Myths & Legends GHUM 1134 Major Essay Covenant: A comparative analysis of mans role and relationship with

the divine in the Hesiods Theogony, Works and Days, Zuni Creation and Jehovist-Elohist Biblical Mythology

Submitted by: Robert Chen Prof.: Sandra Noble July 28, 2007 11 Pages including cover

Man has always questioned his role in the world around him, Why am I here? The beliefs of ancient cultures are a looking glass into our examination of this eternal question. Our relationship with ancient gods and goddesses may seem to vary from different cultural centers. Upon first glance, it is natural to assume that ancient Hellenic peoples would have a different value and belief system than those of the Pueblo nations in southwestern United States or the Judeo-Christian religion that originated in the Middle East. It is reasonable to assume that the diverse living and social accommodations by which the ancients lived would result in different world views and different perceptions with how man relates to his gods. This agreement or covenant between creation and creator is universal, although, not readily apparent, across all ancient cultures and mythologies. After a study of ancient Greek, Zuni and JudeoChristian creation beliefs in Introduction to Mythology one can understand that mans role is that of an agent to his gods, a tool by which the gods maintain their desired order in the world. This is readily evident when one considers the reasoning behind the creation of man, the process of fashioning mankind from natural elements and the services that gods expected of their creation.

For ancient man, all things must have a reason for being but to understand what something is, we must first understand what it is for. The creation of man is no exception. Origin myths describe in varying degrees the creation of man from the earliest times. Although the stories surrounding the creation of mankind differs in each of the different cultures and even differ within some of the same cultural themselves, they all follow a general pattern, an archetype. This element being, that man is created

3 or evolved by a supreme entity for a purpose. In Lecture #3: Creation Myths Professor Noble sates that mythology lists many reasons for creating humans. Some myths describe an entity that requires companionship or workers to toil for him and other deities want to create humans simply to entertain themselves and still others create humans as a testament to their own greatness (Noble #3). The Zuni Pueblo creation myth as described in Introduction to Mythology begins by depicting the pre-human state mankind begins in as, larval-like worms living in the lowest plane of existence. It would not be until the intervention of the Sun, that these worm creatures would evolve physically to resemble mankind. He saw that the world was covered with hills and springs but there were no people to give him prayersticks. He thought, My people shall come into the daylight world. (Thury and Devinney 76), from this passage we know that for the Zuni, the purpose behind the creation of man is to offer worship to the Sun. The reasoning behind creating man for the Hellenic gods is however not quite as direct in their mythology. The creation of man has been credited to Kronos, the Titan and to Athena and Zeus. Hesiod chronicles this in both Theogony and Works and Days and it is from these collections that we discern that the Greek gods did not have a predetermined reason for the creation of mortal man but expected their creation to be worshipful and toil in their name. In the Jehovist-Elohist rendition, man is created to celebrate the glory of god and be dutiful by keeping with his covenant. One should note that these three different cultures have arrived either directly or indirectly at the purpose that mythological gods created humans; that is that humans were created to worship the gods.

4 Another belief that Hellenic and Judeo-Christian cultures share is that earth is the material that is used in fashioning mankind. In Judeo-Christian myth man is fashioned by an immanent god who: formed man from of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (57). One may argue that in the Greek myth of Pandora Zeus ordered Hephaistos to fashion Pandora from earth and water (40) and that in Theogony Hesiod does not mention how man is created other than mentioning that the Golden Age started during the reign of Kronos (41). To understand the context of the creation of mankind one need to be aware that it is not the actual materials that are important but the fact that in both these myths mortals are made of different elements that are combined. In the Jehovist-Elohist Judeo-Christian version man is made by god by combining a physical body made of moist earth and a spiritual soul (Noble #4). This outline is also apparent with the Pandora story in Works and Days. After Zeus orders Hephaistos to fashion the physical form from clay, he has Athena, Aphrodite and Hermes install Pandoras personality or in other words a soul. In another creation myth related to Prometheus, Deucalion his mortal son and Pyrrha, his sons wife survive a punishing flood ordered by Zeus to destroy mankind for its wickedness. Deucalion and his wife with the aid of the primordial goddess Themis, repopulates the world by throwing stones over their shoulders and having a new generation of mankind spring from the stones (Thury and Devinney 126). Although this myth does not seem to conform to the previous two examples one must consider that the stones are considered seeds that were planted in the moist soil and later in the passage it states, For tempering each other, heat and moisture engender life: the union of these two produces everything (127). Much like the dust of the earth and breath of life, it requires two special elements to create man. In contrast the Zuni myth is about emergence

5 rather than creation. In it people are formed by divine benefactors, the Children of the Sun. These children lead people up through the four worlds into sunlight and alter their physical forms to resemble man. One may notice that the Zuni believe that all living things are created by a combination of earth and sun (Noble #4). Once again one should note it is the combination of two elements that creates man. The Zuni may describe it as children of the earth and sun, the Greeks as heat and moisture acting on earth or clay and divine gifts and the Judeo-Christian dust and divine breath. These rationalizations based on the science and beliefs of their originating culture all state mortal is a sum of the caporal (earthliness) and the incorporeal (breath, moisture, spiritual).

