the basis of Chinese writing.

FU-XING was the spirit of happiness.

GONG-GONG is a Chinese demon who was responsible for the great floods, together with the snake-like demon Xiang-Yao. GUANYIN was the goddess of mercy.

HOU-CHI was the lord of abundant harvests. He came into existence when his mother stepped on the footprint of a god.

NUWA (or NĂœ-GUA) is the goddess who created the first humans from mud after Heaven and Earth had separated. Nuwa was one of the most popular goddesses and was worshipped both as the intermediary between men and women, and as the goddess who grants children. She was a goddess whose lower part of the body is a dragon.

PAN-GU is the Chinese giant who was born from the cosmic egg. The upper part of the egg formed Heaven (Yang) and the lower part formed the Earth (Yin). Eventually he died and his body formed the earth.

QI-YU was the rain god. He was half bull and half giant.

SARUDAHIKO was the god of the crossroads and the symbol of male sexuality. He had a very large nose.

Above: Ancient Chinese pantheon To the left: Pan-gu holding up the sky

Above: Fu Xi, creator of writing, fishing, and trapping, among other things, and husband of Nuwa, creator goddess, pictured below

! The extreme natural conditions of present-day Norway played a big part in the construction of Norse mythology. Best identified by the seafaring Vikings, who began their explorations in earnest in 800 CE. In the 11th century, the Vikings settled the Scandinavian Empire, which included Denmark, England, and Norway.

THE NORSE CREATION STORY Ginnungagap was the great emptiness before there was a world, or any living things in it.

Far to the South of the Ginnungagap was the fiery realm of Muspell, with its long, hot rivers full of poison and vast lakes of fire. Nothing could grow in this burning realm.

To the North was the dark and cold realm of Niflheim, where icy fountains spewed forth freezing rivers. Nothing could grow here either, for the sky was always dark and the mountains were blocks of solid ice.

Slowly, over years and years and years, the fiery blasts from Muspell began to melt the icy mountains of Niflheim.

Out of the melting ice, the giant Ymir emerged, the first being of the vast Ginnungagap.

Next to him there emerged a cow from the ice. The cow licked the salt from the ice mountains and Ymir drank the cow’s milk. Ymir grew larger and larger.

The cow licked away entire mountains of ice. Slowly she licked the ice from two more beings, this time the god Buri and his goddess wife. They had a son named Bor, and his son was named Odin, who became the king of all the gods.

Ymir was cruel and brutal. Odin and the other gods could no longer abide by his evil acts and together the gods slew him.

Ymir’s huge body formed the earth. His blood became the sea, his flesh became the land, his bones the mountains and his hair the trees. Odin and the other gods formed the sky with his skull, held up by four towering pillars.

Odin gathered sparks from the fiery depths of Muspell and created the sun and moon. These he set in the sky.

As the sun and moon shone over the new world in the Ginnungagap, the ice began to melt and plants and trees began to grow.

The greatest tree of all was the Yggdrasil, which grew in the very center of the earth. Its roots penetrated into the bottom of creation and its leaves reached the very top of the sky.

Odin was satisfied with the new world, and named it Midgard, ‘The Middle Land’.

But the world still needed people.

On one of his walks, Odin found two fallen trees, an ash and an elm. He lifted them from the mud and formed the first man and woman from them. Odin breathed life into the beings, gave them reason and feelings, hearing and sight.

He named the man Ask and the woman Embla. From these two sprang the entire human race.

The humans had the task of looking after Midgard, while the gods ascended to Asgard, their realm in heaven.

However, not everyone was pleased with Odin’s work. Ymir’s giant sisters were still mourning his death and were looking for a way to take their revenge on the gods who killed him.

They gathered at the foot of Yggdrasil and began carving lines into it.

Each line was a human life, filled with twists and turns, beginning with a man’s birth, and ending with his death. At the end of each line they made a deep cut to ensure that humans would never be as powerful as the gods.

These spells were so powerful that not even Odin could do anything to change them.

Thus Yggdrasil became known as ‘The Tree of Life’ and humans knew death and suffering in their world.

