Legends and myths of ancient Greece. Online reading book myths of ancient greece myths of creation
The interest of many people around the world in ancient Greek mythology does not decrease even after millennia, on the contrary, it even bursts from time to time. Some are interested in them from a scientific point of view, others simply enjoy immersing themselves in the unique world of heroes and gods, but there are actually no people indifferent to Greek mythology. Among the many various myths one can be singled out, which is of paramount importance, this is the myth of the creation of the whole world and the story of how the ancient Greeks imagined this process.
This ancient legend about the immense Chaos that has always existed outside of time and space. Once, an unknown and powerful force acted on him, under the influence of which he began to deform and change, which ultimately led to the creation of the Universe. Thus, Chaos became the progenitor of the world that surrounds modern people. His first creation was Time, associated with the great ancient god Chronos. Also, shortly after him, new creatures arose from Chaos: Gaia - the Earth and Tartarus, who is the personification of the Incomprehensible Abyss. Eros became another creation of Chaos - an indefinable force of attraction, the only force to which the very creation of the primordial Universe was subject, after that, the god of love will be called by the same name.
The well-known expression "Light from darkness" also comes from those distant times when Chaos gave birth to Erebus and Nikta, who became the embodiment of darkness and impenetrable night, respectively. Their union had a very strange result, which can only be called a paradox, since it resulted in the appearance of Ether and Hemera, who personified the Eternal Light and the Shining Day. Gaia, after her awakening, contributed to the emergence of Uranus and Heaven, which was destined to become a permanent home and place of residence for the assembled pantheon of immortal cults.
Then Gaia was created and - Pontus, he, along with Uranus, was her husband. The union of Gaia and her first husband Uranus gave birth to powerful titans, cyclops and giants with a hundred hands, whose strength was so great that their own father began to fear them. Fearing that the children would eventually raise a rebellion and take away his power, he sent them to the Incomprehensible Abyss, but Gaia raised her children to rebellion, as a result of which Kronos became the ruler of the world. This son of Uranus was the progenitor of all the known Olympic gods, which are described in various ancient Greek myths.
However, the described legend is only one of the myths of Ancient Greece about the creation of the world; there is another version of the creation of the Universe, which has been known since pre-Hellenic times. According to him Eurynome, ancient goddess everything that exists, rose from Chaos and found herself in an empty space where there is nothing and nothing to rely on. Then she began the process of creation, dividing the sky and the sea, in the waves of which she danced, creating the wind. In order to keep warm among the gusts of the cold north wind, the naked Eurynome danced faster and more frankly, which aroused desire in the giant serpent Ophion. He entwined the goddess, and they conceived a child through the penetration of the north wind.
After the process of fertilization, Eurynome turned into a dove, which laid the World Egg, which the great serpent hatched. Planets, the earth, as well as all living beings and everything around them in this world appeared from this Egg. Ophion and Eurynome settled on Olympus, but soon there was a quarrel between them, and the serpent was expelled by the goddess into the underworld. Eurynome, on the other hand, continued the process of creation, creating planetary forces and their patrons, the titans, and the first people arose from the teeth that she knocked out of Ophion.
Greece and myths- the concept is inseparable. It seems that everything in this country - every plant, river or mountain - has its own fairy tale story, passed down from generation to generation. And this is no coincidence, since the myths in allegorical form reflect the whole structure of the world and the philosophy of life of the ancient Greeks.
And the name Hellas () itself also has a mythological origin, because. the progenitor of all Hellenes (Greeks) is considered the mythical patriarch Hellenes. The names of the mountain ranges that cross Greece, the seas washing its shores, the islands scattered in these seas, lakes and rivers are associated with myths. As well as the names of regions, cities and villages. About some stories that I really want to believe, I will tell you. It should be added that there are so many myths that even for the same toponym there are several versions. Since myths are oral art, they have come down to us already recorded by ancient writers and historians, the most famous of which is Homer. I'll start with the name Balkan Peninsula on which Greece is located. The current "Balkans" is of Turkish origin, meaning simply "mountain range". But earlier the peninsula was named after Aemos, the son of the god Boreas and the nymph Orithinas. The sister and at the same time the wife of Amos was called Rhodope. Their love was so strong that they addressed each other by the names of the supreme gods, Zeus and Hera. For their insolence, they were punished by turning into mountains.
