Myths about the creation of the earth of different peoples. Slavic myth: the birth of the world in ancient legends

Dear readers!
In November 2012, I published an essay “Hercules - Classics of Mythology or Mythology of the Classics?”, which aroused great interest from readers and a sharp reaction from the authorities, represented by the TV channel TV 3. And this is not surprising, since “my Hercules” from a legendary hero turned into Antihero. But I claim that Hercules is an Anti-Hero, a cold-blooded, maniacal killer not only of warriors, but also of women and children, a thief, robber and brigand. Who needed to make Hercules a Hero? The answer to this question can be found in the history of ancient Greece. Hercules was turned into a Hero and mythologized by the Dorians, the conquerors of ancient Greece. Their new Hero, Hercules, was supposed to “justify” the countless cruel crimes of the Dorians. And for the defeated Achaeans (one of the main ancient Greek tribes), Hercules was a cruel conqueror who ravaged dozens of cities and killed many warriors, kings, women, children and old people.
These are the anti-heroes-hercules that have appeared in Ukraine these days, on the Maidan. And it’s scary that the USA and Europe are doing everything to turn these killers into new “Hero-Hercules...”
That's why I decided to remind everyone about Hercules the Antihero in a new, edited version of my essay. (Published in the almanac “Swan” No. 704 dated March 23, 2014, USA, Boston)

