Gathering a wide range of traditional African myths, this compelling new collection offers tales of heroes battling mighty serpents and monstrous birds, brutal family conflict and vengeance, and desperate migrations across vast and alien lands. From impassioned descriptions of animal-creators to dramatic stories of communities forced to flee monstrous crocodiles, all the narratives found here concern origins - whether of the universe, peoples or families. Together, they create a kaleidoscopic picture of the rich and varied oral traditions that have shaped the culture and society of successive generations of Africans for thousands of years, throughout the long struggle to survive and explore this massive and environmentally diverse continent.
A collection of creation myths from different cultures around the world from the Titans and Olympian Gods of ancient Greece to the Dreamtime of the Aboriginal peoples.
"Collected here for the first time, [the author's] early short novels explore, deconstruct, and ultimately explode the seminal myths of both East and West"--P. [4] of cover.
A leading Jungian scholar analyzes common motifs in creation myths from cultures around the world, explaining how they “inform the collective unconscious and contribute to our ability to create as human beings” (Parabola) Creation myths are the deepest and most important of all myths because they are concerned with both the basic patterns of existence and the ultimate meaning of life. In this book, an eminent Jungian analyst examines the recurring motifs that appear in creation myths from around the world and shows what they teach us about the mysteries of creativity, the cycles of renewal in human life, and the birth of consciousness in the individual psyche. Among the topics discussed are: • Why the creative process is often accompanied by anxiety, depression, loneliness, and fear of the unknown. • The meaning of creation motifs such as the egg, the seed, the primordial being, the creative fire, the separation of heaven and earth, and the four stages of creation. • Creation symbolism in the alchemical opus of medieval tradition. • How creation-myth motifs appear in the dreams of people who are on the verge of a leap forward in consciousness.
For much of the last half of the twentieth century, W. G. Lambert devoted much of his research energy and effort to the study of Babylonian texts dealing with Mesopotamian ideas regarding creation, including especially Enuma Elish. This volume, which appears almost exactly 2 years after Lambert’s death, distills a lifetime of learning by the world’s foremost expert on these texts. Lambert provides a full transliteration and translation of the 7 tablets of Enuma Elish, based on the known exemplars, as well as coverage of a number of other texts that bear on, or are thought to bear on, Mesopotamian notions of the origin of the world, mankind, and the gods. New editions of seventeen additional “creation tales” are provided, including “Enmesharra’s Defeat,” “Enki and Ninmah,” “The Slaying of Labbu,” and “The Theogony of Dunnu.” Lambert pays special attention, of course, to the connection of the main epic, Enuma Elish, with the rise and place of Marduk in the Babylonian pantheon. He traces the development of this deity’s origin and rise to prominence and elaborates the relationship of this text, and the others discussed, to the religious and political climate Babylonia. The volume includes 70 plates (primarily hand-copies of the various exemplars of Enuma Elish) and extensive indexes.
IN THE BEGINNING: CREATION MYTHS FROM AROUND THE WORLD is a beautifully illustrated and informative collection of creation stories from 15 cultures, using indigenous sources. These stories demonstrate that creation is ongoing, everywhere and always, and that all of us are creators all of the time. This engaging book of images and stories is ultimately about creativity in all its forms. Originally an exhibition, IN THE BEGINNING has appeared in museums, galleries, churches, and schools in several U.S. cities. An audio version of the book, in which the myths are read by Amy Walker, is available from Findhorn Press.