The history of the origin of the toponym Peloponnese, a peninsula on a peninsula, no less brutal. According to legend, the ruler of this part of Greece was Pelops, the son of Tantalus, who in his youth was offered by his bloodthirsty father as a supper to the gods. But the gods did not begin to eat his body, and, having resurrected the young man, they left him on Olympus. And Tantalus was doomed to eternal (tantalic) torment. Further, Pelops himself descends to live with people, or is forced to flee, but later becomes the king of Olympia, Arcadia and the entire peninsula, which was named after him. By the way, his descendant was the famous Homeric king Agamemnon, the leader of the troops that besieged Troy.
One of the most beautiful islands in Greece Kerkyra(or Corfu) It has romantic story the origin of its name: Poseidon, the god of the seas, fell in love with the young beauty Korkyra, the daughter of Asop and the nymph Metope, kidnapped her and hid her on a hitherto unknown island, which he named after her. Korkyra eventually turned into Kerkyra. Another story about lovers remained in the myths of the island Rhodes. This name was borne by the daughter of Poseidon and Amphitrite (or Aphrodite), who was the beloved of the sun god Helios. It was on this newly born island of foam that the nymph Rhodes was married to her beloved.
origin of name Aegean Sea many people know thanks to a good Soviet cartoon. The story is this: Theseus, the son of the Athenian king Aegeus, went to Crete to fight the monster there - the Minotaur. In case of victory, he promised his father to raise white sails on his ship, and in case of defeat, black ones. With the help of the Cretan princess, he slew the Minotaur, and went home, forgetting to change the sails. Seeing his son's mourning ship in the distance, Aegeus, out of grief, threw himself off a cliff into the sea, which was named after him.
ionian sea bears the name of the princess and at the same time the priestess Io, who was seduced by the supreme god Zeus. However, his wife Hera decided to take revenge on the girl by turning her into a white cow and then killing her with the hands of the giant Argos. With the help of the god Hermes, Io managed to escape. She found refuge and human form in Egypt, for which she had to cross the sea, which is called the Ionian.
Myths of Ancient Greece they also tell about the origin of the universe, the attitude to the divine and human passions. For us, they are of interest, primarily because they give us an understanding of how European culture was formed.
It was polytheistic, i.e. people believed in many gods, each of which was responsible for any of its spheres: for example, the supreme god Zeus- for thunder and lightning, his brothers Hades and Poseidon - for the kingdom of the dead and for the seas-oceans, respectively, the goddess Athena - for wisdom and war.
Each of Greek gods there was their own sphere of influence, each of them had his own history (a kind of biography). The gods, according to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, lived on Mount Olympus and all were related to each other. The gods of Olympus are immortal, powerful and can work miracles.
What are the legends of ancient Greece about?
It was these beliefs that formed the basis of the famous Greek myths and legends. The most famous of them are devoted specifically to the history of the life of the gods and their relationship between each other: the myths tell how Zeus (along with the brothers Hades and Poseidon) defeated his father Kron and began to reign on Olympus.
His wife is the goddess Hera, the guardian of marriage and family ties. Many Olympic gods are the children of Zeus the Thunderer, for example, the goddess of wisdom, Athena, or the god of war, Ares. The relationship of the gods with each other is not simple, this is also shown in myths: some of them tell how the god Hermes abducted the cows of Apollo, or how Persephone (daughter of the goddess of nature Demeter) was abducted by Hades in love with her.
The ancient Greeks retold myths to each other as entertaining, almost fairy tales. Many of them are reflected in ancient literature. So, for example, the most famous transcription of the legends and myths of Ancient Greece into Russian, written by N.A. Kuhn, relies mainly on Hesiod's poem "Theogony" (a treatise on the origin of the gods), as well as on some legends from Homer's poems "Iliad" and "Odyssey".