THE NORSE PANTHEON BALDIN was the son of Odin and Frigga and was the most beloved of all the Aesir. He was the god of radiance and light, bringing joy to all around him.

BRAGI was the god of poetry. He also was son of Odin. With his magical harp he could sing so beautifully that Odin declared him the bard to the gods.

FORSETE was the god of justice because of his great wisdom.

FREYA was the goddess of love and fertility, and the most beautiful of the goddesses. She is the patron goddess of crops and birth. She loved music, spring and flowers, and was particularly fond of the elves (fairies).

FREYR was the god of sun and rain, and the patron of bountiful harvests. He was both a god of peace and a brave warrior. He possessed a magic sword that could fight by itself. He could hold all the other gods in the bag he carried in his belt.

FRIGG was the wife of Odin, and patron of marriage, motherhood and fertility.

HEIMDALL was the guardian of Asgard (the home of the gods) because he could see perfectly for a hundred miles in night or day and needed little sleep.

LOKI was the god of mischief or evil, because he was capable of the cruelest treachery. He betrayed the gods on numerous occasions.

NJORD was the god of the sea during the summer and was known to provide good weather to those who pleased him.

ODIN was the leader of gods, and father of many of them. He was the god of wisdom, war and death. Odin had the power to make the dead speak and in this way he could question the wisest amongst them.

THOR was the Norse god of thunder and one of the most powerful gods. Thor was usually portrayed as a large, powerful man with a red beard and eyes of lighting. Despite his ferocious appearance, he was very popular as the protector of both gods and humans against the forces of evil.

SIF was the golden-haired wife of the god Thor and a fertility goddess.

TYR was the boldest of the gods, who inspired courage and heroism in battle.

Tyr was represented as a man with one hand, because his right hand had been bitten off by the gigantic wolf Fenrir (in old-Norse, the wrist was called ‘wolf-joint’). His attribute is a spear, which was a symbol of justice as well as a weapon.

ULLER was the god of winter. He dressed in fur and walked in snowshoes through the western mountains.

VIDAR was the god of silence and revenge.

Above: Freya, goddess of love, fertility, and beauty

To the left: Loki, god of mischief and evil Below: Thor, god of thunder

! A superpower of the ancient world, Ancient Egyptian culture was imbued with religion: pharaohs were believed to be descendants of the gods, and therefore divine themselves. Much of Ancient Egyptian mythology dealt with death, particularly burial practices and posthumous, divine judgment.

THE EGYPTIAN CREATION STORY Nu was the name of the dark, swirling chaos before the beginning of time.

Out of these waters rose Atum; he created himself using his thoughts and the sheer force of his will. He created a hill, for there was nowhere he could stand.

Atum was alone in the world. He was neither male nor female, and he had one all-seeing eye that could roam the universe. He joined with his shadow to produce a son and a daughter.

Atum gave birth to his son by spitting him out. He named him Shu and made him god of the air.

Atum vomited up his daughter. He named her Tefnut and made her the goddess of mist and moisture.

Shu and Tefnut were given the task of separating the chaos into principles of law, order and stability. The chaos was divided into light and dark and set into place.

This order was called Maat, which formed the principles of life for all time. Maat was a feather; it was light and pure.

Shu and Tefnut produced Geb, the Earth and Nut the Sky. At first these two were tangled together as one.

Shu, god of the air, pushed Nut up into the heavens. There she would remain arched out over Geb, her mate.

They longed to be together, but in the name of Maat they had to be apart, to fulfill their functions. Nut produced rain for Geb, and Geb made things grow on earth.

As the sky, she gave birth to the sun every night before dawn, and by day it would follow its course over the earth and die at sunset.

Shu and Tefnut produced the other gods. Isis, the queen of the gods, Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty, Osiris the god of wisdom and justice, Seth, the god of evil, Thoth, the god of wisdom and Nephthys the protectress of the dead.

But the chaos was still vast and not yet fully separated into the order of Maat. Shu and Tefnut once got lost in the dark waters of Nu. Atum was desperate to find his children. He sent his all-seeing eye throughout the heavens and earth to search for them.

