Legends of history about the appearance of man on earth. Myth about the origin of the world. What is a myth? Origin of the myth

What are myths? In the everyday understanding, these are, first of all, ancient, biblical and other ancient “tales” about the creation of the world and man, stories about the deeds of ancient gods and heroes - Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus, Hercules, the Argonauts who were looking for the “Golden Fleece”, the Trojan War and misadventures Odyssey.

The word “myth” itself is of ancient Greek origin and means “tradition”, “legend”. European peoples until the 16th-17th centuries. Only the famous Greek and Roman myths were known to this day; later they became aware of Arab, Indian, Germanic, Slavic, Indian legends and their heroes. Over time, first to scientists and then to the wider public, the myths of the peoples of Australia, Oceania, and Africa became available. It turned out that the sacred books of Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists are also based on various mythological legends that have been processed.

What is surprising: it was discovered that at a certain stage of historical development, more or less developed mythology existed among almost all peoples known to science, that some plots and stories are repeated to one degree or another in the mythological cycles of different peoples.

So the question arose about the origin of the myth. Today, most scientists are inclined to believe that the secret of the origin of myth should be sought in the fact that mythological consciousness was the oldest form of understanding and comprehension of the world, understanding of nature, society and man. The myth arose from the need of ancient people to understand the natural and social elements surrounding them, the essence of man.

The features of this way of understanding the world will be discussed below, after we consider the issue of the content of mythical tales.

Among the whole multitude of mythical legends and stories, it is customary to highlight several most important cycles. Let's call them:

- Cosmogonic myths - myths about the origin of the world and the universe;
- anthropogonic myths - myths about the origin of man and human society;
- myths about cultural heroes - myths about the origin and introduction of certain cultural goods;
- eschatological myths - myths about the “end of the world”, the end of times.

Let us dwell in more detail on the characteristics of these mythical cycles.

Cosmogonic myths are usually divided into two groups:

Myths of development

Creation Myths

In the myths of development, the origins of the world and the Universe are explained by evolution, the transformation of a certain formless initial state,

preceding the world and the Universe.

This can be chaos (ancient Greek mythology), non-existence (ancient Egyptian, Scandinavian and other mythologies). "...everything was in a state of uncertainty, everything was cold, everything was in silence: everything was motionless, quiet, and the space of the sky was empty of

myths of Central America.

In creation myths, the emphasis is on the statement that the world was created

from some initial elements (fire, water, air, earth) by a supernatural being - a god, a sorcerer, a creator (the creator can have the appearance of a person or an animal - a loon, a crow, a coyote). The most famous example of creation myths is the biblical story of the seven days creation: “And God said, Let there be light...And God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness night.

Very often these motives are combined in one myth: a detailed description of the initial state ends with a detailed story about the circumstances of the creation of the Universe.

Anthropogonic myths are an integral part of cosmogonic myths. According to many myths, man is created using a wide variety of materials: nuts, wood, dust, clay. Most often, the creator creates first a man, then a woman. The first person is usually endowed with the gift of immortality, but he loses it and becomes at the origins of mortal humanity (such is the biblical Adam, who ate the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Some peoples believed that humans descended from an animal ancestor (monkey, bear, raven, swan).

Myths about cultural heroes tell how humanity mastered the secrets of crafts, agriculture, sedentary life, the use of fire - in other words, how certain cultural benefits were introduced into their lives. The most famous myth of this kind is the ancient Greek tale of Prometheus, the cousin of Zeus. Prometheus (literally translated - “thinking before”, “foreseeing”) endowed wretched people with reason, taught them to build houses, ships, engage in crafts, wear clothes, count, write and read, distinguish between seasons, make sacrifices to the gods, tell fortunes, introduced state principles and rules of living together. Prometheus gave fire to man, for which he was punished by Zeus: chained to the Caucasus mountains, he endures terrible torment - an eagle pecks out his liver, which grows again every day.

Eschatological myths tell about the fate of humanity, the coming of the “end of the world” and the onset of the “end of times”. The greatest significance in the cultural and historical process was played by the eschatological ideas formulated in the famous biblical “Apocalypse”: the second coming of Christ is coming - He will come not as a victim, but as the Terrible Judge, subjecting the living and the dead to Judgment. The “end of times” will come, and the righteous will be predestined to eternal life, and sinners to eternal torment.

In ancient times, humanity developed civilizations. These were isolated nationalities that were formed under the influence of certain factors and had their own culture, technology and were distinguished by a certain individuality. Due to the fact that they were not as technologically advanced as modern humanity, ancient people were largely dependent on the vagaries of nature. Then lightning, rain, earthquakes and other natural phenomena seemed to be a manifestation of divine powers. These forces, as it seemed then, could determine the fate and personal qualities of a person. This is how the very first mythology was born.

What is a myth?

According to the modern cultural definition, this is a narrative that reproduces the beliefs of ancient people about the structure of the world, about higher powers, about man, the lives of great heroes and gods in verbal form. In some way, they reflected the then level of human knowledge. These tales were recorded and passed down from generation to generation, thanks to which we can today find out how our ancestors thought. That is, then mythology was a certain form of social consciousness, as well as one of the ways of understanding natural and social reality, which reflected the views of man at a certain stage of development.

Among the many questions that worried humanity in those distant times, the problem of the emergence of the world and man in it was especially relevant. Due to their curiosity, people tried to explain and understand how they appeared and who created them. It is then that a separate myth about the origin of people appears.

Due to the fact that humanity, as already mentioned, developed in large isolated groups, the legends of each nationality were in some way unique, since they reflected not only the worldview of the people at that time, but also were an imprint of cultural, social development, and also carried information about the land where the people lived. In this sense, myths have some historical value, since they allow us to make some logical judgments about a particular people. In addition, they were a bridge between the past and the future, a connection between generations, passing on the knowledge that was accumulated in stories from the old family to the new, thus teaching it.

