MYTHOLOGY AND FOLKLORE MODULE 1-4 Symbols:

PANTHEON
↳ means “of all gods”. ↳ the thunderbolt
↳ they existed in Norse, Aztec and Sumerian ↳ the eagle
cultures ↳ the oak tree
↳ has 12 major deities also known as “Twelve - Often shown among clouds or sitting on top of
Olympians” Mount Olympus.

GREEK MYTHOLOGY 2. HERA or JUNO

↳ world began when Gaia (the Earth) emerged ↳ Queen of the goods.
from Chaos. ↳ Juno in Roman religion.
↳ Began to gave birth to Ouranus/Uranus (the ↳ goddess of marriage, childbirth and fertility
Sky) and other primordial deities like Ponto (the ↳ often depicted as reserved and calm
Sea) and Ourea (the Mountains) ↳ repeatedly sought revenge for Zeus’ many
Gaia and Ouranus affairs.
↳ Had 12 children known as the Titans. ↳ her chariot is pulled by peacocks instead of
↳ Including Cronos and Rhea horses.
↳ Parents of Zeus ↳ 16th Century
↳ Titans rebelled to their father Ouranos. ↳ she shown at the Judgement of Paris
↳ Overthrew him (Ouranus) accompanied by blue peacock.
↳ Cronos become the ruler of the gods until Zeus
deposed him. Symbols:
↳ rule over the Olympian gods. ↳ the peacock,
↳ the cuckoo She considered
GREEK RELIGIOUS PRACTICE ↳ the cow as sacred.
↳ involve 12 gods from late 6th century bc.
↳ Homeric hymn to hermes around 500 bc 3. POSEIDON or NEPTUNE
↳ stands at Olympia on ↳ Neptune in Roman religion.
the bank river ↳ god of the sea, horse and
Alpheius. earthquakes.
↳ divides a sacrifice ↳ is often shown driving a chariot of
into 12 portions for horses or sea creatures and wielding
the gods. the trident he used to control the
Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War waves.
↳ ruler Pisistratus established an altar of the 12 ↳ was given the control of the sea and
gods in Athens (522BC). protected the sailors and seafarers.
↳ riding a sea monster and holding his
12 PANTHEON GODS trident.

1. ZEUS or JUPITER Symbols:

↳ King of the gods. ↳ include his trident – a three-pronged
↳ roman equivalent of jupiter. spear
↳ rule over mount olympus ↳ horses and dolphins that pull his
↳ the god of thunder and lightning as well chariot.
as law and order.
↳ hid by his mother rhea in a cave on the His children include…
island of crete.
↳ the winged horse Pegasus
Parents: ↳ fathered with Gorgon
Medusa
↳ Cronos and Rhea ↳ the Cyclops Polyphemus who is
Youngest brother of… blinded by Odysseus and his crew in
Homer’s Odyssey.
↳ Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades and
Poseidon (who are also gods in the 4. ARES or MARS
pantheon). ↳ Romano-British shows Mars
↳ the god of war
 ↳ fully decked out in his characteristic 6. DEMETER or CERES
armour, missing the original spear and ↳ Roman counterpart Ceres
shield he would once have held. ↳ The goddess of agriculture and the
↳ can recognise Mars or Ares by his harvest.
armour and weapons ↳ often depicted with crops such as
↳ a spear and a shield barley and wheat, or a cornucopia of
↳ is sometimes accompanied by a boar produce.
or a vulture. ↳ also presided over the fertility of the
↳ His half-sister Athena earth and the natural cycle of life and
↳ represent the death.
more ‘noble’ ↳ mother of Persephone who was
aspects of civil abducted by Hades.
conduct during ↳ When Persephone returned, she
war. cared for the earth again and things
↳ Ares – unpopular with the other gods began to grow and this cycle was
of the classical pantheon with the said to create the seasons.
exception of his lover Aphrodite. ↳ 2nd-century AD statue shows
↳ was particularly admired in Sparta as Demeter bearing a torch
the ideal soldier. ↳ associated with her
↳ his Roman equivalent Mars was more endless search for her
popular. daughter
↳ seen as second to Jupiter ↳ this object is displayed in
↳ was considered to be the protector of the Enlightenment gallery.
