Putting aside the fact that a lot of creation myths say we were made out of soil, which is quite accurate as we contain a high amount of carbon, a lot of myths also speak about a great flood and there are other similarities. Do you think some myths contain actual world shaping events interpreted as best as ancient man could?
Myths and what they have in common?
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Rhonda Tharp
Active Member
Hmmm, let's see...
In European culture's we typically see one or two beings (Donn/Danu, Ymir, Gaia), but the farther we travel East to Asia, there seems to be this swirling waters of chaos (in Egypt too, called Nun)
In European culture's we typically see one or two beings (Donn/Danu, Ymir, Gaia), but the farther we travel East to Asia, there seems to be this swirling waters of chaos (in Egypt too, called Nun)
Rhonda Tharp
Active Member
Yes, I think some myths contain actual events.
I recall seeing a documentary about the Dark Ages and whether or not it was figuratively or literally dark. Many historians had claimed that is was called the Dark Ages because it was sad, dreary and miserable times, unorganized governments, epidemics, wars, etc... but a team of scientists were taking an interest in this concept of the Dark Ages actually being dark. With the legendary figures of Artwar and Myrrhdyn or Arthur and Merlin, the scientists also looked at their stories and how it may have been a product of the dark ages. (Historians have so many different dates for King Arthur. Dark Ages were said to be from 0-500 CE) When Arthur came back from searching for the Holy Grail he had discovered that Lancelot and Guinivere had had an affair. When the King and Queen are no longer "stable" or in love, the marriage suffers, thus the country and kingdom suffer, and supposedly when their affair was found out, the country fell into a gray, dreary, infertile place. Well, the scientists had discovered from drilling ice in the Antarctic, that the ice contained high levels of ash. This got the scientists dating the ice from 350-400 CE. So they set out and looked at other countries' documents from that time period that would establish any kind of climatic event dealing with ash. Was it a meteroid, a volcanic explosion, etc? The scientists discovered that Japan, Turkey, and other European countries had all indicated a huge event of catastrophic proportions, and the scientists were able to prove that somewhere near Japan there was a huge volcanic eruption that spewed ash into the atmosphere and covered most of the earth, and put it in darkness for 3-5 years. Nothing grew as you could imagine, and people starved. I would like to believe that there is a correlation to the legends and myths that came from this time, and it also explains why this time period was called the Dark Ages. Imagine living in Europe, having no idea that a volcanic eruption had caused the sun to be blocked out of the sky for years... no wonder they needed a scape goat to blame the string of bad luck - crop failures, people dying, etc.
I recall seeing a documentary about the Dark Ages and whether or not it was figuratively or literally dark. Many historians had claimed that is was called the Dark Ages because it was sad, dreary and miserable times, unorganized governments, epidemics, wars, etc... but a team of scientists were taking an interest in this concept of the Dark Ages actually being dark. With the legendary figures of Artwar and Myrrhdyn or Arthur and Merlin, the scientists also looked at their stories and how it may have been a product of the dark ages. (Historians have so many different dates for King Arthur. Dark Ages were said to be from 0-500 CE) When Arthur came back from searching for the Holy Grail he had discovered that Lancelot and Guinivere had had an affair. When the King and Queen are no longer "stable" or in love, the marriage suffers, thus the country and kingdom suffer, and supposedly when their affair was found out, the country fell into a gray, dreary, infertile place. Well, the scientists had discovered from drilling ice in the Antarctic, that the ice contained high levels of ash. This got the scientists dating the ice from 350-400 CE. So they set out and looked at other countries' documents from that time period that would establish any kind of climatic event dealing with ash. Was it a meteroid, a volcanic explosion, etc? The scientists discovered that Japan, Turkey, and other European countries had all indicated a huge event of catastrophic proportions, and the scientists were able to prove that somewhere near Japan there was a huge volcanic eruption that spewed ash into the atmosphere and covered most of the earth, and put it in darkness for 3-5 years. Nothing grew as you could imagine, and people starved. I would like to believe that there is a correlation to the legends and myths that came from this time, and it also explains why this time period was called the Dark Ages. Imagine living in Europe, having no idea that a volcanic eruption had caused the sun to be blocked out of the sky for years... no wonder they needed a scape goat to blame the string of bad luck - crop failures, people dying, etc.
LegendofJoe
Active Member
According to another theory I heard is that during the melting of the last Ice Age some ten thousand years ago, the water had no place to go around the area of the Black Sea. Back then the Black Sea was only a lake, but it filled with water very quickly, and the people in the area had to move out from its shore in a hurry. It must have felt like the whole world was being submerged, and over the years the story spread throughout the world.
That's interesting Rhonda, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around that theory. If a major vulcaninc eruption or any other event that would have caused nuclear winter for 3-5 years would have taken place, I'm sure the scientific community would be all over it. Putting that aside, blocking out the sun for 3-5 years would have meant mass extinction and even if the human race had survived, we would still be feeling it's effects.
Rhonda Tharp
Active Member
I'm not completely sold on it either, I just thought it was interesting and possible.
See link for more info: http://www.ees1.lanl.gov/Wohletz/Krakatau.htm