MYTHIC Origin Stories

This research database is currently under construction. It is designed to  serve as a repository of traditional origin stories from cultures throughout the world, and as a resource for independent cross-cultural comparative research.  

Ancestral origin stories are significant sources of information for learning about ancestral cultures from both, etic and emic, perspectives.  Origin stories are broadly defined as stories that tell of how specific things came into being. For purposes of this database,  origin stories are operationally defined as traditional stories that attest to the origins of the cosmos, the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the earth, deities, life, plants, animals and people (including individuals, ancestral lineages and societies).

Critical examination of origin stories can elucidate cultural heritage, worldview, identity, and ethos.  

Fixico (2003), a Native American scholar, eloquently articulated the cultural and functional significance of story-telling. He wrote, “Story is the vehicle for sharing traditional knowledge and passing it from one generation to the next... its purposes include sharing information, lessons in morality, confirming identity and telling experiences of people” (The American Indian Mind in a Linear World. New York, London: Routledge). 

Another Native American Scholar, Salmon (cited in Nelson, 2008), describes origin stories as  “…cultural metaphors of our relationship with place…,” that articulate a “moral landscape;” (Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future; pp: 100-101).   

In teaching young learners, Gandy & Matthew (2010)  explained directly, “Origin stories give meaning to existence, define codes of morals, and bond societies together”(Origin Stories: Geography, Culture, and Belief. Social Studies and the Young Learner 22 (4); pp. 25–28. National Council for the Social Studies). 

Based on commonalities in these sources, stories transmit cultural values along with instructions for living in relation to the world.

Many familiar traditional origin stories existed in a complex evolutionary cultural context long before they were transcribed. Today, scholars rely heavily on literary, historic and ethnographic records as sources of information for learning about origin stories. Often, these same records, along with other sources of evidence, attest to how stories were transmitted through cultural arts traditions, such as poetry, songs, dances, or plays, the elements of which are deeply rooted in cultural heritage, symbolism, and language. The cultural, behavioral and artistic contexts through which stories were and are transmitted are significant in analyzing them.

Many scientific disciplines apply to the analysis of origin stories, including, but not limited to anthropology, cosmology, psychology, history, and linguistics. 

Anthropology

Multidisciplinary study of humans and culture, including the classic sub-disciplines of biology, archaeology, ethnography, and linguistics. 

Cosmology
“The science of the origin and development of the universe.”
 

Psychology
“The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.”
 

History
“The study of past events, particularly in human affairs.”
 

Linguistics
“…study of language and its structure.” Relevant sub-disciplines include sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics and historical-comparative linguistics. 

Definitions from Oxford and Merriam-Webster.