HERCULES ANTIHERO

Is there any other mythological hero as fundamental, as majestic, as revered, as authoritative and as indisputable as Hercules? Probably not. Hercules is a classic of ancient Greek mythology. Hercules is a modern classic, since the “glorious exploits” of Hercules have survived to this day, they are studied in literature lessons in the sixth grades of all Russian schools. Teachers " highest category» are developing teaching methods and lesson plans for studying the exploits of Hercules, so that our children absorb the spirit of the hero and learn life from his actions.
But heroes, just like antiheroes, are created by people. People put heroes on pedestals, and people knock heroes off their pedestals. And this is the same classic of the genre.
The author is not going to rewrite classical mythology, and certainly not to overthrow Hercules from his pedestal. Today this is (alas) impossible. Hercules is a Hero for the Ages (?) But no one deprived the author of the opportunity for a creative approach to established views on classical historical mythology. Having carefully studied life path Hercules, the author realized that irony, sarcasm and even disrespect towards the legendary “hero” are acceptable and justified. Moreover, the author takes the liberty of asserting that the Hero Hercules, erected on a pedestal, is in fact an Anti-Hero. Are you ready for this take on the classic Hero? By the way, Hercules simply means “hero”. Our “hero” from birth had the name Alcides, which he later abandoned (more on this below), becoming simply Hercules.
If you carefully (as a researcher) study the life path and description of the exploits of Hercules, known to us from the legends and myths of ancient Greece, according to Homer and Ovid, you can discover amazing things. The three main virtues of Hercules are clearly revealed.
First virtue. Uncomplaining servility before King Ephrystheus, who hired Alcides-Hercules to serve, giving him the nickname “Hercules.” But why did the son of Zeus begin to serve the cowardly and insignificant king Ephrystheus? He had a very serious reason for this. After the murder of his wife and children (three sons) in Fifa, and at the same time his nephews (mythology explains this as an attack of madness sent down on him by the Goddess Hera), Hercules fled from justice to Mycenae, where his cousin Ephrystheus ruled. The king of Mycenae knew what a terrible crime Hercules had committed and, taking him into his service, openly and with impunity mocked him. No matter how King Eurystheus mocked Hercules, he gave him all sorts of absurd orders. Hercules humiliatedly endured everything and complied with it meekly, just to avoid justice. Just look at the 11th labor of Hercules, when Eurystheus sent him to the underworld of Hades, for terrible dog Kerberus (Cerberus), and only to order Hercules to take Cerberus back to hell. What about the eighth feat? Was it worth sailing to distant lands for the horses of Diomedes, stealing the horses, killing a bunch of people there, including King Diomedes, so that King Eurystheus would immediately release the horses? Well, would a self-respecting hero endure such bullying? But Hercules endured, and it’s clear why - to avoid justice for the murder of his family. And remember the story of Hercules’ slavery to Queen Lydia Omphale, to whom he was profitably sold by Euphrystheus for three whole years. And all three years the queen openly mocked Hercules. The hero Hercules spent all three years in women's dress and sat at the loom! But Hercules, like a slave, resignedly endured these humiliations.
Second virtue. Tendency to theft and robbery. Hercules stole Diomedes' horses. He stole the cows of the giant Geryon (the 10th labor of Hercules, in which Helios the Sun helped him!). It should be noted that if any of the Greek kings lost cattle, everyone immediately blamed Hercules for the theft. Such was the glorious reputation of Hercules! And the story with Hippolyta’s belt (9th labor)? In fact, Hercules went to the land of the Amazons in order to either steal the belt or kill all the Amazons and take possession of the belt. From mythology it is clear that Hercules killed the Amazons. Is it heroic to fight with women? But in ancient Greece such acts were considered “feats”, since then all of Greece lived by robberies, armed attacks and wars.
Third virtue. Manic vindictiveness and cruelty, developing into a manic passion for murder. This is perhaps the main feature of Hercules’ nature. This “virtue” manifested itself in Hercules from childhood. Remember how the boy Hercules hit his music teacher on the head with a lyre (something like a lyre) and killed him. Why did he kill? And because the teacher dared to punish a capricious student. Well, how do you like this “innocent” childish prank that went unpunished?
We already know that as a young man, in his first marriage to Megara, Hercules, in a fit of rage, killed his children - three sons, and then, at the same time, killed the children of his brother Iphicles. This sick tendency to kill children manifested itself in Hercules in his third marriage to Deenira. The little boy poured water on Hercules' hands, intended for washing his feet. The penalty for the mistake was severe. Hercules hit the boy so hard that the baby fell dead. And this cold-blooded murder went unpunished.
Remember why Hercules killed King Augeas? Only because he did not receive the promised payment from him for cleaning the stables. Carefully re-read the sixth labor of Hercules, and you will see that the river waters, which cleansed the stables, also destroyed them. And do you have to pay for this kind of work? And for refusal to pay - do you have to kill? Do you remember how you killed him? In a “fair” fight - with a poisoned deadly arrow! Hercules at the same time dealt with all of Augeas’s allies. He killed the king of Pylos, Neleus, and his eleven sons. The most amazing thing is that in honor of his “glorious victories” Hercules established the Olympic Games! The same Olympic Games that are held on our planet every four years.
What about the murder of King Diomedes? King Ephrystheus ordered Hercules to steal the famous horses that devour people from King Diomedes. Stealing, robbing, killing - this was what the “hero” Hercules liked. The horses were stolen, and Poor Diomedes fell from the sword of Hercules, only because he tried to recapture his wonderful horses, which Hercules stole from him. And the fate of King Leomedon? The king did not want to give the horses to Hercules, which he liked so much, and the hero harbored a terrible grudge against the king. After some time, Hercules specifically attacked Troy to kill King Leomedon - and he killed! And the poor Sicilian king Eryx? Why did he die at the hands of Hercules? And because he did not want to return to the hero one cow that had strayed from the herd of cows stolen by Hercules from the giant Geryon! And the twelfth feat of the hero? When Hercules headed to the gardens of the Hesperides to steal golden apples that belonged to Hera herself, the wife of Zeus (!), he met the prophetic old man Nereus on his way. Only Nereus knew the way to the Hesperides gardens, but he did not want to reveal this secret to Hercules. Well, in vain. You made it worse for yourself. Hercules tormented the old man so much, tormented and tortured him so much that the poor old man split. Truly a heroic feat! Once, in a fit of rage, Hercules killed his best friend Ifita. How Hercules killed the good old centaur Chiron, you remember - with a poisoned arrow, intoxicated with wine. In fact, poisoned arrows were Hercules' favorite "tool". You can kill anyone without any problems. The main thing is to become a winner! Even mythological stories do not whitewash the “cowardice” of Hercules. Thus, the king of Lydia Lycus argued that Hercules was a coward who avoided a fair fight and preferred to kill his opponents with his poisoned arrows.
But modern ideologists from history and mythology have their own view of the murders committed by Hercules, and they convey this view, which should be “the only true one,” to the people with the help of channel TV 3 (12/26/2012 “Battles of the Gods. Hercules”) . Just look at their assertion that the first (and almost the only) person Hercules killed was King Diomedes, whose horses Hercules stole. At the same time, it was especially emphasized that the “FIRST MAN” whom Hercules killed was Diomedes. “Smart and honest” ideologists completely forgot about the early murders of Hercules: King Augeas; King Neleus and his eleven sons; kings Leomedont and Eryx; little boy, who poured water on the hands of Hercules, intended for washing his feet, and several dozen more warriors who defended their kings... Not a word about this!
What confuses me most is that Hercules killed his compatriots right and left. He did not defend Greece from enemies, like the Russian Hero Ilya Muromets, he terrorized Greece, but went down in History as the greatest ancient Greek hero. Why is that? There is a historical explanation for this. Such great hero needed by the Dorians, one of the main ancient Greek tribes. At the turn of the XIII-XII centuries BC, the Dorians invaded the territory Central Greece(“Dorian Invasion”), which marked the beginning of the colonization of Greece. At this time, the mythologization of Hercules by the Dorians as a glorious and invincible hero took place. And for the defeated Achaeans (one of the main ancient Greek tribes), Hercules was a cruel conqueror who ravaged dozens of cities and killed many warriors, kings, women, children and old people.
I'm already tired of listing all the murders of Hercules. Yes, to be honest, I just don’t feel at ease. The fact that Hercules had a seriously disturbed psyche is beyond doubt. Medical fact. Even Hercules himself realized that attacks of madness were affecting him. It would be naive to believe that the mind of Hercules was eclipsed by the wrath of the Goddess Hera. This was “normal”, natural behavior of a warrior, a “hero” in conditions of continuous wars and robberies. Today, Hercules would be recognized as a murderous maniac, extremely dangerous to society, but not a hero worthy of emulation.
Now, let’s briefly analyze the exploits of Hercules and try to objectively evaluate his heroism. The first feat was strangling the Nemean lion. Counted. Hero.
The second labor is the Lernaean Hydra. In place of each severed head, the hydra immediately grew two new ones. Hercules was exhausted from fighting the hydra. In addition, he was grabbed by the leg by a monstrous cancer. And Hercules could not stand it, and called his friend Iolaus to help. Iolaus killed the crab. And then he began to cauterize the hydra’s necks, from which Hercules knocked off the heads. That's how the hydra was defeated. I think that Iolaus showed real heroism and ingenuity, and the glory went to Hercules. Any objective judge would not chalk this victory up to Hercules.
The third feat is the Stymphalian birds. Monstrous birds made of copper and bronze, shooting deadly feather arrows. Remember how Pallas Athena helped Hercules? She gave Hercules two copper tympani. Their roar scared the birds so much that they flew away somewhere forever. (There is a version that they flew to Georgia. That is why Zurab Tsereteli loves working with bronze so much). So who is the hero: Hercules or Pallas Athena?
The fourth feat is the Kerenean Hind. Amazing animal with golden horns. Probably the only copy in the Red Book. Hercules did not spare either an arrow or a doe for the sake of the next “feat”.
The fifth feat is the Erymanthian boar and the centaurs. Well, Hercules killed the boar. At the same time he killed his friend the centaur Chiron with a poisoned arrow. Feat? The sixth feat is the barnyard of King Augeas. We have already dealt with this “feat”. A lot of crap... manure, a lot of blood, brutal murders committed by Hercules, and on the plus side - the Olympic Games. And thanks for that.
The seventh labor is the Cretan bull. Hercules swam from Crete to Greece on a mad bull. His king Eurystheus set the bull free, and the mad bull began to rush throughout Greece! I really don’t know, maybe in Greece swimming on a mad bull is really considered a feat?
The eighth labor is the horses of Diomedes. Already figured it out. One can only add that the man-eating horses devoured Hercules’ beloved friend Abdera, the son of Hermes. Stealing horses. Murder of Diomedes. Death of a friend. Feat? Crime! But mythology tries to whitewash Hercules: he, they say, “was forced to kill the villain Diomedes, who fed people to his terrible horses.” So Hercules saved people from two evils at once. You have to be very naive to perceive this act of Hercules as a heroic feat.
The ninth labor is Hippolyta's belt. If anyone thinks that killing women is a feat, then count this “feat” to Hercules.
The tenth labor is the cows of Geryon. Hercules stole a herd of cows from the giant Geryon, and “courageously” killed the giant himself with a poisoned deadly arrow. A little later, Hercules killed the Sicilian king Eryx for appropriating one cow for himself. A remarkable feat. Theft and murder went unpunished.
Eleventh labor - Cerberus. This has already been mentioned. Hercules pulled Cerberus out of hell and then brought him back to hell. A dubious feat for the sane, but “unparalleled heroism and fearlessness” for those who cultivated the image of the hero Hercules.
The twelfth labor is the theft of the apples of the Hesperides. All that is impressive in this “feat” of Hercules is his torture of the old man Nereus, from whom he knocked out the road to the Hesperides.
I wonder how many labors of Hercules you counted? More than one?
What do you think now about the classic mythology genre? Do you still see Hercules as an unquestioned hero? Do you want to be like Hercules? But our children in literature lessons in schools are presented with Hercules as a hero from whom they should follow an example...
In conclusion, it is absolutely necessary to dwell on last minutes life of Hercules. How did he die? This question was answered 2500 years ago by the Athenian playwright and tragedian Sophocles (496-406 BC) in his tragedy “The Trachian Women”. Let me remind you of the plot of this Sophoclean tragedy in my brief poetic summary:

"FUCKYANKS"
The tragedy of Sophocles, Athenian playwright and tragedian (496-406 BC)

Who are the “fucking girls”? That's what the girls from the city of Trakh'ina were called,
that they lived in this small, remote place.
Here the hero Hercules ended his life,
It all happened, as Sophocles says, something like this:
When, in the service of Ephrystheus, an insignificant king,
Hercules performed his deeds (only wasting his strength in vain),
in the kingdom of the dead he met the mighty Mele "agr,
who noted with dignity the exploits of our hero
and Dejanira, his sister, proposed to Hercules as a wife.
Hercules went to Dejanira to marry her,
but the river god Ahela decided to take away his “daughter-in-law.”
A battle took place between them, in which Hercules won
and without much difficulty he received Deianira as his wife.
When Hercules and his wife were returning home,
he met a mighty centaur at the crossing.
The centaur really liked Deianira,
and he decided that he would get her by force.
But Hercules had arrows with deadly poison.
The centaur was unlucky to be nearby.
Hercules struck the centaur with a poisoned arrow.
(I didn’t want to fight him, I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough strength.
How can one not remember what King Lycus said about Hercules:
“Hercules is not a hero, but a coward. He will only see danger, in an instant
kills the enemy with a poisoned arrow,
but he doesn’t know the fair rules of the fight”).
The centaur, dying, gave his blood to Deianira
and at the same time he said to her:
“If Hercules suddenly falls in love with another,
smear his clothes with my blood, and he will forget the other.”
One day, Hercules was visiting Ehalia and his time there was not in vain.
Hercules took a liking to the young maiden Iola - the daughter of the king.
Hercules demanded that his daughter be given to himself as a concubine,
but the king’s son did not allow his sister to be taken away:
“You, pathetic slave, who served the insignificant king so resignedly for 12 years,
You don’t deserve the king’s daughter, my sister!”
Hercules was offended and he threw the king’s son off the wall.
Of course he killed. How not to admit your guilt.
And again he fell into slavery for three years
(For some reason, no one in Trakhino found out about this).
AND faithful wife waits for her husband patiently, doomedly,
enthusiastically embroidering my husband's clothes.
Three years have passed. Hercules became free.
Revenge! Revenge! And he killed everyone in Ehalia. Like this!
And he captured young women (they would be suitable as concubines)
and, of course, they will be useful as slaves!).
He sent the concubines to Trakhina,
and he told his wife and the messenger,
that very soon he will return on his own,
only the sacrifices will be celebrated in heaven.
And one of the newly sent slaves told his wife,
that among the captives there is Iola, whom Hercules has already tasted.
Then jealousy flared up in Dejanira’s heart,
She sent a messenger with a cloak to Hercules,
and sprinkled the cloak of the murdered centaur with blood,
and so that Hercules would not stop loving her, she asked Heaven.
I didn’t know that the blood was poisoned with a deadly poison,
but I was only thinking about Hercules being nearby.