Myths about Hercules
In addition to the gods, Greek myths and legends were - people endowed with extraordinary abilities. One of these heroes was Hercules, the son of supreme god Zeus and the mortal queen Alcmene. Hercules served with King Eurystheus, where he had to perform twelve great feats at the command of the king. It was a kind of agreement with the Olympian gods, who promised the son of Zeus that he would receive divine immortality if he carried out these orders.
The first two tasks were to destroy the descendants of the titans - the Nemean lion and the Lernean hydra; Hercules managed to kill the monsters. After that, Eurystheus instructed Hercules to kill the Stymphalian birds, which destroyed everything around. Then - to catch and deliver a live Kerinean doe to the goddess Artemis.
The following tasks were not long in coming: Hercules was required to kill the Erymanthian boar, clean the barnyard of King Avgiy, catch the Cretan bull, the horses of King Diomedes and the cows of Gerion. After that, King Eurystheus demanded to get for him the belt of the Queen of the Amazons Hippolyta.
Also, Hercules had to go down to the underworld of Hades and bring the three-headed dog Cerberus from there (when he saw the monster, Eurystheus was frightened and asked to return the dog back to Hades). The last task of Hercules was the extraction of golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides - in order to get them, Hercules had to change places with Atlas, who held the sky, and hold the vault of heaven on his shoulders.
Myths of Ancient Greece
MYTHS ABOUT HERCULES
The most beloved hero of the ancient Greeks was Hercules, the son of Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene. Traditionally, he was depicted as tall, powerful, muscular, dressed in a lion's skin and armed with a huge stick. The myths tell how the cowardly and vain king Eurystheus, seeking the death of Hercules, gave him all sorts of incredible tasks. Performing them, Hercules performed twelve labors. In particular, he defeated a monster - a giant lion and a nine-headed hydra, caught a golden-horned doe and a cannibal boar. You will learn these and other victories of the famous hero of Hellas by reading the myths about Hercules.
Augean stables
Fifth feat
King Eurystheus could not come to his senses for a long time - it was not so much from fright as from despair: after all, Hercules again returned victorious from a difficult test, and also to trouble the king, he dragged that boar that was supposed to tear the hero to pieces.
"What should he think now?" - the unlucky king puzzled himself, and, apparently, he would not have thought of anything if it were not for his powerful ally Hera.
The recklessly goddess appeared to Eurystheus somehow in a dream and prompted the hero's thoughts that were not only impossible, but also shameful, humiliating even for an ordinary person.
It didn’t even light up, how glad Eurystheus sent his herald Conrey to Heracles with a strict order: immediately go to Elis to King Avgiy and clean out all his stables in one day.
Hearing this strange order, Hercules burned down with resentment.
Clean out the stables! he shouted indignantly. - What are you, Kopreyu, carrying?
And suddenly the hero cut off his tongue, noticing the mocking smile of the royal herald. Hercules' face was full of anger, and he lowered his heavy forehead and did not even hear when Koprey went.
Heracles. Statue from the east pediment of the temple of Athena on the island of Aegina. Marble. Beginning 5th century n. e.
So, the punishment of the gods is terrible! But his own guilt, which is still an unbreakable burden on his heart, is even more terrible. Can he refuse even the worst, even the most shameful repentance? King Eurystheus laughs with his servants, so what? It is necessary not to pay attention to them, but to show Zeus's will.
In Elis, Hercules immediately went not to the palace of Avgius, but to numerous stables surrounded by a strong fence. Only now did the hero realize what a difficult task Eurystheus had set for him. The whole yard inside the wall was a solid swamp, and a breathtaking stench was drawn from it. After questioning people, Hercules learned that no one ever cleaned the stables. By evening, cattle were herded here, and she was just getting into that manure. And the nasty stench from the royal stables reached right up to the surrounding villages, poisoning people's air and life.