Anthropogonic myths

Regardless of civilization, all ancient people had their own ideas about how man appeared in this world. They have some common features, but they also have significant differences, which are determined by the peculiarities of life and development of a particular civilization. All myths about the origin of man are called anthropogonic. This word comes from the Greek "anthropos", which means man. Such a concept as a myth about the origin of people exists among absolutely all ancient peoples. The only difference is their perception of the world.

For comparison, we can consider individual myths about the origin of man and the world of two great nations, which significantly influenced the development of mankind in their time. These are the civilizations of Ancient Greece and Ancient China.

Chinese view of the creation of the world

The Chinese imagined our Universe in the form of a huge egg, which was filled with a certain matter - Chaos. From this Chaos, the first ancestor of all humanity, Pangu, was born. He used his ax to break the egg in which he was born. When he broke the egg, Chaos burst out and began to change. The sky (Yin) was formed - which is associated with the light principle, and the Earth (Yang) - the dark principle. This is how the world was formed in the beliefs of the Chinese. After that, Pangu placed his hands on the sky and his feet on the ground and began to grow. It grew continuously until the sky separated from the earth and became what we see it today. Pangu, when he grew up, fell into many parts, which became the basis of our world. His body became mountains and plains, his flesh became earth, his breath became air and wind, his blood became water, and his skin became vegetation.

Chinese mythology

As the Chinese myth of the origin of man says, a world was formed that was inhabited by animals, fish and birds, but people still did not exist. The Chinese believed that the creator of humanity was the great female spirit - Nuwa. The ancient Chinese revered her as the organizer of the world; she was depicted as a woman with a human body, the legs of a bird and the tail of a snake, who holds in her hand a lunar disk (the Yin symbol) and a measuring square.

Nuiva began to sculpt human figures from clay, which came to life and turned into people. She worked a lot of time and realized that her strength was not enough to create people who could populate the entire earth. Then Nuiva took the rope and passed it through the liquid clay, and then shook it. People appeared where lumps of wet clay fell. But still they were not as good as those that were molded by hand. This is how the myths of China substantiated the existence of the nobility, which Nuwa molded with her own hands, and people of the lower classes, created with the help of a rope. The goddess gave her creations the opportunity to reproduce on their own, and also introduced them to the concept of marriage, which was observed very strictly in Ancient China. Therefore, Nuiva can also be considered the patroness of marriage.

This is the Chinese myth about the origin of man. As you can see, it reflects not only traditional Chinese beliefs, but also some of the features and rules that guided the ancient Chinese in their lives.

Greek mythology about the emergence of man

The Greek myth about the origin of man tells how the titan Prometheus created people from clay. But the first people were very defenseless and did not know how to do anything. For this act, the Greek gods were angry with Prometheus and planned to destroy the human race. However
Prometheus saved his children by stealing fire from Olympus and bringing it to man in an empty reed stalk. For this, Zeus imprisoned Prometheus in chains in the Caucasus, where the eagle was supposed to peck his liver.

In general, in Greek mythology, any myth about the origin of people does not provide specific information about the emergence of humanity, focusing more on subsequent events. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the Greeks considered man insignificant compared to the omnipotent gods, thus emphasizing their importance for the entire people. Indeed, almost all Greek legends are directly or indirectly related to the gods, who guide and help human heroes such as Odysseus or Jason.

Features of mythology

What features does mythological thinking have?

As can be seen above, myths and legends interpret and describe the origin of man in completely different ways. You need to understand that the need for them arose at an early stage of human development. They arose from the need of man to explain the origin of man, nature, and the structure of the world. Of course, the method of explanation that mythology uses is quite primitive; it differs significantly from the interpretation of the world order supported by science. In myths, everything is quite concrete and isolated; there are no abstract concepts in them. Man, society and nature merge into one. The main type of mythological thinking is figurative. Every person, hero or god necessarily has a concept or phenomenon that follows him. This type of thinking denies any logical arguments, based on faith rather than knowledge. It is unable to generate questions that are not creative.

In addition, mythology also has specific literary techniques that allow us to emphasize the significance of certain events. These are hyperboles that exaggerate, for example, the strength or other important characteristics of heroes (Pangu, who was able to lift the sky), metaphors that attribute certain characteristics to things or beings that do not actually possess them.

Common features and influence on world culture

In general, one can trace a certain pattern in how the myths of different nations explain the origin of man. In almost all versions, there is some kind of divine essence that breathes life into lifeless matter, thus creating and shaping a person. This influence of ancient pagan beliefs can be traced in later religions, such as Christianity, where God creates man in his own image. However, if it is not entirely clear how Adam appeared, then God creates Eve from a rib, which only confirms this influence of ancient legends. This influence of mythology can be traced in almost any culture that existed later.

Ancient Turkic mythology about how man appeared

The ancient Turkic myth about the origin of man calls the goddess Umai the progenitor of the human race, as well as the creator of the earth. She, in the form of a white swan, flew over the water, which had always existed, and looked for land, but did not find it. She laid the egg straight into the water, but the egg immediately sank. Then the goddess decided to make a nest on the water, but the feathers from which she made it turned out to be fragile, and the waves broke the nest. The goddess held her breath and dived to the very bottom. She carried out a piece of earth in her beak. Then the god Tengri saw her suffering and sent Umai three fish made of iron. She put the earth on the back of one of the fish, and it began to grow until the entire earth's land was formed. After which the goddess laid an egg, from which the entire human race, birds, animals, trees and everything else appeared.

