Creation Myth Busters

Creation Myth Busters Humans naturally wonder how the earth came to be. The answer to this monumental mystery varies depending upon location and belief system. Groups of people come up with myths to explain the beginning of the natural world. A specific type of myth is a creation myth. A creation myth can describe how the earth began, explain the workings of the world, support specific customs, and guide the people of the group. The story “How the World Was Made,” written by the Cherokee tribe, is a creation myth because it provides insight on the creation of the world, its functions, and the social customs of the Cherokee. Firstly, the story explains the creation of the earth itself. When everything was water, a Water-beetle dove “to the bottom and came up with some soft mud, which began to grow and spread on every side until it became the island which we call the earth” (“How

In “How the World Was Made,” the author directly states the reason for the men of the community to fast when he or she says “[w]hen the animals and plants were first made-- we do not know by whom--they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights, just as young men now fast and keep awake when they pray to their medicine.” The author also explains the reason for women only being able to give birth once every year. “At first there were only a brother and sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to multiply, and so it was. In seven days a child was born to her, and thereafter every seven days another, and they increased very fast until there was danger that the world could not keep them. Then it was made that a woman should only have one child in a year, and it has been so ever since” (“How the World”). Simply stated, the risk of overpopulating the community was a catalyst for a regulation on the amount of children that can be born. These quotes justify the reason for different rules that are present in the Cherokee