Of course, it’s shameful for the hero to dig into the manure, but then people breathe freely and remember him kind word thanks. But how to do it in one day? Hercules thought for a long time, passing the circle of the wall, then leaned up to the fast river Peney and sat down to rest a little.
King Eurystheus, apparently, consoles himself with the thought that Hercules, the illustrious hero, will wear stinking kosh with manure on his own shoulders and will himself become nasty and smelly. No, Eurystheus will not wait for Hercules to dirty his hands. In addition, he himself gave only one day.
Augeas was sincerely surprised when he saw the famous Hercules in front of him, and especially when he heard that he undertook to clean all the stables in one day.
Is one person so weak? - asked, doubting whether to believe or not, the king of Elide. - If we were to gather people from all over my state, then they would not have coped in a day.
And I will do it myself, alone, ”Hercules calmly replied.
No, you won't! - stubbornly Augius. - I bet you won't.
And I'm betting, - the hero chuckled. - If I win, you will give me a tithe of your cattle, okay?
OK! - Without hesitation, the king agreed, determined that Hercules would certainly lose.
They called to witness the eldest son of August, Phileas. The prince broke their hands, and the owner said:
Today, Hercules, be my guest, and tomorrow morning you can get down to business.
The next morning, as soon as the golden rays of Eos appeared in the sky, Hercules left the palace, carrying pitchforks and shovels on his shoulders. He did not go to the stables, but into the forest, to the Peney River, its waves rushing violently from the mountain.
A few steps from the shore, Hercules stood up, threw off his lion skin and began to dig a large ditch down to the stables. It was hard work, only a mighty hero could do it - the hard, stony ground barely gave in, and once in a while shovels and picks broke.
The whole day, without unbending, Hercules dug that ditch, only glanced at the sun from time to time, and then he worked with might and main further. Having dug the ditch right up to the very gates of the royal stables, Hercules finally stopped, walked around the wall and with opposite side punched a big hole in it. And then he ordered the servants not to let cattle near the stables, although the sun was already on the evening edge.
Augeus himself came out of the palace to see what Hercules was doing, and did not see him anywhere. The king smiled disdainfully, for the hero did not even think of cleaning the stables. And the day is gone...
And deaf powerful blows were heard from the forest - then Hercules was already connecting the ditch with Peneus. And then transparent, clean jets rushed down in a new channel, straight to the stables, swirled in the yard and carried away all the manure, straw, swamp through a hole punched in that side of the wall.
Hercules silently watched the water work for him. People fled from everywhere, exclamations of sincere delight, joyful laughter were heard from the crowd, and Prince Philei praised Hercules, his mind and hands aloud.
The water boiled for a long time, and then the hero leaned back to the river, filled up the stream with stones, and the water again went on as usual. All the stables were clean, washed with water, and the last rays of the setting sun were reflected in small transparent puddles.
And what, the king, lost? - Hercules shouted cheerfully to the gloomy Avgius. “Your shepherds will have to count the tithe of cattle for me in the morning, and I will drive it home tomorrow.
Why hurry, stay with me in Elis, - reluctantly said the king.
No, I can't delay. After all, Eurystheus has already thought up, apparently, some other job for me.
Did Eurystheus send you here? asked Augius briskly. - Why are you right with me cattle?
Didn't we bet? - offended said Hercules.
Yes, they were laid, I am a witness to this, a sonorous voice was heard, and Tsarevich Filey became the hero's side.
Stick your tongue! yelled furiously at his son. - Well, get out of my sight!
And the prince stood motionless at Hercules. And Avgiy started shouting:
Get out of here, both of you! Go away both!
So the couple of Elis lost both their guest and their son.
Prince Filey went to his relatives on the island of Dulihiy, and Hercules, as an obedient slave, went to Mycenae.
Translation by Ekaterina Glovatskaya
1. When Hercules realized what difficult task did Eurystheus give him?
2. Determine what thoughts, feelings and moods of the characters need to be conveyed by reading the dialogue between Avgeas and Hercules. Read this piece of myth in faces.