What can be determined by reading this Turkic myth about the origin of man? One can see a general similarity with the legends of Ancient Greece and China already known to us. A certain divine force creates people, namely from an egg, which is very similar to the Chinese legend about Pangu. Thus, it is clear that initially people associated the creation of themselves by analogy with living beings that they could observe. There is also an incredible reverence for the maternal principle, for women as the continuer of life.

What can a child learn from these legends? What new things does he learn by reading the myths of peoples about the origin of man?

First of all, this will allow him to become familiar with the culture and life of the people who existed in prehistoric times. Since myth is characterized by a figurative type of thinking, a child will perceive it quite easily and will be able to assimilate the necessary information. For children, these are the same fairy tales, and, like fairy tales, they are filled with the same morals and information. When reading them, the child will learn to develop his thinking processes, learn to benefit from reading and draw conclusions.

The myth about the origin of people will give the child an answer to the exciting question - where did I come from? Of course, the answer will be incorrect, but children take everything on faith, and therefore it will satisfy the child’s interest. By reading the above Greek myth about the origin of man, a child will also be able to understand why fire is so important to humanity and how it was discovered. This will be useful in the child’s subsequent education in primary school.

Variety and benefits for the child

Indeed, if we take examples of myths about the origin of man (and not only them) from Greek mythology, we will notice that the colorfulness of the characters and their number are very large and interesting not only for young readers, but even for adults. However, you need to help the child figure it all out, otherwise he will simply get confused in events and their causes. It is necessary to explain to the child why God loves or does not love this or that hero, why he helps him. In this way, the child will learn to build logical chains and compare facts, drawing certain conclusions from them.

Substitute for knowledge

The science of human origins—anthropology—appeared relatively recently. Until this moment, humanity was content with myths that people themselves invented. Unlike scientific research, such legends did not require proof - only faith was enough. And only over time, as science developed, many began to question the myths.

Nevertheless, these legends live on today - no longer as sources of knowledge about the world, but as historical monuments. Studying ancient myths can be very interesting and educational, especially if you try to imagine the history of their origin or, say, look for common features in the mythology of different peoples. For the most part, such legends are fascinating and poetic, something that modern ideas about the origin of man cannot boast of.

From clay or from dust

The Christian, in particular the Orthodox, myth about the origin of people is especially widely known. This is not at all surprising: many people profess Christianity, and Christian subjects have been used in literature and painting for centuries.

Egyptians and Sumerians also adhered to the idea that people were created by gods. The deities used clay mixed with the blood of the gods as a building material, and the purpose of creating humanity was purely practical: people were required to do obedient and high-quality work for the benefit of higher powers.

Chinese myths tell about the ancestor of humanity named Nyu-wa. This goddess was half woman and half snake (dragon). They were busy making people out of clay. The more thorough her work was, the richer the race of the molded Nü-wa man turned out to be. And the lumps of clay that fell off during work turned into poor people. It is interesting that along with this myth about the origin of man, the Chinese also had another - it featured the first man hatched from an egg.

God's creatures

According to the Indians, people were created by the gods by the power of spirit - and no clay, dust, or other building materials were used. Moreover, first Brahma created his own sons, and they, in turn, became the ancestors of both gods and people. Thus, the deities became to some extent human relatives rather than masters and rulers. However, in Hinduism there were at least four different myths about the creation of mankind:

Human beings originated from the sound "Om" made by Shiva's drum;
Humans hatched from the egg created by Brahma;
The reason for the appearance of people was the first man Purusha, who sacrificed himself;
People emerged from the “primordial heat.”

In Greek mythology, almost no attention is paid to the origin of the human race: the stories of the gods themselves, who led a rather stormy life, seemed much more interesting. The Greeks happily told each other about how the earth goddess Gaia appeared, the sky god Uranus was born to her, and then the titans and giants appeared. The god of time Kronos cunningly took power from his father, but over time his youngest son Zeus restored order and sent Kronos to Tartarus, simultaneously freeing his brothers. After this, the Gods went to live on Olympus, and people appeared on Earth. At the same time, the gods had quite close contact, compared with other deities, with their charges, which led to the birth of such heroes as, for example, Prometheus or Hercules.

Unconventional stories

Buddhists, adhering to the idea of the cyclical nature of the existing world, did not pay much attention to how man and other creatures appeared. Regarding what happened at the very beginning of the appearance of this world, and whether, in principle, there is a beginning to the wheel of samsara, Buddha, and then all his followers, maintained a “noble silence.” And even the revered Brahma is not recognized by Buddhists as the Creator of this world.

The Taoists also did not concentrate on the issues of creating the world in general and humanity in particular. From the vacuum and emptiness, the two main energies of Yin and Yang were formed, which interacted in various ways, striving for harmony. As a result of this interaction, this world and everyone living in it were formed.

Animal children

It is a mistake to think that the idea of human origin from animals - a conquest of modern times. Many Indian tribes, for example, believed that they were descended from animals. The Papuans shared the same point of view. In two different parts of the world - in Siberia and North America, there are surprisingly similar legends, according to which people descended from bears. Even the habit of calling bears “fathers” or “grandmothers” has been preserved, and in general, treating them with respect. So, in Siberia they often call the clubfoot “Boss”.

According to representatives of one of the Indian tribes, the ancestor of man was not an animal, but a bird. The first representatives of the human race hatched from the eggs of this bird.

