Myth Paragraphs

Chelan Myth

The Chelan creation story we read employed some of the themes discussed in class. This myth, although not as well as the myth last night, displayed elements of four. There are four wolf brothers, and the beaver is split in to twelve parts, twelve being a multiple of four. It also shows equality between man and animal, one of the recurring themes discussed in class. Of the seven types of creation myths, this one is clearly a Deus Faber myth. There is only one god and he makes everything, which is exactly what a Deus Faber myth is.

Nick Upper

English

8/26/12

Raven Myth

            The Raven Myth is a story about how light was brought to the earth. One of the key themes employed in the story was the seed of life. When Raven turned into a seed, he then turned into a baby, turning a seed into life. The story also puts a lot of importance on children, because the chief puts a lot of trust in his grandchild while they are playing. The story also does not name any of the characters as the chief is simply called chief.

Nick Upper

English

8/27/12

Thrown Away and Lodge Boy.

1.                  This myth really puts a lot of emphasis on the importance of children. Lodge-Boy and Thrown Away, both children, are able to outwit all of their adversaries and even their own father. The children were an important part in Native American culture, as this theme is seen throughout, not only this myth, but almost all Native American myths.

2.                  The main fantastic element in this myth other than the magic shoes is the mother coming back to life. Other than separate magic items, the only fantastic elements are the strength of family, and rebirth.

3.                  Yes, the boys are heroes. They enter the ordinary world, they are born. They are called to adventure; Lodge-Boy plays with thrown away. The refusal, they don’t come together right away. Meeting the mentor, the dad brings them together. The initial threshold is the first tasks that their dad assigns. The innermost cave is the old man’s mountain home, where they return with different rewards. Finally, thunder bird calls them to take on the big bad guy, where they return alive and successful.

Nick Upper

English

8/28/12

            The hair string myth is a very repetitive and very confusing myth. Unlike the past myths, it does not feature animals. One of the elements in the myth is the single chief; it starts out as the actual chief and then transitions to the son. This myth was very confusing to me because it kept using the same words for each different scenario, whether it was a visit to the daughters, or a trip into the woods. This myth is not a creation myth and therefore does not employ any of the cosmogonic themes.

Nick Upper

English

8/23/12

Yokut Myth

            The Yokut myth is a clear example of earth diver. The duck in the story dives to the bottom of the sea so that Crow and Eagle can make the earth. The myth also shows how food is the driving force Duck keeps getting mud for Crow and Eagle because they provide him with fish to eat. The only true example of anthropomorphism in the story is that the animals are talking, because otherwise they perform solely animal actions.

Sedna Myth

This myth is by far the most confusing one we have read so far. It includes a few, if any of the elements discussed in class. It could hardly be considered a creation myth, because all that is created are the animals. However, it is still a good example of a secretion myth, because he fingers become different sea creatures. While reading this myth, particularly the ending, it seemed more like a Greek or Roman myth rather than a Native American myth. One of the parallels between the two is that the main character has a name, Sedna, and she eventually becomes a god.