3. Do you agree that getting rid of the dirt of the Augean stables can be called a feat? Justify your opinion.
4. Prepare a retelling of the myth on behalf of Hercules.
Interesting to know
From the myths came to us a lot popular expressions which have become permanent and frequently used. As if on wings, they flew from one language to another, from antiquity to modernity. Some of them are connected with the myths about Hercules. So when we are talking about about pollution or an extremely neglected business, the expression “Augean stables” comes to the rescue. In our time, the phrase "strong as Hercules" is also used.
Dog Kerber
Feat twelfth
Now it remains for Hercules to serve King Eurystheus for the last time, and from this thought, joy, like the sun, illuminated the hero. True, the tsar thought of more and more difficult tasks, and now, in the end, he demanded from the hero an unheard-of, incredible thing. Eurystheus ordered that the guard dog Kerberus, a ferocious monster, the offspring of Echidna and Typhon, be brought from the underworld of the dead. Kerber had three heads on one long neck, a large mane of poisonous snakes, and instead of a tail, he had a dragon writhing.
This dog guarded the way out of the kingdom of the mighty god Hades, where the shadows of the dead wander in pitch darkness, and the grief was that unfortunate that was again torn to the ground, to sunlight. Kerberus rushed at her, shredded her, pulled her back into the black darkness. And then he returned to his place, and from there his ferocious barking was heard every now and then.
When people learned that Hercules was to bring that underground monster to King Eurystheus, screaming and crying took place in Mycenae: all because they felt sorry for their beloved hero. And the king did not pay attention to that crying and hurried Hercules. And the son of Zeus calmly listened to the capricious royal will and, as always, immediately got ready for a long journey.
Walking through the green fields and meadows, the hero rejoiced at the affectionate spring sun and often involuntarily smiled at him - after all, soon the sunshine will go out for him for a long time, and maybe forever.
The closer Hercules came to the Tenara gorge, the dimmed Sun rays and the surroundings became gloomy and unfriendly. The sky turned into mournful clouds that hid the clear sun, and a poisonous, dizzying spirit rose from the cracked earth.
Here is finally the black gorge that leads to the underworld of the dead. For a moment, Hercules stopped, sighed heavily, and then decisively stepped forward.
1 Tenor - a rocky cape in the south of the Peloponnese (a peninsula in southern Greece); the ancient Greeks imagined that among its rocks was the entrance to the underworld.
Hades was terribly angry at first because some insolent mortal dared to descend into his kingdom and also approach the throne. But, recognizing the glorious son of Zeus, Hades only gloomily asked:
What do you want, hero?
Not for me, mighty Hades, but for King Evristheus, the Kerberos needed, I must bring him to Mycenae.
So, take Kerber when you master it, - said the insidious Hades. - I only put you the only condition: be able to overcome it without any weapons. And now you can go, look for Cerberus somewhere on the shore of Acheron. And don't come back here again.
Among the sheer black rocks, Acheron, the river of sorrow, quietly, slowly and difficultly walked. Hercules stood on the shore and watched. Suddenly, in the midst of the eerie silence, a furious growl was heard. And the beast was late: Hercules jumped first and squeezed the dog's neck with all his might. Three dog heads whirled and growled furiously, and could not reach the hero. The dragon that Kerberus had instead of a tail glared at Hercules, but he did not react to it. He squeezed harder and harder on the ugly neck until the exhausted dog fell at his feet.
Then Hercules dragged the chain around Kerberov's neck and dragged the beast to Charon. The old ferryman, gloomy, frowning, apparently already knew the will of Aidov, therefore he silently transported both to the other side, and the hero train underground dog steep path up.
It slowly brightened, the black darkness receded before the sunshine, and Kerber became worried, began to opinatisya that further, then stronger, but Hercules, and for a moment without stopping, pulled him up.
Here is the sun, brilliant, beautiful. The hero already laughed, such violent joy understood him. And the underground dog turned its eyes away from the sun and barked furiously, only foam flew around its three mouths. Where shreds of that foam fell, the grass withered and became a terrible poison.