In time Shu and Tefnut returned with the eye. When Atum saw them again he was so delighted that he wept tears of joy. As these tears hit the earth, they became the first men.

As the men populated the earth they had to uphold the truth and balance of Maat. They had the task of tending the earth and worshipping the gods.

The gods, in turn, protected and loved their creations.

THE EGYPTIAN PANTHEON AMUN-RA (or-Re) was a combination of Amun and Re from later Egyptian mythology, also called Amon-Ra. The Theban god Amun became the national god of Egypt under this name.

ANUBIS (Anepo) was an ancient Egyptian god. He was the son of Osiris and Isis.

He was described as having the head of a jackal. He guided the souls of the dead from this world into the next. He was also a sort of judge of the underworld since he weighed the actions of the dead ones in the presence of Osiris.

ATUM was the god that created himself. He was represented in the form of a human and a serpent.

BA was the god of fertility and childbirth.

HATOR was the goddess of love, beauty and dance.

HORUS was the earliest royal god and had the shape of a falcon, with the sun and moon as his eyes. The sky-god was the ruler of the day.

ISIS was one of the most popular goddesses in Egypt. She was regarded as the mother and protector of the pharaohs. She was worshipped as the divine mothergoddess, and was the dedicated mother of Horus.

NUT was the Egyptian sky-goddess. She was the personification of the sky and of the heavens, the daughter of Shu and Tefnut. Nut was the barrier separating the forces of chaos from the ordered cosmos in this world. She swallowed the stars and gave birth to them later. In the death cult she plays an important role in the resurrection of the dead; she is portrayed on the inside of the lids of the sarcophagi. As sky-goddess Nut was portrayed as a naked woman covered with painted stars, held up by Shu. Thus she formed the firmament above her husband Geb, the earth. Her fingers and toes were believed to touch the four directions.

MAAT was the goddess of truth and world order. "Maat" was also a general term for the law and order under which the Egyptians lived.

MENTHU was the god of war.

NEPHTHYS was the goddess who protected the dead. She was the daughter of Geb and Nut and later was married to Seth.

OSIRIS was the god of goodness and justice. He was married to Isis, a sky goddess. He was also the protector of the dead.

PTAH was the creator-god of Memphis, the city that served as the capital of ancient Egypt for most of its history. Ptah was depicted as a mummified man with only his hands free to hold a scepter composed of the symbols of life, power, and

stability.

RA was the ancient Egyptian Sun god and Lord of the sky. In some versions of the Egyptian creation he created the universe.

SETH was the god of evil. He is also a god of war, deserts, storms and foreign lands. As the god of the desert he protected the caravans which traveled through the desert, but he also caused great sandstorms which destroyed them. This brought him into conflict with the fertility god Osiris.

SHU was the son of Atum and the brother of Tefnut. He and Tefnut created the twins Geb and Nut. Shu then separated the twins, leaving Geb to float in the primordial ocean and Nut to remain high above the earth as a pathway for the Sun to travel each day from horizon to horizon.

SPHINX was a goddess of wisdom and knowledge.

GEB (SEB) was the earth god. He was masculine, contrasting with the tradition that the god of the earth was usually female.

TEFNUT was the personified goddess of moisture in Egyptian mythology. She became the mother of Geb (Earth) and Nut (Sky).

THOTH was the god of wisdom.

To the left: The pantheon in hieroglyph form

To the left: Osiris, god of the goodness, justice, and the dead, and husband of Isis, mother and protector of the pharaohs, below

! The traditional Inuit were a nomadic people found all along the Arctic coast, ranging from Siberia to Greenland. Like Norse mythology, Inuit mythology is heavily influenced by the harshness of the Arctic environment. Shamanism also figured prominently into Inuit mythology/religion. Due to geographic isolation, the Inuit did not have much contact with other cultures until Russian explorers began to explore the Arctic in the 18th century.

THE INUIT CREATION STORY Raven made the world and the waters with beats of his wings.

He had the powers of both a man and bird, and could change from one to the other simply by pulling his bead above his head as one lifts up a mask.

His earth was dark and silent. He had created water and mountains, and had filled the land with growing pea-pod plants.