Rome.
7. APOLLO
Mars’ Greek Counterpart… ↳ only god in the classical pantheon to
↳ was god of bloodlust and violent share the same name in both Greek
warfare and Roman traditions. 
↳ twin brother of Artemis or Diana.
Parents: ↳ is shown on this 4th-century BC
Paestan bell krater
↳ Zeus and Hera ↳ or large wine-mixing bowl
with a white sun shining
5. ATHENA or MINERVA brightly above his head.
↳ Ares’s half-sister
↳ Roman equivalent is Minerva Parents:
↳ Goddess of reason, handicraft, ↳ Zeus and Leto
wisdom and war. ↳ banned by Hera from
↳ sprang fully grown from her forehead, giving birth on land.
dressed in armour. ↳ found the island of Delos
↳ also gives her name to the city of in the Cyclades
Athens. archipelago of Greece
↳ often shown wearing a helmet to ↳ a ‘floating’ island
demonstrate her prowess in war. and wasn’t
↳ Athena beats Poseidon in a anchored to the
competition over patronage of the city mainland.
by growing the first olive tree. ↳ where she gave
↳ Poseidon gave Athens a spring of birth to Apollo and
salted water which was far less useful Artemis safely.
to the city. ↳ island of Delos is said to have circled
- Tetradrachm coin from 5th century BC Athens by swans seven times.
shows Athena wearing a crested helmet ↳ island of Delos become sacred to
decorated with olive lives and an owl spray him.
features on the reverse side ↳ He was given a chariot pulled by swans
as a gift from his father Zeus.
Symbols:
↳ the owl and olive tree
 His associations include…
↳ the sun, music, archery, prophecy and
healing.
Symbols:
↳ the sun,
↳ a bow and arrow,
↳ a lyre, and a swan
8. ARTEMIS or DIANA
↳ Apollo’s twin sister.
↳ Diana in Roman Religion.
↳ the goddess of the hunt, wild animals,
chastity and childbirth.
↳ often shown with a stag or hunting
dog, and you can recognize her as the
only goddess who wears a shorter
dress, with the hem lifted and tied with
a belt.
↳ One of her most famous myths is the
story of the hunter Actaeon.
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
↳ Actaeon stumbled into Diana’s grove
as she bathed, catching a glimpse of
the goddess naked. In retribution, she
splashed him with water, cursing him
and transforming him into a deer, and
he was subsequently killed by his own
hunting dogs.
- The bronze figure of Artemis from Ephesus on
the west coast of modern-day Turkey dates to
the second or first centuries BC and shows
the goddess with her skirt raised up, ready to
run. There was a major temple of Artemis at
Ephesus which was one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World.
9. APRODITE or VENUS
↳ Venus in Roman Religion.
↳ Goddess of love, sex, and beauty.
↳ Said to emerged from the white foam
generated when the Titan Cronos
threw the severed testicles of his
father, Ouranos, into the sea.
↳ was married to Hephaistos, the master
blacksmith.
↳ had multiple affairs including with the
god Ares.  Dionysos.
↳ is almost always accompanied by
Eros, the god of love or lust, or Cupid
in the Roman tradition.
↳ Her name Aphrodite gives us the word
‘aphrodisiac’ while the name Venus
gives us the word ‘venereal’.
Symbols:
↳ doves, roses and myrtles.
↳ This marble relief shows the
goddess with a dove next to her
right foot, holding a palm branch
– symbolic of victory – in her left
hand.
10. HEPHAISTOS or VULCAN
↳ Aphrodite’s husband.
↳ Roman counterpart of Vulcan.
↳ the god of fire, a master blacksmith
and craftsman to the gods.