When the Mycenaeans saw the trigolovan monster that Hercules was on a chain of pulls, everyone rushed in all directions. No one warned King Eurystheus, and he did not have time to hide in his favorite barrel, he even left the palace with nothing to do just when Hercules appeared.
1 underground river Acheron of sorrow, through which the boatman Charon transported the souls of the dead to the kingdom of Hades.
Hercules, Kerberos and Eurystheus. Painting a vase. Around 525 BC e.
Seeing Cerberus, the king became pale, trembling, and could neither move nor get a word. Probably, then for the first time he realized how strong and courageous Hercules was. At least when the servants carried the half-conscious king to the palace, he barely spoke with three lips:
The hero is now free... Let him go...
Hercules went home to his native Thebes. And at first he opened the chain, and freed Kerberus instantly disappeared from sight - with one jump he found himself in the underworld ii, as before, near the exit from him on guard.
Translation by Ekaterina Glovatskaya
Strive to be creative readers
1. Retell the myth close to the text.
2. What gives the reader an idea of the Kerberos dog?
3. What fantastic elements are present in the myth?
4. Which of the characters in Joan Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" reminds you of the dog Kerberos? What exactly?
5. Prepare a characterization of Hercules for reading myths.
Interesting to know
Many mythical heroes "appeared" in the sky in the form of constellations. Hercules was also awarded this honor, the conditional outlines of which can be found on the map of the starry sky called the constellation Hercules. However, the animals with which the hero had to fight also received their place in heaven. This is a lion and cancer (it was he who grabbed Hercules by the leg during his duel with the hydra). The constellations Leo and Cancer are located on the side of the sky opposite the constellation Hercules, as if they are afraid to be near the hero. According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, they, for special merits in their favor, were immortalized among the stars by Hera, who opposed Hercules in every possible way.
Summarizing what we learned during the journey "The Paths of Myths"
1. Continue the sentence: "Myths are ...".
2. Name the word that is missing in this scheme:
3. How different nations explained the origin of the world in myths?
4. Read an excerpt from Taras Shevchenko's poem "The Caucasus". Is the name of the mythical hero missing here? What is the greatness of his feat?
Behind the mountains are mountains shrouded in clouds,
Sown with grief, watered with blood.
From time immemorial...
There the eagle punishes
What a day good ribs
And the heart breaks.
5. Consider why artists different countries turned to the myth of Prometheus.
6. The name of the myth which is encrypted in the puzzle? Explain the figurative meaning of this expression.
7. How do you understand the words in the epigraph of the section?
8. How do myths attract our contemporaries?
9. What performances, cartoons or films based on the plots of myths have you watched?
10. Compare information about ancient Greek mythology obtained in history lessons ancient world and foreign literature.
11. What did the ancient Greeks value in a person? Give examples from the myths you read.
12. Write an essay on the topic "My favorite mythological hero."
Interesting to know
In ancient Greek mythology, the sea deity is the soothsayer Proteus, who owns many knowledge and has the ability to change his appearance. He can turn into someone and into something - various animals, fire, water, wood.
Consider why skilled translators are called Proteus talents.
Every nation has a myth about the creation of the world (sometimes more than one), and often these myths are like two drops of water, and sometimes the similarity is rather arbitrary.
Greece .
In Greece, there was more than one myth about the creation of the world - there were patriarchal and matriarchal versions. One of the matriarchal versions sounded like this: Mother Earth Gaia arose from Chaos and gave birth to Uranus (“Sky”) in a dream. Uranus ascended to his assigned place in the sky and poured out his gratitude to his mother in the form of rain, which fertilized the earth, and the seeds that had fallen asleep in it were awakened to life.
