Oldest myth

magickz

Active Member
It seems the question of "what is the oldest myth" might be the hardest question to answer. Does anyone here have any insight? I have read up a bit on it but it seems people are seriously debating between a few of the top three or four.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
In a book called Ecstacies: Deciphering the Witches Sabbath, the author tries to show that much of what the so-called witches were concerned about was riding out with a figure from folklore, and then coming back. It is a type of death conquest. The actual idea that even though people die, maybe there are a few that can glimpse death, but not actually die. He suggests at the end of the book that this is perhaps the oldest story.
I found it intrigueing.
In many myths there is a hero who visits the land of the dead, only to come back with a gift!
With peoples' concern since the beginning of time of the finality of death, maybe the first story is about actually the defeat of death?
 

fibi ducks

Active Member
there's maybe an assumption here that the myths aren't true. its worth pointing out cos if we did believe them then this question would be easier to approach. I mean I would say ""well, obviously the creation of the world is the oldest story. you know, there was a cow, and it began to sweat heavily, ..." or whatever. that seems a funny idea to us i guess. and that shows how far away we tend to be from the spirit of the stories.
 
Interesting question.

I would guess that the oldest myth would find its provenance in Sumerian or Mesopotamian mythologies. I understand that scholars believe their documented mythologies to be the oldest, or one of the oldest found.

As fascinating as their lore is, I don't know a thing about it, and the book that seems to be the definitive work on the subject is duly expensive. Perhaps someday...
 

fibi ducks

Active Member
It seems the question of "what is the oldest myth" might be the hardest question to answer. Does anyone here have any insight? I have read up a bit on it but it seems people are seriously debating between a few of the top three or four.
Hi MagickZ,
what are the main contenders in the current debate?
 

Nadai

Active Member
According to the Greeks, the world began with them.
After Lycaaon angered Zeus, Zeus flooded the world and only Deucalion and Phyrra were left. Phyrra was told by an oracle of Apollo to take up the bones (rocks) of her mother (Earth) and cast them behind her. She did this and from the stones grew mankind.
...
One day Io was spotted by Zeus and raped. Hera appeared and, so he would not be suspected, he transformed her into a cow and gave her to his wife. Hera, the fool that she is not, took Io and gave her to Argus to guard. Zeus, realizing what Hera had done, sent his son Hermes to rescue her. After dispatching Argus, Hermes took her, but unfortunately it was not the end of Io's suffering. Hera sent a gadfly to torture poor Io during her years of wondering.
When Zeus finally took pity on Io and returned her to her human form, she gave birth to sons in (I think) Egypt first, then many other countries, thus spreading Greek blood around the world.
 

LegendofJoe

Active Member
Stories about the origins of the universe are not necessarily the oldest stories even though it might seem intuitive at first.
China is a great example. In Kirk Bodde's essay in The Mythologies of the Ancient World, the story of Yu and the flood, which is placed
long after the creation of the world, is believed to be much older than the tale of Pangu, a giant that is instrumental to the origins of the world.
 
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