Chinese myths about human origins have several variants.

The first Chinese myth about the origin of man

The beginning of the beginning was laid in the primeval water chaos of Hun-tun, which was similar to egg. And around in the impenetrable darkness, images wandered around, devoid of any form. It was in this egg-shaped structure that Pan-gu was born. For a long time he slept soundly, and when he woke up, he saw only darkness around, and then Pan-gu became so sad. Wanting to get out, he broke the shell. Some of the fragments rose up and became the sky, called Yang, the other part of the rougher and heavier fragments sank down and turned into the earth - Yin. To create the Universe, Pan-gu used five components: water, wood, earth, fire and metal. When the creator of the universe took a breath, it began to rain and the wind howled; exhaled - a thunderstorm immediately began, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. When Pan-gu's eyes were open, it was day on the planet; when he closed them, everything around became dark, and night fell.

Pan-gu really liked the creation of his own hands, and he was very afraid of losing it all again. The mighty Pan-gu stood firmly on his feet, raised his hands up and rested his hands on the sky, now the earth and sky could not unite again and create primeval chaos. It stood like that for eighteen thousand years, and every day the distance between earth and sky increased. Now they will no longer be able to unite in any way, and Pan-gu’s duty is fulfilled. He powerlessly dropped his hands, lay down on the ground and fell asleep eternal sleep. According to legend, his eyes turned into the moon and the sky, his blood gave rise to large rivers, and his bones turned into huge stones. People on earth appeared from those insects that crawled over the dead body of Pan-gu.

Second Chinese myth about the origin of man also beautiful and a little sad. According to its plot, the creators of people are considered to be the son and daughter of the majestic Shen-nun - the god of the seas and water. Fu-si and Nü-wu lived on the top of the sacred mountain Kun-lun and had the appearance of half snake and half man. Moreover, the upper part was similar to a human form, but the body and legs were similar to a sea serpent. Of these two twins, Noah is considered the ancestor of all people on earth. The first version of the legend tells that Noah was able to give birth to a certain lump that had no shape at all. Then she took this lump in her hands and divided it into many small lumps. She threw these small particles so that they scattered all over the earth. In place of each fallen lump, people appeared. The second option says that one day, sitting on the shore of a pond, Noy-va, in her own image and likeness, molded a small clay figurine, which came to life and turned out to be very welcoming and friendly. And then Noah came up with a wonderful idea: to sculpt many such figures. She really wanted these friendly creatures to populate the whole earth. Sculpting such figures was very slow, and Noy-va found a solution: she took a long vine in her hands, lowered it into wet clay, and shook it above the ground. In an instant, the clay scattered into small lumps, and a person appeared from each small piece. But the land is very large and Noah could not stick together enough people to populate the entire territory. Then she decided to give the little men feminine and masculinity, separate them in pairs and order them to live in peace and harmony and have children. Fu-si, in turn, taught the human race useful things: to get food for themselves, to kindle a fire, to cook food. Gave musical instrument, gave the first basics of science, or rather eight trigrams. And people lived happily: no one was at enmity, animals and people lived in peace, nature bestowed them with its riches. But one day the spirits of water and fire quarreled and started a war. Victory was for the spirit of fire Ju-zhun, and the spirit of water Gun-gun was so desperate that with all his might he hit his head on the mountain, which was a support for the sky. The sky broke in several places, and water poured out of the resulting holes, sweeping away everything in its path. Noah-va rushed with all her might to save the earth from disaster. She melted the pebbles and filled the hole in the sky with them. The pebbles froze and turned into stars. Noah was able to return order and calm to the earth. Now she deserves a rest. Some say that Noah died, and others say that she flew to heaven and from there keeps order on earth.

The history of the origin of man from the ape, despite its numerous confirmations, is still called into question. Let's figure out what is a myth in evolution and what is reality.

10. Most scientists do not agree with the theory of the origin of man from apes

Scientists from various disciplines have been arguing about the origins of man for a very long time. The hypothesis put forward by Charles Darwin is now being questioned for a number of reasons. Yes, man, of course, has more similarities with monkeys than with other inhabitants of the Earth. However, this is not proof that humans evolved from apes. The opinion of geneticists contradicts the fact of the origin of humans from monkeys. Scientific world suggests that most likely, these two species: humans and monkeys, apart from the similarity of behavior and external similarity, have nothing more in common.