Hercules lit a fire for sacrifices,
when a messenger with a cloak from the house galloped up to him.
Our hero threw his cloak over his naked torso,
the poison came to life from the fire of the fire, penetrated the hero and knocked him to the ground.
And then Hercules realized that the poison of his arrow had returned to him,
turned into cruel, unbearable pain.
Monstrous pain burns him,
our hero suffers in cruel torment,
I can't bear the pain anymore,
and he ordered his friends to burn himself on a sacrificial pyre.

This is how our hero died.
Having learned about this, the wife committed suicide.
And the son of Hercules took young Iola as his wife,
so before his death Hercules ordered his son...

This is how Hercules “left us” with a completely unheroic death. This episode is also reflected in the mythology of Hercules (“The Death of Hercules”, “The Poisoned Cloak of Hercules” and is depicted in the paintings of great artists (for example, the painting “The Death of Hercules” by Francisco de Subaran, Museo del Prado)

We open the book by N.A. Kun “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece” (1957 edition) on page 167 and read: “Hercules, having erected an altar, was already preparing to make sacrifices to the gods and, first of all, to his father Zeus, when Lichas came with a cloak. The son of Zeus put on his cloak and began the sacrifice. .. The fire that burned hotly on the altars warmed the body of Hercules... and the poisoned cloak stuck to the body of Hercules. Convulsions ran through Hercules’ body, and he felt terrible pain...” The cloak was poisoned with a deadly poison. Hercules experienced inhuman torment and begged his friends to kill him. It is better to die quickly than to suffer painfully indefinitely. Friends fulfilled the will of Hercules and burned him at the stake. This is what really happened. Hercules did not intend to die and commit self-immolation. He was going to live and live forever! The brutal poisoning of Hercules was an accident.
But modern ideologists from history are trying to present the death of Hercules as the greatest, the courageous act of Hercules, as a conscious act of self-immolation. Like, Hercules could no longer bear his cross as a murderer of family, children, innocent people, and therefore made the courageous decision to commit an act of self-immolation in order to cleanse himself of filth, of his sins. And a special program on TV 3 was dedicated to this frank ideological concoction (on December 26, 2012 at 20:45, the documentary “Battle of the Gods. Hercules”). Who really needs, for educational, ideological purposes, of course, Hercules to look like a bright example to follow, like a “Hero Soviet Union" When mythology becomes a tool of ideology, it begins to be rewritten. Maybe N.A.’s book is already getting ready for re-release. Kun's "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece", into which the necessary ideological adjustments will be made?
P.S. Don’t you think that today in Ukraine, on the Maidan, new “heroes” like Hercules are being born?

19.11.2012 - 05.11.2014

And now that the reader has seen the new Hercules, I offer nine funny tales about the exploits of the hero Hercules. I think that the author (me) has every reason and, of course, the creative right, to treat the exploits of Hercules with humor and irony.