Maria Bykova

Plan:

1. Ancient myths about the origin of the world and people.

1.1. What is a myth? Origin of the myth.

1.2. The main thematic cycles of myths and their content.

1.3. Features of mythological consciousness.

2. The most ancient system of mythological ideas.

3. Ancient Greek idea of the origin of gods and people.

3.1 Genealogies of the gods.

3.2. The creation of man.

3.3. Human life.

4. Worldview of the Eastern Slavs.

5. Mythology of ancient peoples.

6. The Bible, like a book with a story about the creation of the world and man.

7. Anthropogenesis.

7.1. The origin of man as a biological species.

7.2. Theories.

7.2.1. Evolutionary theory.

7.2.2. Theory of creation (creationism).

7.2.3. The theory of external intervention.

7.2.4. Theory of spatial anomalies.

1. Ancient myths about the origin of the world and people.

1.1. What is a myth? Origin of the myth.

The features of this way of understanding the world will be discussed below, after we consider the issue of the content of mythical tales.

1.2. The main thematic cycles of myths and their content.

Among the whole multitude of mythical legends and stories, it is customary to highlight several most important cycles. Let's call them:

cosmogonic myths - myths about the origin of the world and the universe,

anthropogonic myths - myths about the origin of man and human society,

myths about cultural heroes - myths about the origin and introduction of certain cultural goods,

eschatological myths - myths about the "end of the world", the end of times.

Let us dwell in more detail on the characteristics of these mythical cycles.

Cosmogonic myths are usually divided into two groups:

development myths

creation myths

In the myths of development, the origins of the world and the Universe are explained by evolution, the transformation of a certain formless initial state that preceded the world and the Universe. This can be chaos (ancient Greek mythology), non-existence (ancient Egyptian, Scandinavian and other mythologies). “...everything was in a state of uncertainty, everything was cold, everything was silent: everything was motionless, quiet, and the space of the sky was empty...” - from the myths of Central America.

In creation myths, the emphasis is on the statement that the world was created from some original elements (fire, water, air, earth) by a supernatural being - a god, a sorcerer, a creator (the creator can take the form of a person or an animal - a loon, a crow, a coyote ). The most famous example of creation myths is the biblical story about the seven days of creation: “And God said: Let there be light... and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness night...”

Very often these motives are combined in one myth: a detailed description of the initial state ends with a detailed story about the circumstances of the creation of the Universe.

Myths about cultural heroes 0 tell how humanity mastered the secrets of crafts, agriculture, sedentary life, the use of fire - in other words, how certain cultural benefits were introduced into their lives. The most famous myth of this kind is the ancient Greek tale of Prometheus, the cousin of Zeus. Prometheus (literally translated - “thinking before”, “foreseeing”) endowed wretched people with reason, taught them to build houses, ships, engage in crafts, wear clothes, count, write and read, distinguish between seasons, make sacrifices to the gods, tell fortunes, introduced state principles and rules of living together. Prometheus gave fire to man, for which he was punished by Zeus: chained to the Caucasus mountains, he endures terrible torment - an eagle pecks out his liver, which grows again every day.

1.3. Features of mythological consciousness.

What has been said is enough to confirm the idea formulated above: myths arose from the urgent need of people to explain the origin, nature, people, structure of the world, to predict the fate of humanity. The method of explanation itself has a specific character and is fundamentally different from the scientific form of explanation and analysis of the world. What features distinguish mythological consciousness?

In myth, man and society do not separate themselves from the surrounding natural elements: nature, society and man are merged into a single whole, inseparable, unified;

There are no abstract concepts in myth, everything in it is very concrete, personified, animated;

Mythological consciousness thinks in symbols: each image, hero, character denotes the phenomenon or concept behind it;

Myth lives in its own, special time - the time of “beginning”, “first creation”, to which human ideas about the flow of time are inapplicable;

Myth thinks in images, lives by emotions, the arguments of reason are alien to it, it explains the world based not on knowledge, but on faith.

What role did myths and myth-making play in the history of human society and human culture?

They explained the world, nature, society, man in their own way,

They, in a unique, very specific form, established a connection between the past, present and future of humanity,

They were a channel through which one generation passed on accumulated experience, knowledge, values, cultural goods, and knowledge to another.

2. The most ancient system of mythological ideas.

The most ancient system of mythological ideas of the ancestors of modern Indo-European peoples, reconstructed through a comparative historical study of the reflections of this system in historically attested individual Indo-European traditions. Under I.m. also understand the totality of Hittite mythology (and other Anatolian - Luwian, Palai and later - Lydian, Lycian), Aryan [including Indian mythology, Iranian mythology, Dardic and Nuristan (Kafir), Middle Eastern Mitannian, Aryan mythology], Armenian mythology, Greek mythology , Italic mythology, Celtic mythology, German-Scandinavian mythology, Baltic mythology, Slavic mythology, Tocharian mythology, as well as fragments of mythology related to Albanian, Thracian, Illyrian, Phrygian, Venetian and some other traditions known in incomplete transmission.

According to archaeological and linguistic sources, the early area of residence of the carriers of the ancient Indo-European culture in 4-3 thousand BC. e. localized in the southern Russian steppes, in the southeast of Europe and the northeast of Western Asia. In the economy of the Indo-Europeans, cattle breeding prevailed over agriculture: the leading industry was horse breeding (the horse is the main cult animal), which contributed (along with the invention of chariots) to the intensive movements of Indo-European tribes in 3-2 thousand BC. e. along the European continent, and through the Caucasus and Central Asia - right up to Hindustan. Archaeological and linguistic data allow us to presumably reconstruct the stages of settlement and ethnic history of the Indo-Europeans up to the formation of historically attested ethnic groups and cultures. Archaeological evidence of rituals - funerary monuments (mounds), remains of sacrifices, objects of worship - serve not only as a source for the reconstruction of mythology and cult, but also as a criterion for its verification (correlation of archaeological and linguistic data).