9. Fossils found by scientists - who are they? Ancestors of ancient people or ancient monkeys?

The remains found by anthropologists relate to both ancient humans and ancient apes. Surprisingly, even scientists find it very difficult to determine which species these or other finds belong to. This suggests that the differences, at least superficially, between humans and apes ancient world were minimal. This fact confirms Darwin's theory of human origins.

8. A pig is more similar to humans in genetics than a monkey

Indeed, pig heart valves are transplanted into people, however, we are not talking about whole organs. Perhaps this is a matter for the future. But geneticists categorically disagree that humans descended from artiodactyls. Yes, some pig tissues take root in humans, but this has nothing to do with genes. Interestingly, stem cells from animals such as mice are used to create artificial skin for humans. It turns out that the similarity between humans and pigs is a myth that has no place in real life. And the fact that pigs are used as donors for organ transplants is true. There are many pigs on the planet, there are many more of them than monkeys, so they are used.

7. Darwin's theory is based primarily on the external similarity between humans and apes

In fact, the use of external similarities as the main evidence of the similarity of species was only possible many centuries ago. Today, the theory of the origin of man from the ape is based on genetic, anatomical, embryological, paleontological, biochemical and behavioral similarities. It turns out there are a lot of points of contact between humans and monkeys as species. This once again confirms Darwin's theory.

6. Charles Darwin decided to renounce his theory towards the end of his life

This myth appeared only in 1915 and has nothing to do with reality. Charles Darwin never renounced main theory own life. We will not find confirmation of the rumor either in the writer’s autobiography or in the memoirs of his friends and relatives. The legend of abdication came out of nowhere and made a lot of noise in the press, but it remained an unconfirmed fiction.

5. Various fossil human ancestors were described from just one find

In fact, anthropologists study a lot of findings before making a definite conclusion. However, as a rule, only the first discoveries are remembered and go down in history. One of the first finds was the well-known Lucy, who is considered to be the ape-ancestor of man. In schools and others educational institutions When studying history, it is Lucy who is most often mentioned, forgetting to talk about the other remains found.

4. It is impossible to accurately determine the age of the bones found

IN modern world you can easily find out the age of certain remains. To do this, there are more than ten different high-precision methods that are constantly used by scientists to study the age of found remains. For example, the bones of the first australopithecus, whose name was Lucy, are more than 2.5 million years old - this age was determined using different types analysis: potassium-argon and track division method. Both analyzes performed showed approximately the same results with acceptable errors.

3. It is actually impossible to reconstruct the appearance of ape-like ancestors. It is only a fiction of scientists

The reconstruction method is related to the structural features of human bones. It has been proven that soft tissues are formed depending on the human bones. Therefore, by studying the bones, we can draw a conclusion about a person’s appearance. This method is widely applicable, in addition to anthropology, in criminology. Mikhail Gerasimov made a number of great scientific discoveries related to this method, and he himself repeatedly recreated the external images of people based on the found remains. Reconstruction today is in an exact way recreating the external image of ancient ancestors.

2. Most of the evidence found for the origin and evolution of man from apes is fake

Yes, forgeries have a place in the world of evidence of the origin of man from apes. However, fakes, among other finds, can be counted on one hand. In addition, scientists can easily detect forged finds using various analyzes and do not attach any importance to them. of great importance. Therefore, to say that the entire evolution of the origin of man from the ape is just a fiction is a mistake. Counterfeits are not given any attention and no one takes them seriously, such things are easy to detect.

1. Anthropologists have found too few finds to draw any conclusions based on them

If we are honest and take a good look at the world of discoveries made by anthropologists, then we can confidently say that there is plenty of evidence for evolution. All the remains found number hundreds and thousands of the most important specimens, each of which is a separate proof of the origin of man. Therefore, scientists cannot be reproached for allegedly building their conclusions from scratch. Today, the world is full of facts that confirm Charles Darwin's theory of human origins.