Yours, Alexey Leonidovich Gorshkov

TALES ABOUT THE EXPLOITS OF THE BOGATYR HERCULES

Childhood of Hercules

A long time ago, so long ago that it’s hard to even remember, in one small country called Greece, there lived a hero named Hercules. Since childhood, he was so strong that his peers were afraid to even approach him. Yes, try it, come over. You'll get hit on the head right away, just in case, so that everyone knows how strong Hercules is. Hercules did not go to school. What for? There is strength - no need for intelligence. So he showed everyone his strength. As a child they tried to teach him to write, read, sing and play the cithara, but little Hercules preferred to master the bow and sword. One day, during a music lesson, his music teacher Lin, the brother of the famous Orpheus, punished Hercules, irritated by his reluctance to learn. Little Hercules flew into a rage, grabbed the cithara and hit Lin on the head with it. The blow was so strong that poor Lin fell dead. The court acquitted Hercules because he was a minor illegitimate son of Zeus.
For days the boy disappeared somewhere, and returned home hungry, like a wolf, and ate so much of everything that even ten adults would not have been able to handle. Very soon his poor parents were no longer able to feed the hero. And then Hercules wondered, how can he continue to live with an empty stomach?
And that same night, as he thought about this, he had a dream. He dreams that he is lying on green grass in the forest, enjoying strawberries. Suddenly, a beautiful young girl in translucent clothes comes up to him and says: “Hercules! Life is a holiday! Live like a guest at a feast. Eat deliciously, sleep well, have fun with friends and girlfriends. Come with me and I will turn your life into sweet bliss! By the way, my name is Nega.” But then another young woman, wearing the warrior’s armor sparkling, approaches Hercules and says: “Rest can only be appreciated after hard work. Sad is the fate of a man who lives as a guest at someone else's feast. Nobody likes overstaying guests and slackers. People love heroes! I am the invincible Athena. If you want to be a hero, follow my path."
After this dream, Hercules left his parents' house and went for a walk around Greece. All day long he ran around his little Greece, and gave such slaps to everyone who came to hand that the poor fellows scattered across the numerous islands neighboring Greece. They say that the Greeks settled on the islands, which they later annexed to Greece. Maybe this was the first labor of Hercules?
Well, so the glorious hero Hercules lived and grew up until he was sixteen years old. By this time, he had already walked all over Greece, slapped everyone on the head, and reached Mycenae, where there was the residence of the Greek king Eurystheus, who was a relative of Hercules. And the king, of course, had heard a lot about the heroic strength of Hercules and his exploits. The king was afraid, as if he too would have to move to some small island. The king did not want this at all. He could not have been better off on the royal throne. And, since the king went to school as a child and gained a little intelligence, he decided to outwit the hero Hercules. King Eurystheus called the hero Hercules to his throne and said to him:
“I’ve heard about your heroic strength, but I just don’t believe that you are stronger than anyone in the world.”
Hercules was offended, clenched his fists and shouted:
- Yes, right now, as soon as I give you a slap on the head, you’ll fly first class all the way to Rhodes!
King Eurystheus did not want to fly anywhere, so he hastened to calm the hero.
- Well, hush, hush, hush... don’t fume! But whether you are stronger than everyone else in the world, this still needs to be checked.
- So check it! Hurry up! Otherwise I'm hungry!
Here the king says to him:
- To test your strength, I will give you the first task. An unprecedented monster appeared in the mountains of Nemea. Huge lion. This lion is the size of an elephant. And angry and strong, like a thousand lions. No one has been able to deal with him until now. Go ahead and kill this lion. And if you kill, you will receive a royal reward. If you fail, you will become my slave.
- Yes, I’ll kill this mangy cat with one left hand! - Hercules said arrogantly, and headed to the mountains of Nemea to look for a shabby cat.

THE FIRST LABOR OF HERCULES

Nemean lion

Hercules approached the Nemean Mountains and began to look for Leo. I searched all day, and only in the evening I found a huge cave where Leo lived. Here we should remember that in those distant times people did not have the kind of weapons that they have now. There were no rifles. There were no pistols. There were no grenades. Well, there was nothing that could kill such a monster. All Hercules had was a bow and arrows, a spear and a club.
Hercules approached the cave and shouted loudly:
- Well, come out, Lyova from Mogilev! I'll rip your head off right now!
A huge lion reluctantly came out of the cave and roared so loudly that the trees bent and all their leaves fell off.
- Who dared to wake me up?! Is it you, you insignificant little man?
- Now you will understand who woke you up, fat hippopotamus! - Hercules exclaimed.
He took his bow and shot three arrows at the Lion, one after the other. But the arrows bounced off the Lion's skin. Hercules threw his spear. But the spear broke on the Lion's skin. Then Hercules launched his mighty club at Leo. But the Lion opened his huge mouth and swallowed the club like a fly.
And then a huge lion rushed at Hercules, and would certainly have crushed him like a cockroach if the hero had not managed to jump to the side. And as soon as he jumped back, he started running as fast as he could. The lion is behind him. Hercules from him. The monster attacks - the hero retreats. And so the lion managed to drive Hercules to the edge of the abyss. It’s time for Hercules to read some kind of prayer, but he doesn’t know a single one. Hercules looked around and saw a huge bird flying in the sky. The hero took out a grilled chicken from his saddle bag, which he was going to have a snack with after he dealt with Lev, and threw it up. The huge bird saw the small bird, albeit fried, and swooped down. And a huge lion approaches Hercules with huge leaps. Yes, the hero managed to jump and grab the tail of a huge bird. Well, this one mighty bird and carried Hercules straight out of the Lion's mouth. And the huge lion ran so fast that his braking distance was insufficient to stop on the edge of the abyss, and he fell off the cliff into the abyss.
And Hercules ordered the huge Eagle to land if he did not want something to be torn away from him. The eagle, of course, immediately landed, and Hercules let him go, and even left him a roast bird - as a bonus. Hercules found a dead Lion, cut off his head, chopped off all four paws and tore off his skin. The shoemaker sewed two pairs of strong sandals from the lion's paws - Hercules ran in them for a hundred years, and they never wore down. From the skin of a lion, the furrier sewed a pair of capes for Hercules that not a single arrow could pierce. Why not a bulletproof vest?! And Hercules brought the head of the lion to King Eurystheus. The cunning king then put this head up for auction at Sotheby's. They say that the head of the Nemean lion was bought for a lot of money by some anonymous buyer from Russia.
So Hercules accomplished his first feat. I’m not sure that this was a feat, but the Greeks insist on it. I won't argue.