↳ made weapons and tools for the gods
and select mortals – like Hermes’
helmet and winged sandals, Achilles’
armour, and Aeneas’ shield.
↳ became the patron of craftsmen, and
volcanic fires were often considered to
be his workshops. 
↳ gives his name to ‘volcano’ and
vulcanized rubber.
Symbols:
↳ the anvil, hammer and tongs, and this
earthenware saucer
↳ shows him forging an arrow,
accompanied by his wife and
three putti.
↳ winged infants.
11. HERMES or MERCURY
↳ The messenger of the gods
↳ known as Mercury in ancient Roman
religion.
↳ he was also a pastoral god, protecting
livestock and travellers.
Symbols:
↳ the caduceus – a staff intertwined with
two snakes.
↳ his winged sandals and cap, and a
tortoise.
↳ was the second youngest of the
Olympian gods, older only than
↳ could travel quickly between divine
and mortal worlds with his winged
sandals.
↳ was responsible for transporting souls
to the underworld.
↳ was also the patron god of merchants
and thieves.

Parents:
↳ Zeus and the nymph Maia
- The Farnese Hermes shows the god wearing
his winged sandals, holding the caduceus in
his left hand, and wearing a chlamys – a small
Greek cloak which was often the sole item of
clothing for young soldiers and messengers,
hence its association with Hermes.
12. DIONYSOS or BACCHUS
↳ the youngest of the Olympian gods.
↳ was the god of wine, vines, fertility,
and festivity.
↳ Son of Zeus and the mortal woman
Semele.
↳ most often shown with grapes and
vines, as well as big cats like
panthers, leopards and tigers.
↳  Romans he was known as Bacchus
and the Bacchanalia – or Dionysia –
were raucous festivals celebrating the
god.
- Pompeiian wall painting shows the god
accompanied by a panther, holding a wine
cup with vines and grapes in his hair.
Module 3:
Background of the Story
The ancient Middle Eastern people believed that
the universe resulted form the inject of order (cosmos)
into chaotic primordial beings or matter, followed by
divine acts of creation.
Enuma Elish
↳ Also known as The Seven Tablets of Creation
↳ Mesopotamian creation myth
↳ title derived from opening lines of the piece
“When on High”.
Elements of the Story
Characters:
↳ Marduk - He is begotten by his father, Ea,
and borne by his mother, Damkina, inside the
dwelling Apsu. From his birth, Marduk is
superior to all other gods. He has four all-
perceiving eyes, four enormous ears, and lips
that blaze forth fire.
↳ Tiamat - As a deity, she is associated with
water and with chaos. She dwells with her
consort, Apsu, before anything else exists.
↳ Ea/Enki or Enlil - Originally a Sumerian deity,
he is also sometimes known as Enki or Enlil.
Nudimmud is “superior to his forefathers.
↳ Apsu - One of the two primordial
Mesopotamian gods, is known as the
begetter. He dwells with his consort, Tiamat,
before anything else exists.
↳ Qingu - Tiamat’s consort after Apsu’s slaying.
Tiamat appoints him commander of her army
and grants him the Tablet of Destinies.
Conflicts
↳ Marduk vs. Tiamat and her monsters
↳ Apsu vs. Tiamat
↳ Tiamat vs. the other deities
↳ Marduk vs. Quingu
Setting
↳ Babylon in either 1800 or 1100 BCE
↳ Set in primordial times in the realm of
heavens.
Themes
↳ Order
↳ Power
↳ Stability
Synopsis/Plot
The story, one of the oldest, if not the oldest in the
world, concerns the birth of the gods and the creation
of the universe and human beings. In the beginning,
there was only undifferentiated water swirling in
chaos. Out of this swirl, the waters divided into sweet,
fresh water, known as the god Apsu, and salty bitter
water, the goddess Tiamat. Once differentiated, the
union of these two entities gave birth to the younger
gods.