Every nation has its own mythology concerning the origin of all things. It should be noted that different mythologies have much in common. In ancient times, people assumed that the land arose from the endless and timeless ocean, from chaos, from the conflict between paternal and maternal gods. Below are the most interesting myths about the creation of the world different nations.

Among the Sumerians

In Mesopotamia 4 thousand years BC. e. one of the most ancient human civilizations arose. This was the state of Akkad, which later gave rise to such powers as Assyria and Babylon. Akkad was inhabited by the Sumerians, an ancient highly developed people. These people believed that originally there was a god and goddess - Alsou (god of fresh water) and Tiamat (goddess of salt water).

They lived independently of each other and never crossed paths. But it so happened that at some point the salty and fresh waters mixed up. And then the elder gods appeared - the children of Tiamat and Alsou. Behind the elders appeared a large number of younger gods. And they all felt cramped and uncomfortable in the world around them.

To return to the original balance, the god Alsou and the goddess Tiamat decided to destroy their children. A battle began, which ended unsuccessfully for the cruel celestials. The son of Enki defeated Alsou. He killed his father and cut his body into 4 parts. They turned into seas, land, rivers and fire. Tiamat also fell, struck by the younger god Marduk. Her severed body turned into wind and storms. After the destruction of Alsou and Tiamat, Marduk became the main one, taking possession of a certain artifact “Me”. He determined the movement and fate of the entire surrounding world.

Iranians

Myths about the creation of the world among different nations found their continuation among the Iranians. According to their ideas, the history of the world was divided into 4 large periods. During the first period there were prototypes of everything that subsequently appeared on Earth. This is the so-called invisible or spiritual period.

The second period was characterized by the creation of the visible or real world. The main creator Ahura Mazda was engaged in this. The Sun, Moon, stars, sky, the first man and the first bull were created. But Ahriman intervened in the creations of the main creator. He sent death to the first man and the first bull. But by this time a man and a woman had already been born, from whom the human race came, and from the first bull all the animals came.

In the third period, a shining kingdom appears, headed by King Yima. In this kingdom there is no cold, heat, old age, envy, or greed. The noble king saves people and animals from the Great Flood. And in the fourth period, the prophet Zoroaster appears, bringing people goodness and truth about the universe. He said that after him his sons would appear, and the last of them would decide the fate of the world and humanity. He will resurrect the righteous, destroy evil and defeat Ahriman. After this, the world will be cleansed, and what remains will acquire eternal existence.

The Chinese

The ancient Chinese believed that the entire world was once shaped like a huge chicken egg. It was in it that the god Pangu was born. At first he was in a state of sleep for several thousand years, and then he woke up and decided to get out of the egg. To do this, he cut through the shell with an ax, and his two divine principles formed heaven and earth. Pangu stood on the ground and supported the sky with his head. God sighed and the wind rose, exhaled and thunder roared. He opened his eyes and day came, he closed them and night fell on the ground.

In accordance with Greek mythology At first Chaos reigned in the world. From it the land of Gaia emerged, and in its depths the abyss of Tartarus formed. Nikta - night and Erebus - darkness were also generated. The night, in turn, gave birth to Tanat - death and Gipson - sleep. From her also came Eris, the goddess of rivalry and discord. She created hunger, sorrow, murder, lies, exhausting labor. Erebus entered into contact with Nikto, and Aether with a shining day was born. Gaia gave birth to Uranus, that is, the sky, and from its depths mountains rose and the sea overflowed - Pontus.

After this, Gaia and Uranus gave birth to the Titans. These are Oceanus, Tethys, Iapetus, Hyperion, Crius Theia, Kay, Phoebe, Themis, Mnemosa, Kronos, Rhea. Kronos entered into an alliance with Gaia and overthrew Uranus. Having seized power, he married his sister Rhea. From them came a new tribe of gods. But Kronos was afraid that his children would seize power from him, so he swallowed the next child immediately after birth. However, Rhea managed to hide one of the newborns in Crete. It turned out to be Zeus. When he grew up, he defeated Kronos and forced him to vomit up all the children he had eaten. These are Aida, Poseidon, Hera, Demeter, Hestia. Thus ended the era of the Titans, and they were replaced by the gods of Olympus.