SECOND LABOR OF HERCULES

Lernaean Hydra

When Hercules brought King Eurystheus his first battle trophy - the head of a huge lion, the king questioned the hero's feat. Were there any witnesses? Oh, they weren’t! So you can't prove that you killed the lion? No, brother. This will not work. If you want to get into the Guinness Book of Records, you must provide documentary evidence of your feat, and also a bunch of witnesses. So, buddy, I'm giving you one more chance. Go and kill the Lernaean Hydra, who lives three kilometers from the city of Lerna. Find out the exact address from my secretary.
And the cunning Eurystheus sent Hydra to kill Hercules because he really loved cranberries in sugar. And cranberries grew only in that swamp and nowhere else. And when the terrible Hydra appeared in that swamp, they stopped collecting cranberries. Who wants to die for the sake of the king’s whim?
Hercules had to go fight Hydra. He found her in a huge swamp two and a half kilometers from Lerna. Hercules approached the paradise of the swamp and shouted loudly:
- Hey, Hydra-Mydra! Get out! Let's measure our strength!
At his cry, a huge snake head, the size of a barrel, poked out of the swamp. Behind her is the second one. Next is the third. Fourth. Fifth. Sixth. Seventh. Eighth. Ninth! Although Hercules did not know how to count, since he did not study at school, he realized that Hydra had many heads. This means that there will be difficult work ahead.
And all nine heads of the Hydra, when they saw Hercules, began to hiss with a terrible hiss, from the sound of which you can die with fear:
- So it’s you, insignificant little man! It is you, Hercules, who kills me sibling Nemean lion! Now I will tear you into small pieces!
- Let's see who can defeat whom, swamp creature! - exclaimed the hero.
Hercules grabbed the club and, well, let’s hit the hydra’s heads. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! He knocked off all the heads, but only saw that in place of the cut off heads, new ones immediately grew. Hercules began waving his club again. And all the Hydra's heads grew back. Hercules fought for three hours without a break, but he just couldn’t defeat the Hydra. Yes, here his friend Iolaus helped him, whom Hercules took with him as a witness so that he could apply for the feat in the Guinness Book. While Hercules was waving his club, Iolaus dragged a barrel of gunpowder to the swamp, which he took with him, just in case. Iolaus inserted a wick into the barrel, set it on fire, and threw the barrel into the swamp. And he shouts to his friend: “Go away, Hercules! Now it’s crazy!” Hercules barely managed to get out of the swamp.
Then it exploded. It tore the hydra into thousands of pieces, and scattered these pieces throughout Greece. Since then, the hydra has been sitting in every swamp in Greece. Now do you understand why there are no cranberries in Greece? Now the Greeks buy cranberries from Russia.
Hercules found a pair of severed heads of the Hydra in a swampy swamp, and, as a trophy, brought them to King Eurystheus. And King Eurystheus again does not believe him. Why did you only bring two heads? Hydra had nine of them. And you only have one witness. I told you that there must be a whole bunch of witnesses. So, my friend, here's another task for you. Go and kill all the Stymphalian birds. They do not allow people and animals to live. And no one can deal with them. So you prove that you are the strongest!
And you ask: where did the two hydrina heads go? That's right - right there. For Sotheby's auction.