The main sources for the reconstruction of I. m. are mythological texts. In addition, descriptions of the corresponding mythologies made both from within a given tradition and from outside observers belonging to another cultural, linguistic or confessional tradition are important (news of Greek authors, especially Herodotus; Roman authors - Tacitus, Pliny the Elder, Caesar, etc.; German and Polish Christian writers). For traditions that have maintained continuity until recently, folklore texts, especially those including mythological names and corresponding motifs, can be a source of information about mythology; For fragmentarily preserved traditions, the mention of individual mythological words, especially names, in non-mythological (often foreign language) texts is also important.

In the general Indo-European mythological system, the main object was designated by the stem *deiuo, “daytime shining sky,” understood as the supreme deity (and then as a designation of god in general and the class of gods): cf. Hittite. siuna-, "god", siuatt-, "day", Luwian. tiuaz, "sun god", Old Indian deva, maiden - “god”, dyaus, “sky” (Dyaus as a deity), Avest. daeva, "dav", "demon", Greek. Zetg, b. case Ai6g, "Zeus, god of the clear sky", lat. deus, "god", dies, "day", OE. tivar, "gods", lit. dievas (Dievas - "god"), etc. In accordance with the structure of the large patriarchal family, headed by the father "patriarch", this supreme deity acts as a "god-father", *deiuos pater: Old Indian. Dyaus pitar, Greek. Zeus, latyu, lat. lupiter (Jupiter), Diespiter, umbr. lupater, illir. Aeinccrueog; partial continuations of this designation in Luwian. tiuaz tatis, palaysk. tiiaz papaz, etc., or maintaining the same model in Latvian. Debess tevs, "father sky".

The father located in the sky - the shining sky - corresponds to the deified earth fertilized by the sky (often in contrast to the light god - “dark”, “black”) as a female deity - the mother. Wed. in Homer, Demeter is the goddess of fertility (literally “earth-mother”), frig. "mother goddess", Russian. "earth" (coincidence in etymology) and partial correspondences: ancient Indian. prthivi matar, "mother earth", and the Hittites. Dagan-zipas, "soul of the earth" (see also in Art. Earth). A specialized mythological image of the earth is found in such Indo-European traditions as Iranian and Slavic: Avest. ArSdvI Sura Anahita (Ardvisura Anahita, goddess of fertility, fruit-bearing moisture), Russian. "mother of cheese earth" (where Sura is etymologically the same as "cheese"). The fruitful function of the earth is reflected in the common Indo-European mythological motif of man descended from the earth: cf. lat. homo, "man", Gothic. guina, lit. zmones, "people", words of the same root as "earth" - Lat. humus, lit. Zeme, etc. (cf. also the typologically similar motif of the origin of man from clay in ancient Near Eastern mythologies).

The presence of such complex combinations as ancient Indian. dyava-prthivf, “sky-earth,” gives reason to assume a mythological motif of the unity of heaven and earth as a certain ancient married couple - the progenitors of all things.

Man traces his ancestry from the earth as the feminine (maternal) principle; he dies, turns to dust, cf. Greek p(yut6b, “man”, i.e. “mortal”, Old Indian mr-ta-, Slavic 8ътыьь, “death”, and from another root - Hittite danduki, “mortal” in Tocharian on-uwaiine, "immortal", OE duine, "mortal man" (comparable with the designation "earth" from the root dui-, "two", in particular in Armenian erkin, "earth"). contrasts man with the immortal children of heaven - the gods, who overcome death with the help of the drink of immortality, Greek vextae, "nectar" from nek, "death" ter, "to overcome", Greek ytsrtzooi, "ambrosia", "drink of immortality".

From heaven as a masculine principle come his twin children, “sons of heaven” (Greek “Dioscuri”, Old Indian Divo napata, “sons of the god of heaven”, Lithuanian. Dievo suneliai, “sons of god”, Latvian. Dieva deli, “children of God”) and “daughter of the sky” (Old Indian Divas duhitar, “morning dawn - daughter of the sky”). The idea of twinning permeates mythology and cosmogony (see Twin myths), starting with the initial inseparability of heaven and earth (cf. their designation using one root dui-, “twins”, in the ancient Armenian hymn to Vahagnu - erkin, “earth”, erkir, "sky"). Typological analogies (and some ancient texts, in particular Greek and Anatolian) suggest an ancient mythological motif of the separation of heaven and earth (the ancient myth of Uranus and Gaia). According to the evidence of Indian, Greek and Baltic mythologies, a significant number of common motifs are restored associated with twin brothers who care for their sister or save her (at sea). The symbols of the twins are horses (among the ancient Indian Ashvins, cf. paired images of horses - roof ridges, etc. in the Germanic, Baltic and Slavic traditions). The connection of the divine twins with the cult of the horse, represented in completely coinciding rituals (sacrificing a horse, cf. Old Indian Ashvamedha, and burying a horse along with a person) in all ancient Indo-European traditions, allows us to give a chronological, and partly also spatial confinement of the Indo-European twin myth (the use of a horse in the harness of war chariots in the 3rd-2nd millennium BC, confirmed by archaeological materials). Wed. designations of the Great Bear as a chariot: Old High German wagan, "chariot", Middle Goll. woenswaghen, woonswaghen, "Wotan's cart", Russian. Voz, "Big Dipper", Sogd. ´nxr-wzn, "circle of the Zodiac", Mitainisk. Aryan uasanpa, "circle on the hippodrome", Old Indian vahana, "animal on which the gods ride", Old Indian. ratha, "chariot", lit. Ratai, Latvian. Rati, "Big Dipper", other Russian. Cola, "Ursa the Great Chariot", frig. "Big Dipper", Tokhar. A kukal, B kokale, “chariot”, etc.; Wed also other Indian designations of constellations derived from asvayuja, "horse cart", etc.