After five days, one of the pea-pods burst open; out popped a fully-grown man, the first to walk on Raven’s new earth.

At first the man was dizzy and confused. He drank from a pool of water at his feet, which made him feel a little better.

Raven had been soaring above his earth when he caught sight of the movement below.

For a long time Raven and the man stared at each other without saying a word.

Finally Raven spoke: “Who are you and where did you come from?”

“I was born from that pea-pod” replied the man, pointing to the plant.

Raven was astonished. He had made the pea plant himself without any idea that something like this would happen. However, he was pleased that his earth would now have inhabitants.

“Have you eaten?” asked Raven.

“I have had a drink of water...” replied the man.

“Wait here for me,” said Raven, who lowered his beak and took the form of a bird. With a flurry of dark feathers, he flew off into the night sky.

The man waited for Raven for four days.

Raven returned carrying two raspberries and two heathberries.

“These are for you. They shall grow all over the earth to feed you.”

Man devoured the berries in one gulp; Raven realized that berries alone wouldn’t be enough to feed his hungry creation.

Raven then began working clay to form two fat mountain sheep. When he waved his black wings over them, the sheep sprang into life and bounded into the hills.

He made more and more sheep. Man looked at them so hungrily that Raven carefully placed them far up in the mountains so that Man wouldn’t eat all of them at once.

Raven went on making fish, birds and other animals, and waved his wings over each one to bring it to life.

Each one he put someplace out of Man’s reach so that he wouldn’t kill them all – the fish in the rivers and the birds in the air. Already Raven could see other men growing in pea-pods, and they were soon going to emerge hungry too.

Raven created a huge bear from the same clay, to make sure Man had something to fear.

After a few days, Raven noticed that Man was lonely.

Raven went off to a quiet corner of the earth where Man couldn’t see what he was doing.

He started building a figure out of clay. It looked like Man but was smaller and softer. Raven brushed his wings over the new figure, and the lovely being sat up and looked at Man. “This is Woman, your helper and companion,” said Raven.

Man was very pleased. Together they filled the earth with their children and before long Raven’s earth filled with the sound of many voices, and overflowing with many forms of life.

THE INUIT PANTHEON AAKULUUJJUSI was the great creator mother among the Inuit people. She made the animals that feed humankind.

AKYCHA was the sun god of the Inuit in Alaska.

ALIGNAK was the god of the moon, storms, earthquakes and tides.

ANGUTA was known as "His Father", is responsible for conveying the dead to Adlivun where they must sleep for a year. The supreme being of the Inuit.

ANINGAN was the Moon god of the Inuit in Greenland (called Igaluk in Alaska).

ATSHEN was an Inuit cannibal spirit.

EEYEEKALDUK was the god of healing.

IDLIRAGIJENGET was a sea goddess.

IDLIRVIRISONG was the cousin of the sun.

IGNIRTOQ was the goddess of lightning.

IINUA is a concept of the spirit which resides in people, animals and geographic features, such as lakes mountains etc.

ISITOQ was a spirit who finds people who have broken taboos.

KADLU was the goddess of thunder (sometimes they are three sisters).

MALINA was the sun goddess of the Inuits who live in Greenland.

MATSHISHKAPEU was the Fart man of Inuit myth (also responsible for constipation).

NANOOK was the Bear god.

NEGAFOOK was the god of cold weather.

PANA took care of the souls of humans before they are reincarnated.

PINGA transported the souls of those who have died to heaven, and watches over the actions of humans.

RAVEN created the world and the first human beings.

SEDNA was the sea spirit and the goddess of the sea animals (Arnarquagsag in Greenland; Nerivik in Alaska). According to the myth Sedna now lives at the bottom of the sea (Adlivun) with the seals and other sea animals.

WENTSHUKUMISHITEU was a highly dangerous Inuit water spirit that was said to protect young animals, especially otters, from hunters.

Above: The Inuit pantheon To the left: Aakuluujjusi, the creator mother goddess

Sedna, sea spirit and goddess of marine animals

! The ancient Babylonians inhabited Mesopotamia, near present-day Baghdad.

