Lecture Note-2: Creation Myth

Introduction to Western Literature and Arts
Lecture Note-2: The Creation Myth
(In Greco-Roman Mythology, the Bible, and Sumerian Mythology)

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[In addition to introducing the following information, I will give a slide lecture about Greek gods and goddess in class.]

How do I find the texts about creation myth?
Theogony (Creation of the World and Evolution of God, Gods, Goddesses)
Who is who in Greek and Roman Mythology?
Two representative cultural traits: Apollonian vs Dionysian
Introducing some wonderful mythology websites (image resources)
Introducing some Bible websites
Quiz

How do I find the texts about creation myth?

I. The Sumerian Creation Myth
    Mesopotamian Cosmogony
    Some basic information about Mesopotamian mythology
    From The Epic of Gilgamesh (Searching for immortality)
    The Descent of the Goddess Ishtar

II. The Hebraic Creation Myth
    Genesis 1 (New King James Version): The Creation
    Genesis 1:1 (King James Version with Definitions)
    Genesis 1:26 (New King James Version with Definitions)
    Genesis 1:27 (New King James Version with Definitions)
    Genesis 2 (New King James Version): Adam and Eve
    Genesis 3 (New King James Version): The Fall of Man
    Genesis 4 (New King James Version): Cain and Abel
    Genesis 5 (New King James Version): The Descendents of Adam
    Genesis 6 (New King James Version): The Flood and the Ark
    Genesis 7 (New King James Version): "
    Genesis 8 (New King James Version): "
    Genesis 9 (New King James Version): The Covenant with Noah

III. The Greco-Roman Creation Myth

The Flood (One of the many Floods which destroyed mankind) in GGGM

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Theogony (Creation of the World and Evolution of God, Gods, Goddesses)
Read Ovid, Metamorphoses, Book1, Book2.
References:
*Hesiod: Theogony pp23-57
*Apollodorus: The Library of Greek Mythology : "Theogony"27-35, "The Deucalionids"36-38

--Timeline of Greek History and Literature
--Summary of Apollodorus's Library
--Myths of Creation (Six different versions about the Origin of the World).
--Theogony (The origin and family tree of the gods. All genealogical information given by Hesiod in his work Theogony).

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Who is who in Greek and Roman Mythology?

[The following are the basic information you should know about Greek gods and goddess and other divinities.]
I. A correspondent table of the names of Greek and Roman Divinities
--Greek and Roman Names for Gods and Goddess (A table by Laurel Bowman)
--Grek-Latin Correspondences (Greek and Latin names of characters, a table by Carlos Parada )
II. Attributes of the Olympians
--Attributes in Iconography (A table by Laurel Bowman)
--The Olympians (a table by Carlos Parada, with detailed descriptions of attributes and links)
--Major Divinities
--Other Deities in Greek Mythology

III. Abstraction (Personification of abstract idea) in Greek mythology
--Abstractions (personification of abstract idea in Greek mythology, a table by Carlos Parada)

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A Table of Comparison Between the Apollonian and the Dionysian

	Apollonian	Dionysian
Reprehensive Divinity	Apollo: god of sun, prophecy, healing	Dionysus: god of wine
Cultural Prototype	Classicism	Romanticism
Quality	Sunny, serene	Stormy, turbulent
Quality	Rational, disciplined	Irrational, undisciplined

Suggested literary references about this comparison:
Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy: "Apollonian vs Dionysian"
Mathew Arnold, The Social History of Art, " Hellenism vs Hebraism"
Shiller: "the naive vs the sentimental"