Patriarchal version: in the beginning there was nothing but Gaia and Chaos. From Chaos came Erebus (darkness), from night - ether and day. The earth gave birth to the sea, and then the great Ocean and other children. The father of the children, Uranus, planned to destroy them, envious of the love that Gaia felt for them. But the youngest of the children - Kronos, in revenge, castrated his father and threw the cut-off parts into the sea - this is how Aphrodite appeared, and the blood of Uranus, which fell to the ground, gave birth to Furies. Kronos became the supreme deity and married Rhea. His children (Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Hades, Poseidon), Kronos, fearing to be overthrown, swallowed. Only the youngest, Zeus, managed to escape, who overthrew Kronos a few years later. Zeus freed his brothers and sisters and became the supreme deity.
Egypt .
God Ra appeared from the Water Abyss, and then all living beings came out of his mouth. First, Ra exhaled Shu - the first air, after - the first moisture of Tefnut. From air and moisture, Ra created the Eye of Ra, the goddess Hathor, to see what he was doing. When Ra had an eye, he began to cry, and people appeared from his tears.
Hathor was angry with Ra because she existed separately from his body. Then Ra found a place for Hathor on his forehead, after which he created snakes, from which all other creatures appeared.
Japan .
In the beginning there was only the boundless oily sea of Chaos, then the three spirits "kami" decided that the world should be created from this sea. The spirits gave birth to many gods and goddesses, including Izanaki, who was given a magical spear, and Izanami.
Izanaki and Izanami descended from the sky, and Izanaki began to disturb the sea with his spear, and when he pulled out the spear, a few drops gathered on its tip, which fell back into the sea and formed an island.
Then Izanaki and Izanami discovered differences in their anatomy, causing Izanami to conceive many miraculous things. The first creature they conceived turned out to be a leech. They put her in a reed basket and let her float on the water. After Izanami spawned Foam Island, which was useless. The next thing that gave rise to Izanami - the islands of Japan, waterfalls, mountains and other natural wonders. Then Izanami gave birth to the Five Spirits, which severely burned her, and she fell ill. Her vomit turned into the prince and princess of the Metal Mountains, from which all mines originated. Her urine became the spirit of Fresh Water, and her stool became clay.
When Izanami descended into the Land of Night, Izanaki wept and decided to get his wife back. But when he went down after her, he was frightened by her appearance - Izanami had already begun to decompose. Frightened, Izanaki ran away, but Izanami sent the Night Spirit to bring him back. The fleeing Izanaki threw his combs, which turned into vines and thickets of bamboo, and the Spirit of the Night stopped to feast on grapes and young shoots.
Then Izanami sent eight thunder spirits and all the warriors from the Land of Night for her husband, but Izanaki began to throw peaches at them, and they fled. Then Izanami promised her husband that she would take a thousand people every day if he avoided her. To this, Izanaki replied that he would give life to a thousand people every day. So death came into the world, but the human race did not perish.
When Izanaki washed off the dirt of the Land of Night, gods and goddesses were born - Amaterasu - the sun goddess and progenitor of the emperor, Tsukiyami-no-Mikoto - the Moon and Susano-o - the god of the storm.
Madagascar .
The Creator saw that his daughter, Mother Earth, was sculpting small dolls from clay, and he became interested. He spoke to his daughter about these dolls and breathed life into them. This is how people appeared.
Time passed, people prospered and prospered, they gave praise to Mother Earth, but forgot about the Creator. Then the Creator took away half of the people of their souls, but these souls belonged to the elderly. Since it was the Creator who gave souls to people, he has the right to take them back, and since the bodies of people were created by Mother Earth, after death, the bodies of people return to the earth.
Finland .
The goddess of the air, Ilma, had a virgin daughter, Luonnatar, who lived in the stars. Feeling lonely, Luonnatar descended from the sky to the sea, in which she swam for seven hundred years, finding no place to rest.
Then she met a drake who was looking for a place to nest. Finding nothing, he descended to the knee of Luonnatar and built a nest there, laid eggs and incubated them for three days. Luonnatar was in great pain - the nest burned her skin, and she turned the nest over, dropping the eggs into the water. But the eggs, falling into the sea, changed shape: the yolk became the sun, the white became the moon, the spots on the shell turned into stars, and the black specks into clouds.