Babylonian mythology drew much inspiration from that of the ancient Sumerians, who had inhabited the land that eventually became Babylonia. Babylonian religious practice was very ritualistic and ceremonial; each individual Babylonian had a personal god to whom they addressed personal prayers.

THE BABYLONIAN CREATION STORY Before anything had a name, before there was firm ground or sky or the sun and moon there was Apsu, the sweet water sea and Tiamat, the salt water sea.

When these two seas mingled, they created the gods Lahmu and Lahamu, who rose from the silt at the edge of the water.

When Lahmu and Lahamu joined, they created the great gods Anshar, Kishar, and Anu. From this generation of gods, there arose might Ea and his many brothers.

Ea and his brothers were restless— they surged over the waters day and night. Neither Apsu nor Tiamat could get any rest. They tried to plead with the gods to tread softly, but powerful Ea didn’t hear them.

Apsu decided the only way to have some peace was to destroy Ea and his brothers. He began to plot their demise with some of the first generation gods.

But Ea head of this plans and struck him down first. This began a war among the gods.

Tiamat was furious that her mate was killed and she began producing great and ferocious monsters to slay Ea and his brothers. She created the Viper, the Sphinx, the Lion, the Mad Dog and Scorpion Man. The chief of them all was called Kingu. He led the army of Tiamat’s monsters into heaven against Ea and his brothers to avenge Apsu’s death.

While Tiamat fashioned her army, Ea and the goddess Damkina created the great god Marduk.

Marduk was the most powerful creation ever. He towered over the others. He had four eyes and four ears and could see and hear everything in creation.

His eyes flashed with lightning and when he spoke he breathed fire. He was fearless and radiant. The gods cowered before him. “You are the Great Sun!” they cried.

Ea and the gods told him of the advancing army. They needed his help to defeat them.

“I will fight for you but after the war is over I shall rule the universe on high!” Marduk said.

The gods agreed. Marduk made ready for battle. He gathered the four winds to clear the path to Tiamat. Marduk burst out of the sky in his flaming chariot pulled by his team Killer, Crusher, Unyielder and Fleet. He held the royal scepter and ring, covered in golden armor. He rode into battle bearing his bow and arrows and a mighty thunderbolt.

Marduk was glorious to behold. HE struck fear in the heart of all Tiamat’s brood.

The sea waters of Tiamat swirled together and formed a vast and fearsome dragon. She opened her mouth wide to scream. Before he could utter a word, Marduk cast a hurricane into her mouth. She swallowed it and the hurricane almost burst her apart from the inside.

Before she could cast a single spell, Marduk let one of his arrows fly; it cut her neatly in half.

Tiamat’s monsters trembled as she died. Marduk raised half of her body to the heavens to form the sky and the other half formed the earth.

Marduk was victorious, and now the undisputed king of the universe. No one ever questioned his rule. He created the days of the year, the planets and their paths in the heavens, the stars and their constellations and the moon and her moods. He became the sun and gave the gods all their responsibilities.

After a time he decided to create a creature that could serve the gods and bear the burden of the hard work of looking after the earth.

Marduk first created a structure from bone, left over from the bones of the dead monsters from the world. Then he formed the flesh around it and breathed life into it.

Man was given his name. He took up residence on the earth while the gods ascended to heaven. Thus the gods were freed from eternal labor.

THE BABYLONIAN PANTHEON ANU was originally the father and king of the gods.

APSU was the god of Underworld Ocean.

EA was the god of the waters. He was also the god of wisdom and art.

ENLIL was the god of sky and earth. He was a short-tempered god who was responsible for a great flood.

ISHTAR was both the goddess of morning light and the night star. She had a double character, since she was the goddess of love and childbirth, as well as war.

MARDUK was the god creator of the world and master of human destiny. He took the place of Anu as the king of the gods. Marduk created mankind in order to have beings on earth who would serve the gods. He was also the protector of the city of Babylon.

SHAMASH was the sun god. He saw everything and, for this reason, he was also the god of truth and justice.

SIN was the moon god.