Among the ancient Egyptians

The ancient Egyptians considered Atum to be the father of everything, who arose from Nun, the primordial ocean. At that time there was no earth and sky. Atum simply grew into the ocean like a huge hill. He took off from the water, soared above it, cast magic spells and another hill appeared. Atum sat on it and vomited out the god of air Shu and the goddess of water Teftun. Then he began to cry, and people appeared from his tears. From Shu and Teftun appeared Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys. It was Osiris who became the first god to be killed and resurrected for an eternal afterlife.

Among the ancient Slavs

And, of course, when considering the myths about the creation of the world among different peoples, one cannot ignore the ancient Slavs. They believed that in the beginning only Darkness existed. It contained the progenitor Rod, enclosed in an egg. He gave birth to Love, and with its help he destroyed the shell. After this, Love supplanted Darkness, and Rod created two kingdoms - the heavenly and the under-celestial.

In the celestial kingdom, he separated the ocean from the firmament, the Sun came out of his face, and the Moon appeared from his heart. From Rod's breath arose the wind, from his tears rain, hail and snow appeared. The voice became thunder and lightning. After this, Rod reproduced Svarog, and he created the change of day and night. This is how all things were born, giving life to people, animals and fish.

These are the myths about the creation of the world that exist among different peoples. At first glance, these are beautiful fairy tales. But in every fairy tale there is always some truth. And therefore you should not indifferently brush aside mythologies. They need to be studied, compared and tried to comprehend the true meaning of these amazing and beautiful stories..

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 tales 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 historical development a more or less developed mythology existed among almost all peoples known to science, so 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 appeared oldest form 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:

Very often these motives are combined in one myth: detailed description the original state ends 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 legend of Prometheus, cousin 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”. Highest value In the cultural and historical process, eschatological ideas formulated in the famous biblical “Apocalypse” played a role: the second coming of Christ is coming - He will come not as a victim, but as a 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.

2 ANCIENT MYTHS ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD AND PEOPLE.

2 FEATURES OF MYTHOLOGICAL REPRESENTATIONS

2 ABOUT SOCIETY AND PERSON.

1) What is a myth? Origin of the myth.

3) Features of mythological consciousness.

11) What is a myth? Origin of the myth.

What are myths? In the ordinary understanding, this is primarily an antique

nal, biblical and other ancient “tales” about the creation of the world and mankind

ka, stories about the deeds of the ancient gods and heroes - Zeus, Apollo, Dionysus -

behold, Hercules, the Argonauts, who were looking for the “Golden Fleece”, the Trojan War and the evil-

the dreams of Odysseus.

The word "myth" itself is of ancient Greek origin and means

namely “tradition”, “legend”. To the European peoples up to the XVI-XVII

centuries Only the famous Greek and Roman worlds were known to this day.

ugh, later they became aware of the Arab, Indian, German, Slavic-

some Indian tales and their heroes. Over time, first to scientists, and then

and the myths of the peoples of Australia, Oceania became available to a wider public

Asia, Africa. It turned out that the basis of the holy books of Christians, Muslims

mans, Buddhists also lie various mythologies that have undergone processing -

ical legends.

What is surprising: it was discovered that at a certain stage of historical

Whose development more or less developed mythology existed practically

universally among 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 the myth should be sought

is that mythological consciousness was the oldest form of understanding

and understanding the world, understanding nature, society and man. Myth arose from

the needs of ancient people to understand the natural and social environment around them

al element, the essence of man.

The features of this way of understanding the world will be discussed below.

However, after we consider the question of the content of mythical tales,

2) The main thematic cycles of myths and their content.

Among the whole multitude of mythical legends and stories, it is customary to highlight

There are several 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 humanity

whom society,

* myths about cultural heroes - myths about the origin and introduction of certain

other cultural benefits,

* 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.