These young gods, however, were extremely
loud, troubling the sleep of Apsu at night and
distracting him from his work by day. Upon the advice
of his Vizier, Mummu, Apsu decides to kill the younger
gods.
Tiamat, hearing of their plan, warns her eldest
son, Enki (sometimes Ea) and he puts Apsu to sleep
and kills him. From Apsu's remains, Enki creates his
home. Tiamat, once the supporter of the younger
gods, now is enraged that they have killed her mate.
She consults with the god, Quingu, who advises her
to make war on the younger gods. Tiamat rewards
Quingu with the Tablets of Destiny, which legitimize
the rule of a god and control the fates, and he wears
them proudly as a breastplate. With Quingu as her
champion, Tiamat summons the forces of chaos and
creates eleven horrible monsters to destroy her
children.
 Ea, Enki, and the younger gods fight against
Tiamat futilely until, from among them, emerges the
champion Marduk who swears he will defeat Tiamat.
Marduk defeats Quingu and kills Tiamat by shooting
her with an arrow which splits her in two; from her
eyes flow the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates
Rivers. Out of Tiamat's corpse, Marduk creates the
heavens and the earth, he appoints gods to various
duties and binds Tiamat's eleven creatures to his feet
as trophies (to much adulation from the other gods)
before setting their images in his new home. He also
takes the Tablets of Destiny from Quingu, thus
legitimizing his reign.
After the gods have finished praising him for his
great victory and the art of his creation, Marduk
consults with the god Ea (the god of wisdom) and
decides to create human beings from the remains of
whichever of the gods instigated Tiamat to war.
Quingu is charged as guilty and killed and, from his
blood, Ea creates Lullu, the first man, to be a helper to
the gods in their eternal task of maintaining order and
keeping chaos at bay.
As the poem phrases it, "Ea created mankind/On
whom he imposed the service of the gods, and set the
gods free" (Tablet VI.33-34). Following this, Marduk
"arranged the organization of the netherworld" and
distributed the gods to their appointed stations. The
poem ends in Tablet VII with long praise of Marduk for
his accomplishments.
Analysis of the Story
↳ Theogony and Cosmogony
↳ For the Mesopotamians, Enuma Elish
answered the questions about the creation of
the deities, the world and humanity
↳ It served the political purpose of reminding
people how they fit into society.
- Since the Babylonian ruler was an extension
of Marduk, this reinforced the idea that the
common people were intended to serve not
only the deities but the ruler as well. Every
year, the Babylonians celebrated the Akitu
Festival, the Babylonian New Year, with a
reciting of the Enuma Elish to remind the
citizens of their role in civilization.
Module 4
BACKGROUND OF THE STORY
            The Egyptian creation myth is depicted in
sacred hieroglyphic writings as well as in the Book of
the Dead. In both writings, descriptions of how Atum
created the world amidst chaos were told. Osiris and
his myth, on one hand, are featured in early funerary
texts as well as in the Book of the Dead, too, due to
his resurrection story. People believed that knowing
the spells in the said book was crucial when traveling
in the underworld for Osiris was the one who tests
and judges who would enter the blissful afterlife.
PPT Content
↳ Isis and Osiris were two of the prominent
deities of ancient Egypt
↳ One of the earliest romantic tragedies in
history
↳ Osiris and his myth are featured in early
funerary texts as well as in the Book of the
Dead
↳ Osiris is a known figure in the underworld
ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
a.) Characters
1. Atum 
↳ His name is rooted from the word
“tem” which means “to complete”.
↳ He is the father of Shu and Tefnut.
↳ The original ruler heaven and earth,
wore a double crown of Upper and
Lower Egypt, an ankh (symbol of life),
and held a scepter/rod (symbol of
royal authority).
↳ He is also often depicted as an old-
looking god.
↳ The sun god who initiated the
creation of the world.
