Myths And Legends Of The World
The world is full of interesting myths and legends, sometimes similar, sometimes completely different from one end of the globe to the other. Each time, however, we learn more about ourselves, about our ancestors, and how they imagined the functioning and creation of the world.
Australia: The Largest Snake in the World
This legend is the quintessence of Australian mythology, and one of the most well-known in Australia. There are numerous regional variations shaped by hundreds of different indigenous cultures and linguistic groups, but their common point is that at the dawn of humanity, a massive serpent slept beneath the Earth's surface until it emerged one day to awaken the various groups of animals. As it moved through the landscape, it created hills, lakes, valleys, and rivers where the land had been previously untouched and flat.
Egypt: The Creation of the World
At the beginning, there was only an ocean. Then an egg appeared on the water and Ra (the sun) was born from it. Ra himself gave birth to four children, the gods Shu and Geb and the goddesses Tefnut and Nut. Shu and Tefnut became the atmosphere. They stood on Geb, who became the earth, and raised Nut, who became the sky. Ra ruled over everything. And that is how the World as we know it is said to have been created, according to Egyptian mythology.
England: The Myth of Stonehenge
There are many legends surrounding the creation of Stonehenge, its origin, and its purpose. According to one of the most widespread, this famous circle of erected stones was created by Merlin, the magician from the legend of King Arthur and the Round Table. He is said to have magically transported the stones from Ireland, where they had been gathered by giants. Another legend suggests that these stones were transported and erected by the Danes during their invasion in order to bless the New Land they had discovered and to serve as a temple. A much less common but rather amusing legend claims that they are the 'feet' of the statues from Easter Island.
Aztec: A Dangerous Crocodile
Cipactli is one of the major characters in Aztec mythology. It is part crocodile, part fish, and part toad or frog, with an undefined gender. Always hungry because each joint of its body is said to have a mouth.
One day, the gods decided to kill Cipactli and use its body to form the Earth. The god Tezcatlipoca used his foot to lure Cipactli, and it was devoured. The gods then stretched Cipactli's body in four directions, thus releasing the universe from its body.
Its head became the thirteen heavens, its tail the underworld, and its middle the Earth.
However, despite all this, the beast was still not dead, and the gods made a promise of regular sacrifices to appease it. Legend says that when these sacrifices were disrupted, the beast expressed its discontent through earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
