SHARED STORIES: 10 COMMON MYTHS ACROSS THE WORLD (PART 2)

In our last post, we looked at how some myths are similar across the world. And today, I would like us to pause and reflect as we continue unravelling this great mystery. Looking at the facts available, many questions spring up----How can stories from ancient civilizations have so much in common, and could there be some truth to it? Or is there a more logical explanation for why people who do not even speak a similar language have so many mythical stories in common?

Photocredit: Deviant Art

I’ll leave you to muse on these as we continue to countdown till our final pick. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of mythical stories and a thousand resources online if you are willing to fan your curiosity and increase your knowledge on ancient mythologies.

Photo credit: Rowanwindwhistler/Wikimedia

5. A God’s Resurrection: The resurrection of Jesus is the main selling point of Christianity, a one-of-a-kind event that confirmed Christ as the only real saviour. But the concept of a dying god or significant human being resurrecting from the dead has been around for millennia. The most famous example is the myth of Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god whose birth was announced by a star, who was deceived by a friend, slaughtered, and then resurrected. There are, however, less explicit variations. The leader of the Greek religion of Dionysus was murdered off every two years, only to rise again at a later era. Persephone also died on a regular basis, and many pagan tales from Scandinavia to Central America featured gods dying and rising again, or mankind dying and rising again. Perhaps most interestingly of all, a historical tablet known as “Gabriel’s Revelation” allegedly tells the story of a Jewish rebel known as Simon who was killed by the Romans, only to be resurrected three days later. The catch? It was written in 4 BC, over 30 years before Jesus rose from the dead.

Photocredit: allhdwallpapers

4. Dragons: Dragons are probably the most travelled creatures in legend. They, more than vampires, have a propensity of appearing in nations and cultures that are so far apart in time and space that you'd think it was impossible. There are old Sumerian tablets that chronicle the act of dragon-slaying. Greek legends of dragons frolicking with other monsters, and a whole science based in China on the usage of their bones. The Mayans of Central America worshiped the feathered snake Quetzalcóatl, and dragons are mentioned in both Norse and Christian legends. Even as late as 1886, Victorian scientists believed that dragons previously existed but had since been extinct.

Photo credit: Bibi Saint-Pol

3. The Hero’s Quest: Most of us, consciously or not, are undoubtedly familiar with Homer's poetry, thanks to the odd self-indulgent film versions. His epic narratives of anguished heroes battling their way across seas and continents in quest of symbolic redemption are considered the oldest instances of Western literature, and they occur in almost similar form in practically every culture. It's known as the "hero's journey," and nearly all epic stories throughout history have followed the same pattern. George Lucas famously based the original Star Wars on it, and its influence may be found in The Lord of the Rings, the Oz novels, and even Harry Potter. However, this iconic tale existed long before anthropologists passed it up to scriptwriters. The myth of the hero’s journey can be seen in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh, the narrative of Sinbad the Sailor in the 1,001 Nights, King Arthur's legend, the tale of the Argonauts... all of these and many more follow the pattern of the hero's journey. Almost every civilization in recorded history contains myths that fit under this category. This idea is even supported by Moses' epic wanderings in the Bible.

Source: Pinterest

2. Explanations of life: Cultural myths do more than merely entertain us and document historical occurrences. They also explain why things are the way they are. As a result, there is an array of tales trying to provide an explanation for some enigma of existence. The Tower of Babel is mentioned in the Bible, and it explains why we have diverse languages. Another example is God's speech before exiling Adam and Eve from Eden, in which he explains both the misery of childbirth and why ancient man had to toil all day in the fields. Travel across cultures to the myths of the Ancient Greeks, and the narrative of Prometheus reveals why fire is so vital, while the story of Pandora explains why sickness and misery exist. Look closer and you'll find these explanatory myths in every society throughout history. Myths explain why rhinoceroses have no hairs, why incest is outlawed, and how medicine came to be. Anything that comes to mind has a mythical explanation.

Source: Pinterest

1. The Apocalypse: Everything that begins has an end, and our ancient forefathers understood this as clearly as we do. It's no wonder, therefore, that most societies have an ‘End-of-the-World’ myth to go along with their origin story. For Christians, the apocalypse is a massive epic that spans many years and encompasses so many disasters, wars, and tragedies that would unfold before the final curtains close, The same goes for the Norse Ragnarok, which is a series of tragedies and wars that end in the Earth being flooded and remade from scratch. In Hinduism, there’s a great fight and then a new universe. While in Buddhism the world ends in fire—a sight worthy of its own blockbuster thriller. In other words, throughout history, most people have had their own description of how everything ends, one that makes sense in the context of their lives and societies.

Also, did you know that a number of films, songs, and books were inspired from numerous cultural mythical stories. An example is 'The Lord of the Ring Triology' a book later adapted for film that gained global recognition. You can find out more about the mythology that inspired the story through the video below.

Thanks for reading through. :)