Horse symbolism, specific to the Indo-European twin cult, is also reflected in the name of the cult tree associated with twins: ancient ind. asvattha, asvattha (lit. "horse station"), the cosmic axis mundi, and in ritual pillars of similar function called "horses" (Low German Hengest, Horsa, Hengest and Horsa); Wed the prevalence of “horse” names in ancient Indo-European traditions (including the name of a special horse deity - the Gallic Epona, etc.).

Based on certain Indo-European traditions, the motive of heterosexual twins and incestuous relationships between twins is reconstructed. The most typical evidence of the myth of twin incest can be gleaned from the Vedic myth about Yama and his sister Yami, who tried to seduce him (characteristically, Yama was the first mortal, and later became the deity of death and the underworld; at the same time, a reflection of the Indo-Iranian image of Yama is found in Central Iranian Jamsid (Dzhamshid, cf. Avest. Iima), from *Yima-xsaeta, “Iima is the king” and Kafir Imra (from Yamarajan with the same meaning). In addition to the common Indo-European name for the “twin” *iemo, the name of another .-Il. of the mythological first man Ymir (Ymir), Old Irish e(a)main, “twin”; cf. Find-eamna, “triplets Fin” - three twin brothers whom the sister persuaded to enter into a marriage with her; a similar motif is found in the Central Iranian legend about the marriage of Yima (Iima) and his sister Yimak, which served as a precedent for similar marriages among the Zoroastrians, compare also the ancient Hittite myth about the marriage of thirty brothers - the sons of Queen Kanes and their thirty twin sisters, as well as the Slavic myth about the incest of Ivan and Marya, dedicated to the holiday of Kupala. It is possible that the Indo-European root *iemo- denoted not only the twin deity of fertility [the connection of fertility with incest and twin cult is confirmed typologically, cf. Latvian. Jumis (Yumis), “field deity, double fruit”], but also any combination of two different principles, including male and female (androgynous deity, cf. the image of Hermaphroditus as a combination of two mythological creatures, etc.). The motif of duality noted above in connection with heaven and earth is also found in the designation of the image of the world, cf. lat. imago (with the same root iem-, also Hittite himma with a similar meaning).

The prevalence of the incest motif and its association with the beginning of a whole marriage tradition and with the first man or the first king can find a historical parallel in the well-known custom of incest in the highest stratum of the hierarchical society of the ancient Eastern type.

After the separation of heaven and earth, the idea of binary is duplicated within the sky itself. Sun [Indo-European *s(a)ucl-n-, Old Ind. Surya, Surya, other Iran. x^runah, "farn, the solar highest good", lat. sol as feminine; Wed also a frequent female image of the “daughter of the sun”: ancient Indian. Duhita Suryasya, lit. Saules dukte, Latvian. Saules meita, slav. “the sun’s daughter”] and the month (Indo-European *me-n-s, Lithuanian menuo as the masculine principle) enter into a marriage relationship (the mythological motif of a heavenly wedding is most fully preserved in Baltic mythology). At the same time, this Indo-European mythological plot contains another precedent - the first betrayal (cf. Dennitsa and the motif of the morning star in Baltic and Slavic mythology, etc.). The image of the morning star often merges with the image of the morning dawn, denoted by an Indo-European root meaning “to dawn”; Wed other ind. Usas (Ushas), Greek. ´Hug (Eos), lat. Aurora (Aurora), OE Eastre, lit. Ausra (Aushra), Latvian. Usins (Usinsh).

In some traditions, the plot of a heavenly wedding involves the Thunderer in different guises - either a deceived husband or a judge who punishes the month for betraying the sun and cuts it in half. A characteristic feature of this myth is the presence of a wedding chariot, which belongs either to the sun (cf. the motif of the solar chariot, common in many mythologies), or to the Thunderer as the wedding organizer. The chariot and horses of the Thunderer, as well as the presence of such attributes as a stone or copper axe, sword, arrows, also make it possible to introduce this myth into a certain historical (early Bronze Age) context.

The name of the Thunderer is restored based on the coincidence of a number of ancient traditions. Wed. Lit. Perkunas (see Perkunas, Latvian. Perkons, Prussian Perkuns), slav. Regip, other Russian Perun, Perun (with numerous transformations on Slavic soil), other isl. Fjqrgyn, Fjorgun (mother of the thunderer Thor), ancient Indian. Parajanya- (Parjanya, the name of a god and at the same time a thundercloud), Hittite. Pirua-, Pirva.

The Thunderer and the main myth associated with him stand at the center of ancient I. m. The Thunderer is usually located above - in the sky, on a mountain, on a rock, on the top of a tree, especially an oak, in an oak mountain grove (cf. words related to the name of the Thunderer, as Latin quercus, "oak", Gothic faiguni, "rock", Hittite regipa-, "rock", Old Indian parvata-, "mountain", etc.). The core of the myth is the duel between the Thunderer and his opponent, for which the common Indo-European original name with the root *uel-, cf. other Russian Veles, Volos, lit. Velnias, Vielona (see Velnyas), Latvian. Veins, Vels (see Velo), other Indian. Vala (Vala), Vrtra (Vritra, cf. Varuna, Varuna), etc. The opponent of the thunderer is located below - under the mountain, under a tree, near the water, in his possession there are cattle as the main wealth and as a symbol of the other world - pastures: cf. the common Indo-European idea of the afterlife as a pasture where the souls of the dead graze,<л,ое Xti^u´ov, "елисейские поля", хетт. uellu, "луг", др.-исл. valhqll, "вальхалла", литов. vele, "душа умершего", velines, латыш, velu laiks, "день поминовения умерших", тохар. A walu, "мертвый", лувийск. ulant-, "мертвый". Противник громовержца, как повелитель загробного мира, связан с властью и богатством; ср. тохар. A wal, В walo, "царь", слав. *volstb, рус. "власть, владыка", словац. last, "собственность". Этот противник предстает в виде существа змеиной породы. Громовержец преследует его, убивает, рассекая на части и разбрасывая их в разные стороны, после чего освобождает скот и воды. Начинается плодоносящий дождь с громом и молнией.