THE THIRD LABOR OF HERCULES

Stymphalian birds

Hercules walked for two days and two nights to the city of Stymphala, in the vicinity of which terrible birds ruled. Their beaks and claws were made of copper and bronze. Their huge carcasses were covered with copper and bronze feathers. It was these feathers that scattered with swift arrows, killing all living things. A huge flock of these birds settled in a dense forest at the foot of a high hill. Moreover, one half of the flock was copper, and the other was bronze.
Hercules wondered how to cope with these birds? There are thousands of them, but he only has fifty arrows. And then Palada Athena appeared to him and said: “Take this iron mouthpiece and go to the top of the hill. At night, when the birds are sleeping, take a megaphone and scream at the top of your lungs! The birds will get scared and start fighting each other.”
Hercules took the iron mouthpiece and headed towards the hill. He approached the hill and saw that the entire hill was surrounded by a high fence, and near the closed iron gates, there was a watchman’s booth, and a sign on it: “Private territory. No entry!" And just below it is written in clumsy handwriting: “Entrance – 1000 drachmas.” Well, since Hercules was illiterate (he didn’t go to school), he couldn’t read the inscription, but simply kicked out the iron gate with his left foot and climbed to the top of the hill. The hero hid behind a huge boulder and sat in the shelter until nightfall, satisfying his hunger with his favorite grilled chicken. And when night came, Hercules began to scream into an iron megaphone at the top of his lungs: “I’ll kill you!” I'll kill everyone! I’ll rip everyone’s heads off!” There was such a commotion in the forest! You can’t see anything, you can only hear the sound of copper and bronze ringing. Here bird arrows flew towards Hercules. He managed to hide behind a boulder, but several arrows hit him, but the skin of the Nemean lion saved him.
In the morning, Hercules sees that the entire huge flock of birds has gathered at the watering hole - a small lake on the edge of the forest. “So much for you! - thought Hercules. “I can’t handle these birds.” He went down the hill, went up to the watchman's booth, and in it the watchman was fast asleep. Doesn't look like a Greek. He looks not like a Kyrgyz, not like an Uzbek, not like an African. Hercules woke him up and asked:
- Why are you sleeping so calmly? Aren't you afraid of birds?
- Not afraid. “They are afraid of me,” the watchman answers.
- Why are they afraid of you, such a bastard? – Hercules was surprised.
“They are afraid because they know that I can kill them all,” the watchman answers calmly.
- Kill??? – Hercules didn’t believe it.
- Very simple. I'll do some magic on dead rat, and they themselves will kill each other.
- Well, then do some magic, come on! - Hercules ordered.
- I can not. “I need their feathers,” the watchman answers.
Hercules pulled out from the lion's skin two feathers stuck in it - copper and bronze - and handed them to the watchman.
- Here you are. Do some magic, come on!
The watchman, either Kyrgyz, or Uzbek, or African, thought for a moment and said:
- It’s better not to cast magic on a rat, but on dead birds. Bring me some. Red and bronze.
And on the lawn, after the night bird fight, a dozen dead birds lay. Hercules brought copper and bronze birds and gave them to the watchman. Well, then I began the ritual of witchcraft. He took the carcass of a bronze bird and stuck a copper feather into it. He stuck a bronze feather into the copper bird. And he began to mutter something, I don’t understand what. And then, as he waved his hands, as he screamed, that’s where it all began.
The whole flock of birds rose into the air and immediately split in half. On one side there are copper birds, and on the other there are bronze birds. And a mortal battle began between them. The birds fought all day, and by evening the bronze ones began to overcome the red ones. The Reds could not stand it and flew away from the battlefield. And the bronze ones also flew away somewhere from these parts, and never returned.
Hercules was surprised at the watchman’s witchcraft, and as a sign of gratitude, he put in place the iron gate that he had demolished the other day. Then the hero picked up a couple of dead birds and headed to the palace of Eurystheus. And the king again did not count Hercules for his feat, citing the fact that half of the birds had scattered somewhere. And there was an order - to kill everyone!
They say that a flock of bronze birds found refuge somewhere in the Caucasus mountains. And there were so many of them there that Zurab Tsereteli still has no problems with bronze. And the red birds reached distant Russia, where many centuries later they caused such unrest that great countries everything turned red for 74 years.
Here's the story.

FOURTH LABOR OF HERCULES

Kerynean fallow deer

After a six-month vacation, which King Eurystheus gave to Hercules, the king summoned the hero to himself and ordered him to get ready for a new campaign. He ordered Hercules to catch a doe with golden horns and deliver her alive to his palace. The king knew that this doe was listed in the Red Book, so he ordered not to kill it, but to bring it alive. Seeing Hercules off on his way, the king joked: for you, hero, winner of the Nemean lion, Lernaean hydra and bronze birds, this task of mine will be simple fun.
Hercules headed to the mountains of Arcadia, where this wonderful doe lived. After many days of searching, he finally saw the doe. Hercules chased after her, but the doe ran faster than the wind, and it was impossible to catch up with her. It's much simpler these days. I got on a helicopter with some governor and prosecutor, and in no time caught up with any doe and any other goat from any Red Book. And Hercules had to run after the doe on his own two feet. Good thing - the sturdy sandals saved his feet from the sharp rocks. For a whole year Hercules chased the doe. I was completely exhausted. I lost ten kilograms. And the doe seems to be playing with him. He lets you in and quickly disappears. He stops and waits again. Hercules could not stand such mockery, and one day he shot an arrow at this nasty doe. The arrow hit the doe's leg. The poor animal became lame and could no longer run. Here Hercules caught the doe. He put her on his shoulders and headed back.
Suddenly he sees a beautiful maiden in the form of a ranger coming towards him. She approached Hercules and introduced herself:
- Artemis. Reserve security service.
And Hercules says to her:
- I have no time to chat, beauty. I hasten to King Eurystheus with the trophy. If you want, leave your address. When I'm free, we'll chat.
And Artemis says to him in a stern, stern voice:
- You are a young man, you injured a rare animal, which is listed in the Red Book. There is no other doe like this on earth - this is the only one. You committed a crime and now you are facing prison.”
Hercules did not want to sit in prison at all, especially since he had heard a lot about the inclinations of the prisoners. And he began to beg Artemis to let him go. Artemis took pity on him and forgave him. And Hercules, before saying goodbye, says to her:
- Listen, Artemis. Do me a favor. Give me a document proving that I caught a golden-horned doe.”
“No problem,” Artemis answered and handed him a piece of paper with a seal.
Hercules was delighted that he now had documentary evidence of his feat. This means that soon his name will be written down in the Guinness Book forever.
When Hercules returned to the palace of Eurystheus, the first thing he did was hand the king a document with a seal.
- What is this? - Was the king surprised? -Where is the doe?
- I caught the doe, but the ranger Artemis took it from me. And instead of a doe, she gave me this document with a seal confirming my feat,” Hercules proudly declared.
The king read the document and angrily exclaimed:
- Idiot! This is a fine! I need to pay a fine of one hundred thousand drachmas or face prison!
Hercules immediately retreated to the door, and the king shouted after him:
- These are the idiots who will ruin my Greece, in the end! Get out of my sight!
For three whole months Hercules hid in some wilderness, fearing the wrath of the king. And for the first time the hero regretted that he did not go to school.

