Free Paper Sample on Destruction Myths

Introduction

Myths express scenarios that are beyond rational comprehension. They dig deeper and portray what a perfect society involves and also wholly represent human society. Destruction myths are authoritative accounts that relate to the past destruction of the world, humanity, or a considerable part of either. In destruction mythology, people are often chastised for going against supreme beings' will or not respecting customaries common to the said community (Salvador, Michael and Norton 45). A good example of destruction mythology is the biblical flood account of Noah and the ark. Many religions and cultures have stories about the destruction of the world. The similarity between destruction myths in different cultures is that they include a god or gods who are angered by humankind's actions and causes natural disasters to wipe them out.

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Destruction Myths

Destruction myths serve a significant role in reminding people of what the gods can unleash when provoked (Salvador, Michael, and Norton 50). In many cases, humanity has acted so badly on a level that makes the gods angry. The gods are dissatisfied by the actions of humans, who have been created to please the gods. Therefore, they destroy every living thing on the land to punish humans. The destruction that the gods unleash is often followed by a rebuilding, where the humans build new civilizations without the old habits. In the rebuilt world, the survivors turn to their gods and are willing to get rid of the old evil habits that angered the gods. The Biblical flood myth promulgates a monotheistic approach in which God is portrayed as the Supreme Being who decides to punish the people for their wrongdoings. However, in other destruction myths, such as the Babylonian version of the Flood, a polytheistic community is depicted. The Babylonian flood myth was as a result of a disagreement between the Gods. The ancient polytheism of the Babylonians differs from the Biblical story. The flood myth in the Bible is an assertion of the benevolence and the omnipotence of one righteous God (Schlueter 6).

Conclusion

Recent disasters witnessed around the world can be tied to destruction myths. For instance, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans as a result of human corruption. People knew that the levees weren't going to hold the floods but did not care to repair them. Also, the people responsible for repairing the dikes may have pocketed the money meant for the repair. As a result, God decided to punish them by unleashing Hurricane Katrina (Vault). Destruction myths can also justify the 2011 Japan Tsunami. In Japan, people believe that earthquakes are caused by the giant fish 'Namazu.’ This is a giant catfish responsible for causing disasters and misfortunes (Kim 1). Only the Japanese god ‘Kashima’ can restrain ‘Namazu.' However, people's evil ways can distract God. Namazu, therefore, uses such moments to wiggle his tail, releasing a giant wave across the ocean. In the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the destruction myths have it that it was God's retribution for the Haitians Voodoo (pact with the devil) (Montgomery 2)Works Cited

Bibliography

Kim, Sean. "Namazu." 2016.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/4041/.

Montgomery, Eric James. "Gothic" Voodoo" in Africa and Haiti." entropic: electronic journal of studies in the tropics (2019). 27 September 2020.
https://journals.jcu.edu.au/etropic/article/view/3666.

Salvador, Michael, and Todd Norton. "The flood myth in the age of global climate change." Environmental Communication (2011): 45-61.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17524032.2010.544749.

Schlueter, Harriet. "Comparative World Mythology." n.d. 27 September 2020.
https://uh.edu/honors/Programs-Minors/honors-and-the-schools/houston-teachers-institute/curriculum-units/pdfs/2000/critical-analysis-of-graeco-roman-myths/schlueter-00-myth.pdf.

Deus vault. “Jordan Peterson on Flood Myths.” YouTube, uploaded by Deus Vult, 8 February 2017, 27 September 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12wAUkLn44.