Above: depiction of the king of Ur, a Sumerian city-state, worshipping Sin, the moon god

Above: Tiamat on the left, Marduk on the right To the right: Apsu, god of the Underworld Ocean and sweet water

! Ancestors of the Maori first migrated to New Zealand from Polynesia about 1000 years ago. Although the history of the Maori is full of struggle with and oppression by British colonizers, Maori culture is highly artistic, with much importance placed on woodcarving, dance, weaving, and poetry. Many modern Maori actively work to recover and protect ancient Maori culture.

THE MAORI CREATION STORY At the time of the Maori creation, there was only Rangi, the Father Sky, and his wife, Papa the Earth Goddess.

They were so much in love that they were in a constant fast embrace, and refused to let go of each other.

Thus the sky and the earth were joined solidly together- there was no light on the earth as Rangi’s consuming embrace prevented it.

Papa and Rangi gave birth to several children; Tangaroa, god of the sea, Tane, god of the forests and Tawhiri, god of the winds.

They were all trapped between their parents and struggled in vain to escape. Each one tried to squeeze himself out.

Finally, Tane, god of the forests succeeded in pushing his parents apart with his feet against the earth and his head against the sky.

He pushed for years and years and years.

Eventually, Rangi the Sky and Papa the Earth were separated and became the sky above and earth below as we know them today.

Light came into the world; plants and trees started growing and the earth became a green and lush place.

The children escaped and set about creating the world. Tane created the Sun and Moon and set them in their places and decorated the sky with stars.

Tane then created the first woman, Hine, and married her. Their children became the first of the Maori peoples.

Only Papa and Rangi were unhappy.

They missed each other so much that they cried and cried and cried.

Rangi’s tears became rivers and oceans and dew on the grass. The mists that rise from the ground are from Papa, sighing with loneliness.

THE MAORI PANTHEON HINE was the first mortal woman, created by Tane, god of the forest. She later became Tane's wife, and her children were the first of the Maori peoples.

HINENUITEPO is the goddess of death.

MANAIA is a half-bird, half-human deity. It has a bird's head and a human form.

MARAKIHAU is half-fish and half human with a tube-like tongue.

MATAAHO is the god of the secrets hidden in the earth.

PAPATUANUKU (Papa) was the mother earth goddess in the Maori tradition. Her husband was Rangi, the Sky Father. This couple had many powerful children, including the gods of the sea, forest and winds. Papa's grandchildren were the first of the Maori peoples.

RANGINUI (Rangi) was the Sky Father, and the husband of Papa, the Earth. He was the father to the first gods and grandfather of the Maori race. His love for his wife almost destroyed his children and prevented the creation of the world of the Maoris.

RONA was the daughter of the Sea God Tangaroa. She became the goddess of the tides, controlling the movement of her father's empire. She was later kidnapped by the moon as she was out with her water bucket. According to the Maori beliefs, there is a woman with her bucket in the moon, still visible today.

Since she continued to do her work from the moon, the moon has a great influence on the tides.

RUAMOKO is the god of earthquakes and volcanoes.

TANE MAHUTA was the god of the forests, the second son of Rangi the Sky and Papa the Earth. He was mainly responsible for the creation of the Maori world, set the Sun and Moon in their places in the sky and created the first woman, Hine, whom he married.

TANGAROA was the first son of Rangi and Papa, and god of the sea.

TAWHIRI MATEA was the third son of Rangi and Papa, and the god of the winds.

He was the only child of the Earth and the Sky who did not want his parents to be separated and often sent fierce hurricanes to punish his brothers. The first reptiles were created due to one of his storms- reptiles were once fish that escaped the waters in terror from one of Tawhiri's storms and became land creatures.

Above: A mural in the National Library of New Zealand’s reading room that depicts several Maori deities, including Rangi, the sky god, and Papa, the earth goddess To the left: A stone carving of Tawhiri, god of the winds

A New Zealand postage stamp depicting Rona, goddess of the tides, getting kidnapped by the moon

A huge thank you and acknowledgement of the interactive website “The Big Myth,� from which all of the creation myths and pantheon information were drawn. Visit at http://mythicjourneys.org/bigmyth/2_eng_myths.htm

Copy and redistribute freely