In Theogony, the role of man is defined by Zeus as obedient and worshipful. This is evidenced in the story of Prometheus and the meeting at Mekone. Zeus demanded that mortals sacrificed to the gods to prove that they were pious and dutiful, For at Mekone, once, there was a test when gods and mortal men divided up and ox (Thury and Devinney 360). Much like a vassal of a medieval kingdom was subjugated by their overlord; Zeus demanded worship and submission from mankind. Mans role as defined in Theogony would be to subjugate themselves by offering a portion of their food source in sacrifice to the gods and to duly offer worship and submission to the will of the Olympians. In Works and Days, mankind is separated into five ages, the last being the iron age of which in Hesiod and we belong to. In the second age, Hesiod warns his ancient contemporaries that the gods have already destroyed a better race of man for failing to honour their covenant with them, They did not sacrifice, as all tribes must [] and, angry Zeus [] hid this race away, for they dishonoured the Olympian gods (42).

6 Hesiod once again states that it is mans role to toil and worship the gods. Now, by day men work and grieve unceasingly; [] The gods will give harsh burdens, but mingle in some good (43). In contrast the Zuni have a more symbiotic relationship with their gods, they are not required to sacrifice in the Greek sense but they are required to find where the middle is (78) or to achieve balance with nature. In the Zuni emergence myth after the sons of the Sun had finished adapting people to live in this world, they began to separate and migrate; the main group lead by the bow priests is reminded that they still need to find the middle even though many of their contingent had already built houses for themselves. From this we can deduce that the Zuni believed in order to honour their creators they must live to their natural potential and find harmony with their environment and balance their lives. Judeo-Christian mythology has more restrictive view than the Zuni however, much less pessimistic than the Hellenic outlook. JudeoChristian myth in the Old Testament outlines a detailed covenant between the creator and his creation. In the myth of Adam and Eve God dictates that man will till and reap the harvest of Eden with the exception of the Tree of Knowledge (59). Adam and Eve break this covenant and are cast out of paradise to a harsher existence. Some may argue that this is more of an indication that the relationship between God and man is a competitive one. Especially when one considers that God states: Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever therefore the LORD God sent him for the from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. (60)

7 This competition also appears in the story of Prometheus in Hesiods Theogony. In it, Zeus is incised that man has been taught the skills of civilization and to prevent mankind from eventually overthrowing the Olympians as he overthrew the Titans, demanded their subjugation and constantly dealt with them harshly by visiting ill fortune or hardships on the populace. Although this is a good argument, one must consider the original intent or reason for the creation of man in their respective myths. In the JudeoChristian myth it is to celebrate the glory of God and to create worshipers that the divine can care for. In the Hellenic myths it is so the Olympians may have entertainment and to have tribute from those whom they consider to be lesser beings. And the Zuni believed men were evolved from worm like creatures out of pity, loneliness and a need for the Sun to feel worshiped. In that context one can see the actions of the Judeo-Christian God and Zeus as paternal figures putting limits on their unruly children. It would be more accurate to stare that, the role the gods wish or imposes on mankind is more of that of an instrument of order. The Zuni Sun urges to man to find the middle ground, create balance and harmony, and in Works and Days, Zeus and Strife teach man that they must labour in order to survive in the Aegean and battle to gain glory. The JudeoChristian God is an omnipotent paternal figure offering salvation to those who worship him and adhere to his view of proper living and proper social order. The Hellenic gods of Theogony relate to humans as proxies in which they exert their will upon other gods through their human proxies.

In conclusion, we see that although ancient Greek myths did not state a direct reason for the creation of man, the Hellenic gods adopted man as worshipers and toys to be played with as reasons for their creation. In contrast the benevolent evolution of

8 man by the Zuni Sun god was done from pity and loneliness and the Judeo-Christian God created mankind to celebrate his greatness. Mankind was created to worship his gods. And in creating mankind both Hellenic and Judeo-Christian mythologies utilize the science of their time to explain the two main elements that were used to fashion man, the caporal body and the incorporeal spirit. The Zuni seem to refer to these two elements as well by referring to all living things as children of the Sun and the Earth. It is also important to note that in all three cultures man was fashioned like a tool or instrument. Like clay being shaped on a potters wheel or molding moist earth in the palm of your hand or cutting off horns and tails and cutting in mouths. The actual roles of man differ from culture to culture but all myths teach man to be worshipful. Whether by actual sacrifice or acting as proxy, living in harmony and seeking your potential or by living under strict guidelines and social conformity mankind is acting as the custodian of the will of the gods. He is the tool by which the gods maintained their will in the world.

9 Works Citied

Noble, Sandra. Lecture #3 Creation Myths EAC297 Myths and Legends. Toronto: Seneca College. Summer Semester Noble, Sandra. Lecture #4 Origin Myths EAC297 Myths and Legends. Toronto: Seneca College. Summer Semester Thury, Eva M. and Devinney, Margret K.. Introduction to Mythology. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005