2. Shu and Tefnut 
Atum’s twin children and the parents of
Geb and Nut. Shu is the god of air, on the
other hand, Tefnut is the goddess of
moisture
↳ Atum’s twin children and the
parents of Geb and Nut.
↳ Shu is the god of air, who is in the
form of a human with an ostrich
feather on his head.
↳ On the other hand, Tefnut is the
goddess of moisture who has the
head of a lioness. She carries a
solar disk on her head.
3. Geb and Nut 
↳ Shu and Tefnut’s offspring and the
parents of Osiris, Isis, Seth, and
Nephthys.
↳ Geb is an earth god who is often
depicted in pictures lying under
Nut who is posing in an arch
 above him, and Shu between
them – an image of the earth
being separated from the sky. Nut
on one hand is the sky goddess
who is responsible for the rising
and setting of the sun.
4. Osiris and Isis – Geb and Nut’s children
who later became a couple. They are also
Horus’ parents.
Osiris is considered as one of the most
significant gods in Ancient Egypt. His role
as a god is associated with different things
such as being the god of order, fertility,
agriculture, the underworld, and
resurrection. He is depicted as a mummy
with his arms crossed on his chest, his
hands holding a crook and a flail, and his
head wearing a headdress made up of an
Upper Egypt white crown and two ostrich
feathers (atef crown).
Isis, goddess of healing and magic, is
also one of the most important
goddesses. Her name in Greek, “Aset” or
“Eset” means “throne” or “queen of the
throne”. Her image is often described as a
beautiful woman in a sheath dress,
bearing solar disk headgear with horns
attached to its side.
5. Seth and Nephthys – also Geb and Nut’s
children; were also married to each other
just like their other siblings.
↳ Seth (Setekh, Setesh, or Set) is
the god of disorder, the opposite
of Osiris. He is also the lord of the
desert, storm, and war. He is often
portrayed as a god with a
composite appearance, with a
head of a canine and other animal
features.
↳ Nephthys, (meaning “mistress of
the castle'') the wife of Seth, is an
air goddess. She conceived a
child, Anubis, with Osiris. She is
pictured as a woman with a basket
on her head.
6. Anubis
↳ Osiris and Nephthy’s lovechild.
↳ He is the god of the dead, although his father
is the ruler of the underworld.
↳ He is associated with funerary and was also
dubbed the inventor of embalming for he
helped qin the resurrection of Osiris.
↳ He has a jackal head.
7. Horus
↳ Osiris and Isis’ child. His name means “one of
who is bove”. He is a god of the sky whose
head is a falcon wearing a double crown (as
he would unite Upper and Lower Egypt).
b.) Synopsis/Plot
The Creation of the World
            Long time ago, there was nothing but chaotic
waters (Nu/Nun). Until one day, ben-ben, a pyramidal
hill, emerged along with the sun god Atum, who
realized the existence of nothingness. With the help of
Heka (god of magic), Atum was able to copulate with
his shadow and thus, bearing forth to Shu, the air god
who was spat out, and Tefnut, the moisture goddess
who came out through their father’s vomit. Shu
provided life principles in the primordial world while
Tefnut was in charge of principle of order.
            The two went to the waters to set up the world
but it took them so long that worried their father. Atum
plucked his eye for it to search for his children
(another version says that he sent a trusted
messenger). Fortunately, Shu and Tefnut were found
and they returned with their father’s eye. Atum cried
out of joy that his tears, which dropped to the soil
of ben-ben, turned into humans.
            To provide land for these humans, Shu and
Tefnut created Geb (earth) and Nut (sky), who fell in
love with each other. Atum was displeased with their
relationship as it was prophesied that Geb and Nut’s
future children would end his reign. So, he separated
them: Nut, in the heavens, while Geb left to the
ground (another version suggests that Geb married
Nut without Atum’s permission so Atum commanded
Shu to separate them). However, before getting
separated, Geb already impregnated Nut and the
latter gave birth to Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys.