These fragments of the myth are reconstructed with such reliability that the corresponding motifs can be expressed in linguistic form not only in relation to individual traditions, but also at the general Indo-European level: *gwhenti ng^im perunt-, “the snake strikes in relation to the rock” (on the rock, under with a rock, with the help of a stone tool - a rock); *ogniin (g´e)g´on-e dwo ak´men-, “generates fire with the help of two stones” (this formula describes both the mythological motive of carving fire - lightning with the help of a stone sky and a rock, and the corresponding ritual in which sacred fire was produced by striking two stones against each other); *perperti ng^im Per^n(t-s), “the thunderer, the god of the rock, strikes (hits/kills) the snake.” The formal structure of each of these fragments of the Indo-European myth is focused on repetition, playing out sound complexes denoting the names of the participants in the myth and the names of the main attributes. Different parts of such fragments can be considered as anagrams of the indicated names or designations of objects. Such a reconstruction reveals the undifferentiation of sound and semantic complexes: indications of place, subject, instrument of action, verb and its object are not completely distinguishable. Such semantic and sound connections not only form the core of a mythological text, but are also a tool for constructing and developing a myth, up to the creation of new motifs.

I.M. knows a number of names for snake-like monsters that belong to the class of creatures of the lower world, associated with water and with the chaotic principle and hostile to humans. In addition to the enemy of the Thunderer with a name from the root *uel-, this type of creatures includes such as *Budh: Old Indian. Ahi budhnya (Ahi Budhnya), “serpent of the depths”, where ahi, like other Iran. AJi dahaka (Azhi-Dahaka), "Fiery Serpent", naturally continues the Indo-European ´"ng^´hi, "serpent", found in the given fragments of the main myth; ancient Greek IItOtov, "Python", Serbian Badnjak, Badnyak Creatures associated with another, lower, watery world also symbolize fertility, wealth and vitality, correlating with one of the hypostases of the image of mother earth or, in general, the fruitful principle, cf. Indo-European *Ner-/*Nor-, presented as in female mythological images (Illyrian. Noreia, Italic. Sabine. Neria, Neriena; ancient German. Nerthus, Nertus, defined by Tacitus as terra mater, “mother earth”, Greek NT)QT)i6es, Nereids, daughters of the sea King Nereus; cf. also Hittite ^nnara and, at the level of fairy tales, Russian Norka), and in male names (Old Norse Njordr, Njord - sea god, Greek NT)()ei;g, Nereus - sea king, the name of the Ossetian mythological heroes - Narts). Around the same root peg-, which, apparently, was one of the most important designations of the lower world and its fruit-bearing properties, names and ideas about the underworld and the entrance to heaven are grouped (other .-ind. naraka, naraka, "hole", "underground kingdom", tohar. And yage, "underworld", glory. “hole”, etc.), about water (Old Indian naras, “water”, New Greek veoo, “water”, Lithuanian naras, “loon” - a water bird associated with the underworld and the act of creation world, etc.), about the sinister principle, sometimes symbolized by the left side (cf. Umbrian nertru "sinistro"), about the vital, fertile force (Hittite innara-, "strength", Luwian annarummi-, "strong ", Annurammenzi, "strong gods", Hittite. Innarauantes, Lit. noreti, "to want", narsas, "rage", "courage", etc.).

Another circle of mythological characters associated with the designation of the lower world unites a number of deities whose names go back to the Indo-European *Trit: ancient Indian Trita, Trita Aptya, “Trita of the Water” (cf. Hittite. Nar-, “god of the stream”, “god of streams” ", "god-judge" during ordeals), Avest. Orita, Qraetaona (Tpaetaona), etc., cf. also ancient Greek. TgiTtov (Triton) as a designation of a sea mythological character or stream, as well as irl. triath, "sea". Associated with these characters is the myth of the hero’s descent into a well (sometimes as a result of the betrayal of two older brothers); the name Trita itself probably means "third" (brother or world, which is so designated in comparison with the two previous worlds - heaven and earth). He falls into the lower world, obtains wealth or living water, which allows him to overcome death and return to life on earth (other options for descending to the underworld and traveling in the afterlife, for example, in the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice; cf. also the hero of Russian fairy tales about the three kingdoms, who is sometimes called Ivan Vodovich or Ivan the Third, Tretyak). The theme of the water kingdom is associated with another Indo-European myth, the main character of which is a deity named *Nep(o)t (lit. “nephew”, equal in rights to a son), cf. other ind. Apam Napat (Apam Napat), Avest. Arash Napat (Apam-Napat), lat. Neptunus (Neptune), Irish. Nechtan. The myth about this deity tells about a wonderful source - a well, hidden from view or containing treasures. After the hero of the myth approaches the source and goes around it three times or enters it three times (cf. the Trita motif as an indication of the trinity of the water kingdom), water emerges from the source, forming a lake or a triple stream that pursues the hero. In its flow, this stream reaches the mythical sea.

The antiquity of its origin those who tell us...

People have always sought to find out how they appeared, where the human race originates. Not knowing the answer to their question, they made guesses and composed legends. The myth of human origins exists in almost all religious beliefs.

But it was not only religion that tried to find the answer to this eternal question. As science developed, it also joined the search for truth. But within the framework of this article, emphasis will be placed on theories of human origin based precisely on religious beliefs and mythology.

