Reading Packet I
This collection of readings has two foci. First, I would like for you to consider the collected readings that serve as samples of different civilizations' creation stories. Please consider how these different stories reflect different cultural ideas about the relationship between people, the gods, and the wider cosmos. What can you tell about these cultures, by reading their accounts of creation? How are they different or the same? After these readings, please compare the Noah flood story as presented in the Bible with the Gilgamesh flood story (only two of many flood stories that you can find in world cultures). Again, how do these two accounts differ? How are they the same? And what do you make of these observations?
To access the various readings, you will need to click on the embedded links below. Each link will carry you to a different reading. Please complete all of these readings. As you do these, you can surf to different sites (often listed within the links below) if you would like more information about any of these documents.
Remember, you will be given an in-class writing assignment on these readings - this writing assignment will be open-notes/open print-outs.
Creation Stories
This website relates the Sumerian creation story, the Enuma Elish.
This website will take you the Creation hymn from the Indian sacred text, the Rig Veda. Please note: this text does NOT come from the Indus River Valley Civilizations - remember, no-one can read their writing, so of course, we do not know their creation myths! Nonetheless, this is quite an ancient text, dating back well into the early Aryan civilizations in India. Unlike the Enuma Elish, practicing Hindu's still hold the Rig Veda sacred.
This creation story is derived from the Egyptian text, The Book of Overthrowing Apophis'. Although not a particularly early text, this was derived from older sources.
This web-page contains two simple Chinese folk-tales about the creation of the world, again, from a later period of time than we are studying at the moment, but indicative of the types of stories surrounding human origins found in China.
Genesis This link will take you to a list of the chapters of the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible (the Revised Standard Edition translation). First, I would like for you to read Chapters 1,2, and 3 (the creation story). As you will note, it is possible to link from this page to a King James Version of the Bible if you would prefer to read this translation. The content of both translations is essentially the same.
Flood Stories in Genesis and Gilgamesh
Return to Genesis This time, please read Chapters 6,7, and 8 (the story of Noah and the Flood).
Epic of Gilgamesh On this site, you should read the introduction, then follow the link "The Flood Story of Gilgamesh." It is not required that you follow any of the other links on that site (which give further information about Gilgamesh). Be sure to note the similarities and differences between the two flood stories.