Osiris & Isis
↳ The reign of Atum came to an end, just as
said in the prophecy, and Osiris took over the
throne with Isis, his sister, as his wife. The
reign of Osiris was prosperous and
harmonious as he abided with the harmony
principle (ma’at). He brought civilization to
humanity and taught them agriculture,
 weaving, and bread-making. He also laid
down laws to maintain order.
↳ Seth, his brother who ruled around the
dryness of the deserts, became jealous of the
power and prosperity of Osiris’ kingdom. Seth
even got angrier when Osiris had an affair
with Nephthys, Seth’s wife who is also their
sister, that resulted in the birth of Anubis, the
god of the dead. So, he planned to kill Osiris.
One night, he secretly measured Osiris’ exact
physique and commanded someone to make
a beautiful wooden chest using Osiris’
measurements. He later invited Osiris in a
feast where he challenged all guests, that
whoever would fit in the chest exactly would
win it. No other guest fit inside the chest
except for his brother. When Osiris laid inside,
Seth immediately sealed the chest and threw
it into the Nile River, drowning and eventually
killing the powerful god. Seth becomes the
new ruler.
↳ Isis grieved over the news of her husband’s
death that her tears flowed into the Nile River,
which began the habitual floods. She, together
with Nephthys, searched for her husband’s
body and fortunately found the wooden chest
with the dead Osiris’ in it. Isis hid his body but
Seth found it nonetheless. Seth would later
cut Osiris’ corpse into forty-two pieces (other
sources say fourteen pieces) and scattered
them all over Egypt. Upon finding that her
husband’s corpse disappeared, Isis searched
again and she would successfully retrieve all
forty-two pieces of her husband’s body. With
the guidance of Anubis, she was able to
assemble Osiris’ body and resurrect him
through her magic and power. After rising
from death, Osiris and Isis bore a son named
Horus who would later defeat Seth and
recover the throne from him. And because
Osiris could not rule the living anymore, he
then reigned the underworld and served as
the judge.
c.) Setting
↳ The story is believed to have happened in
ancient Egypt particularly during the primordial
period. At that time, most Egyptians were
farmers with a god-like king ruling over all of
them. These god-like kings were where many
gods from Egyptian Mythology come from.
d.) Conflict
Man vs. Man
↳ This is a conflict in which two characters are
directly opposed to each other. The
protagonist is Osiris, while the antagonist is
Seth. In the narrative, Seth attempts all he can
to murder Osiris so that he can rule
Egypt.        
e.) Themes
Good vs. Evil
↳ The idea of good vs. evil was clearly shown or
depicted in the story from the beginning. The
story starts with Osiris being a good king of
Egypt. And Seth, being jealous of his brother.
The jealousy he felt made him turn into a
ferocious monster and killed his brother. This
event made Isis look for his husband to
resurrect to conceive a child that would defeat
Seth.
ANALYSIS OF THE STORY
↳ Every culture has its own version of myth.
These myths describe the tale of how each
society came to be and what they had to
overcome to get there. Furthermore, these
myths depict each culture, religion, and value
some of these were highlighted in the story.
These include the following:
1. The Golden age of Egypt
↳ In the myth, Osiris ruled the Upper and lower
kingdom of Egypt wherein at first, the
Egyptians lived simple lives but with this
rulership they became highly civilized.
↳ Civilization in Egypt started between 4000 and
3000 B.C. were considered Golden Age.
2. Existence of upper and lower Egypt
↳ The myth narrated that Osiris became the
ruler of both Upper and Lower Egypt. His
leadership earned fame for himself and his
subjects.
↳ The myth narrated that Osiris became the
ruler of both Upper and Lower Egypt.
3. Existence of Byblos
↳ When Osiris body was thrown to the Nile river,
it ended up in the swamps of Byblos.
↳ According to historians, Byblos now called
Lebanon was the chief harbor for the export of
cedar and other valuable woods to Egypt.