In Ancient Greece

Greek mythology is known all over the world, so it is with it that the article begins to consider the myths that explain the origin of the world and man. According to the mythology of this people, in the beginning there was Chaos.

Gods emerged from it: Chronos, personifying time, Gaia - earth, Eros - the embodiment of love, Tartarus and Erebus - the abyss and darkness, respectively. The last deity born from Chaos was the goddess Nyukta, who symbolized the night.

Over time, these omnipotent creatures give birth to other gods and take over the world. Later they settled on the top of Mount Olympus, which from now on became their home.

The Greek myth about the origin of man is one of the most famous, as it is studied in the school curriculum.

Ancient Egypt

The Nile Valley civilization is one of the earliest, so their mythology is also very old. Of course, their religious beliefs also included a myth about the origin of people.

Here we can draw an analogy with the Greek myths already mentioned above. The Egyptians believed that in the beginning there was Chaos, in which Infinity, Darkness, Nothingness and Oblivion reigned. These forces were very strong and sought to destroy everything, but in contrast to them the Great Eight acted, of which 4 had a male appearance with the heads of frogs, and the other 4 had a female appearance with snake heads.

Subsequently, the destructive forces of Chaos were overcome, and the world was created.

Indian beliefs

In Hinduism there are at least 5 versions of the origin of the world and man. According to the first version, the world arose from the sound of Om produced by Shiva's drum.

According to the second myth, the world and man emerged from an “egg” (brahmanda) that came from outer space. In the third version there was “primary heat” that gave birth to the world.

The fourth myth sounds rather bloodthirsty: the first man, whose name was Purushi, sacrificed parts of his body to himself. The rest of the people emerged from them.

The latest version says that the world and man owe their origin to the breath of the god Maha-Vishnu. With every breath he takes, Brahmandas (universes) appear in which the Brahmas live.

Buddhism

In this religion there is no myth as such about the origin of people and the world. The dominant idea here is the constant rebirth of the universe, which appears from the very beginning. This process is called the wheel of Samsara. Depending on the karma that a living being has, in the next life he can be reborn into a more highly developed one. For example, a person who has led a righteous life will either be a human again, a demigod, or even a god in his next life.

Someone who has bad karma may not become a human at all, but may be born as an animal or a plant, or even an inanimate being. This is a kind of punishment for the fact that he lived a “bad” life.

There is no explanation in Buddhism about the very appearance of man and the whole world.

Viking beliefs

Scandinavian myths about the origin of man are not as well known to modern people as the Greek or Egyptian ones, but they are no less interesting. They believed that the universe emerged from the void (Ginugaga), and the rest of the material world arose from the torso of a bisexual giant named Ymir.

This giant was raised by the sacred cow Audhumla. The stones that she licked to get salt became the basis for the appearance of gods, including the main god of Scandinavian mythology, Odin.

Odin and his two brothers Vili and Ve killed Ymir, from whose body they created our world and man.

Ancient Slavic beliefs

As in most ancient polytheistic religions, according to Slavic mythology, in the beginning there was also Chaos. And in it lived the Mother of darkness and infinity, whose name was Sva. She once wanted a child for herself and created her son Svarog from a fiery embryo, and from the umbilical cord the serpent Fert was born, who became her son’s friend.

Sva, in order to please Svarog, took off the old skin from the snake, waved her hands and created all living things from it. Man was created in the same way, but a soul was put into his body.

Judaism

It is the first monotheistic religion in the world, from which Christianity and Islam originate. Therefore, in all three faiths, the myth about the origin of people and the world is similar.

Jews believe that the world was created by God. However, there are some discrepancies. Thus, some believe that the sky was created from the radiance of his clothes, the earth from the snow under his throne, which he threw into the water.

Others believe that God wove several threads together: he used two (fire and snow) to create his world, and two more (fire and water) went to create the sky. Later, man was created.

Christianity

This religion is dominated by the idea of creating the world from “nothing.” God created the entire world using his own power. It took him 6 days to create the world, and on the seventh he rested.

In this myth, which explains the origin of the world and man, people appeared at the very end. Man was created by God in his own image and likeness, therefore people are the “highest” beings on Earth.

And, of course, everyone knows about the first man Adam, who was created from clay. Then God made a woman from his rib.

Islam

Despite the fact that Muslim doctrine takes its roots from Judaism, where God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, in Islam this myth is interpreted somewhat differently.

There is no rest for Allah, he created the whole world and all living things in six days, but fatigue did not touch him at all.

Scientific theories of human origins

Today it is generally accepted that humans emerged through a long biological process of evolution. Darwin's theory states that humans evolved from higher primates, so humans and apes had a common ancestor in ancient times.

Of course, in science there are also different hypotheses regarding the appearance of the world and people. For example, some scientists put forward a version according to which man is the result of a merger of primates and alien aliens who visited the Earth in ancient times.

Today even bolder hypotheses have begun to appear. For example, there is a theory according to which our world is a virtual program, and everything that surrounds us, including the people themselves, is part of a computer game or program used by more developed beings.

However, such bold ideas without proper factual and experimental confirmation are not much different from myths about the origin of people.

Finally

This article examined various options for the origin of man: myths and religions, versions and hypotheses based on scientific research. Today no one can say with 100% certainty what actually happened. Therefore, each person is free to choose which theory to believe in.

The modern scientific world is inclined towards the Darwinian theory, since it has the largest and best evidence base, although it also has some inaccuracies and shortcomings.

Be that as it may, people strive to get to the bottom of the truth, so more and more new hypotheses, evidence appear, experiments and observations are carried out. Perhaps in the future it will be possible to find the only correct answer.