2Cosmogonic myths 0 are usually divided into two groups:

1development myths 0 | 1creation myths

In development myths, the origins of mi-|In creation myths, the emphasis is on

ra and the Universe is explained by the evolutionary statement that the world was created

tion, the transformation of some formlessness- |from some initial elements-

small initial state, |tov (fire, water, air, earth)

preceding the world and the Universe. | supernatural being - god,

This can be chaos (ancient Greek - | sorcerer, creator (the creator can

what mythology), non-existence (ancient Egypt - | have the appearance of a person or animal -

Petskaya, Scandinavian and other mythological-|loons, crows, coyotes).The most famous

gia)"...everything was able to -|an example of the creation myths - biblical

news, everything is cold, everything is in silence - | the story of the seven days of creation: “And say-

ni: everything motionless, quiet, and simple - | hall God: let there be light... and separated

the space of heaven was empty..." - from | God is light from darkness. And God called light

myths of Central America. |by day and darkness by night..."

Very often these motives are combined in one myth: detailed description

the initial state ends with a detailed story about the circumstances

developments in the creation of the Universe.

2Anthropogonic myths 0 are an integral part of the myths of cosmogonic

kikh.According to many myths, man is created and a wide variety of

materials: nuts, wood, ashes, clay. Most often, the creator creates first

first a man, then a woman. The first person is usually endowed with the gift of immortality -

tia, but he loses it and becomes at the origins of mortal humanity

(this is the biblical Adam, who ate the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and

evil). Some peoples had a statement about the origin of man

from an animal ancestor (monkey, bear, raven, swan).

2Myths about cultural heroes 0 tell how humanity took over

the secrets of crafts, agriculture, sedentary life, the use of fire - otherwise

speaking about how certain cultural benefits were introduced into his life. The most

a famous myth of this kind is the ancient Greek legend of Prome-

thee, cousin of Zeus. Prometheus (literally translated - “thinking

before", "foresighted") endowed wretched people with reason, taught them to build

houses, ships, doing crafts, wearing clothes, counting, writing and chi-

thief, distinguish between seasons, make sacrifices to the gods, tell fortunes, introduced the go-

state principles and rules of life together. Prometheus gave to man

fire, for which he was punished by Zeus: chained to the Caucasus mountains, he suffered

he suffers terrible torment - an eagle pecks out his liver, he grows daily -

singing again.

2Eschatological myths 0 tell about the fate of humanity, about the coming

"end of the world" and the onset of the "end of times". The greatest significance in culture

eschatological ideas played a role in the historical-historical process

ideas formulated in the famous biblical “Apocalypse”: coming

the second coming of Christ - He will come not as a sacrifice, but as a Terrible Su-

diya, subjecting the living and the dead to Judgment. The “end of times” will come, and the

the wicked will be predestined to eternal life, and the sinners to eternal torment.

13) Features of mythological consciousness 0.

The above is enough to confirm the statement formulated above.

thought: myths arose from the urgent need of people to explain

origins, nature, people, structure of the world, predict the fate of man -

quality. The method of explanation itself has specific character and indigenous

different from scientific form explanations and analysis of the world. What

What features distinguish mythological consciousness?

* In myth, man and society do not distinguish themselves from the natural environment

elements: nature, society and man are fused into a single whole, inseparable -

new, united,

* There are no abstract concepts in myth, everything in it is very concrete, personal

fictified, animated,

* Mythological consciousness thinks in symbols: every image, hero, action

The denoting person denotes the phenomenon or concept behind it,

* Myth lives in its own special time - the time of “beginning”, “per-

creation", to which human ideas about flow are inapplicable

time research,

* Myth thinks in images, lives by emotions, the arguments of reason are alien to it, it

clarifies the world based not on knowledge, but on faith.

What role did myths and myth-making play in human history?

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

past, present and future of humanity,

* They were a channel through which one generation passed on to another

accumulated experience, knowledge, values, cultural goods, knowledge.

Basic concepts:

myth, groups of myths: cosmogonic, anthropogonic, eschatological

Kie, myths about the cultural hero.

Questions and assignments:

1) Define the basic concepts.

2) What thematic groups It is customary to highlight myths to science? What explains

thread is the proximity of myths that existed among peoples who did not come into contact

together?

3) Tell us about the cosmogonic, anthropogonic, eschato-

logical myths, myths about the cultural hero.

4) Is it true that myth-making is a distant fact?

past.What do you know about the myths that arose in the modern era?