↳ Byblos now called Lebanon was the chief
harbor for the export of cedar and other
valuable woods to Egypt
4. The Nile River
↳ The Nile river was always mentioned in the
myth which confirms the claim of scholars that
Nile River is the life and blood of Ancient
Egypt.
↳ Nile river flooded and receded with regularity,
compared to Tigris and Euphrates. Ancient
Egyptians believed that their gods and
goddesses were much gentler and kinder.
5. Egyptian’s belief of afterlife
↳ The story of Osiris and Isis mainly highlighted
the belief that when a human being dies, he or
she will go to life a next life.
↳ The great pyramid tombs of kings and queens
in Egypt testify to such belief too. Not only did
they contain mummified corpses in coffins but
also, they contained everything which a
person may need to survive another life.
6. Egypt’s mummification process
↳ The part were Isis and her sister Nephthys
carefully attached all the 14 pieces of Osiris’
body highlights the unique Egyptian process
of mummification.
Module 5
Background of the story
The Navajo creation myth, called the Diné Bahaneʼ, is
one of the greatest stories of the Native American
peoples, filled with evocative images of nature and
wondrous storytelling. The Navajo were given the
name Ni’hookaa Diyan Diné by their creators. It
means "Holy Earth People" or "Lords of the Earth".
Navajos today simply call themselves "Diné", meaning
"The People".
After the Cherokee, Navajos are the second largest
federally recognized tribe in the United States with
460 enrolled tribal members as of 2015. The states
with the largest Navajo populations are Arizona
(140,263) and New Mexico (108,306). Over three-
quarters of the Navajo population reside in these two
states.
The story came from oral history, passed down from
generations to generations, since the very beginning
of Navajo culture. It was not written, like much of our
history, but spoken. The story involves three
underworlds where important events happened to
shape the Fourth World (where we now live) as the
First Man and First Woman search for a home.
Elements of the story:
a. Characters - Main Characters:
↳First Woman (Yellow corn, Yucca,
turquoise, white shell)
↳ First Man (White Corn, Crystal)
↳ Great Coyote (Formed in the water, in a
form of a male being)
↳ First Angry Coyote (In a male form,
brought witchcraft)
b. Synopsis/Plot 
The first world was small, pitch black, and
surrounded by four seas with one island that had a
single pine tree. The four seas were ruled by the Big
Water Creature, the Blue Heron, the Frog, and
White Thunder. Above the seas were a black cloud,
white cloud, blue cloud, and yellow cloud. When the
blue and yellow clouds came together, the first
woman appeared, while the black and white clouds
created the first man. They lived together and later
were greeted by The Great Coyote who was formed
in water. He said he knew all of the secrets of the
water and skies. Then, a second coyote came
named First Angry, and he brought witchcraft into
the world.
c. Setting
↳ First World (Dark World)
↳ Second World (Blue World)
↳ Third World (Yellow World)
↳ Fourth World (White World)
Conflict
↳ The First Man and Woman have to find a
world to make a home in. They were on an
island with high cliffs in the middle of a
bubbling lake. With the help from the Wind
God, people were able to leave the island.
First Man and First Woman built the first
hogan to live in.
Themes
↳ The theme is not creation but emergence. The
emergence of peace, balance and harmony
between the beings and the world.
Analysis of the story
The Navajo Origin Legend originally written by
Washington Matthews, described as "one of the
world's significant literary works" and was rewritten as
Dine' Bahane: The Navajo Creation by Paul G.
Zolbrod. This translation by Zolbrod makes it
accessible to English speakers due to Matthews' use
of dense English prose and overall rhetorical effect of
Navajo oral narrative style. This narrative is
essentially sacred in nature, dealing with the
emergence of precursors to human beings through
successive primal worlds and balance between
themselves and throughout the world before the
Navajo people can be created to live on this earth.

The narrative 'The Navajo Creation is not a

story of deities or divine creators, such as related to
christianity that explains how the world was created,
but a story of emergence through four worlds that
each has symbols and difficulties.