22.10.2012
THE FIFTH LABOR OF HERCULES
Erymanthian boar
While Hercules was hiding from the royal wrath, his peasants living near Mount Erymanthos came to King Eurystheus with a request to save them from the wild boar that was destroying all their crops. The king called the Minister of the Interior, Grandfather, and ordered him to find Hercules and give him the royal order - to find and kill the wild boar. The minister's detectives quickly found Hercules and handed him the royal order. Hercules began to get ready for the journey. And his friend Iolaus says to him: take me with you - I’ll come in handy.
While Hercules and Iolaus walked to Mount Erymanthos, Iolaus told that the wild boar's rookery was guarded by evil and ruthless centaurs - horses with human bodies and heads. And among all these centaurs, only two - Phol and Chiron - are friendly towards people.
On the way, Hercules and Iolaus met a large cave in which the kind, old centaur Pholus lived. Fol sat alone all day long and was terribly bored. And when he saw two travelers, he was very happy and invited them to visit. Pholus began to treat Hercules and Iolaus with the best wine, the aroma of which spread throughout the entire area. The smell of wine reached the centaurs and enraged them. “Who is Fol sharing our wine with?” After all, this wine belonged not only to Fol, but to all of them. And the centaurs galloped to Fola's cave. And when they arrived, they saw Hercules and Iolaus and invited them to surrender without a fight.
- The Greeks don't give up! - Hercules exclaimed and began to throw arrows from his bow at the centaurs. The centaurs were frightened by the poisoned arrows and began to run in all directions. Yes, that's the problem. Drunk, Hercules shot one arrow at the old, gray-haired, wise, kind centaur Chiron, and mortally wounded him. The arrow was poisoned with poison from which there was no escape. Phol ran up to his friend Chiron, pulled the arrow out of his wound, and dropped it through carelessness. An arrow pierced Fol's leg and he died instantly.
Hercules carried the bodies of Chiron and Pholus into the cave, blocked the entrance with stones, and went to the forest in which the boar lived. And the centaur Fol managed to open the way to the boar for him while they were drinking wine. Hercules found the boar's lair. The boar jumped out of his lair and quickly rushed at Hercules. Hercules barely had time to jump to the side, otherwise the boar would have torn his stomach open with its huge fangs. And the boar ran into a pine tree so hard that it broke the tree and died from the terrible blow. Hercules brought the dead boar to King Eurystheus, but he again did not count his feat. Drunken “exploits” are not considered feats. 10/22/2012
THE SIXTH LABOR OF HERCULES
Augean stables

King Augeas of Elis had huge herds of horses, and since no one wanted, even for good money, to clean the stables from manure, over time, the stables were filled with horse goods to nowhere. Even the horses themselves refused to go into their stables, much less sleep in them. Here you go. Since Augeas did not have his own full-time sewer man, he turned to the neighboring king, Eurystheus, with a request to help in this dirty business. Eurystheus immediately remembered how Hercules had set him up for one hundred thousand drachmas, and ordered him to go to Augeas and clean out his stables. Hercules reached Augeas, saw his countless herds of horses and dirty stables, and said:
- That's it, King Augeias. I will clean out your stables in one day, but on condition that I receive one tenth of your horses for the work.
Augeas understood that it was impossible to clear all the stables of manure in one day, and therefore willingly agreed to this condition.
“Give me a shovel,” Hercules demanded.
- Bring a shovel to the hero! - Augeas ordered.
Hercules got to work. First of all, he broke down the walls of the stables on both sides. Then he began to work diligently with a shovel. He began to destroy a large dam, which protected the city from the harmful floods of two rivers - Alpheus and Penea. The hero worked hard for half a day until he destroyed the dam. The rapid flow instantly cleared the stables of manure, demolishing all the stables and half the city at the same time. When Hercules demanded a well-deserved reward from King Augeas, the greedy Augeas refused to pay. “Like, you, Hercules, destroyed half of my city. So, you have to pay me, not I you.” The hero Hercules took terrible revenge on the king of Elis for such an insult. He killed him in a fair fight with a poisoned arrow from a bow. And after that, he made sacrifices to the Olympic gods and established the Olympic Games, which have been held since then every four years.
This was probably the first work of Hercules, which he completed independently - without anyone’s help. Who would have thought that Hercules had such talent as a sewer man! Maybe this was his calling?
We should be grateful to Hercules for establishing the Olympic Games. True, I must admit, I could not even think that in order to establish the Olympic Games, it was necessary to get rid of a pile of manure and the king.
22.10.2012
THE SEVENTH LABOR OF HERCULES
Cretan bull

One day, a snow-white bull with golden horns swam to the shore of the island of Crete. King Minos of Crete was so amazed by this event that he promised to sacrifice this bull to the god of the seas, Poseidon. But then Minos felt sorry for this unusually beautiful bull, and he sacrificed another bull to Poseidon. But gods, that’s what gods are for, that they see everything and know everything. Poseidon was angry with Minos and sent rage to white bull. The mad bull rushed all over the island and destroyed everything in its path.
It was then that King Minos turned to King Eurystheus with a request to catch the mad bull. You already guessed that Eurystheus entrusted this action to Hercules. Hercules arrived in Cyprus on the next line flight of the Onassis ship company, and as soon as he landed on the shores of Cyprus, he immediately asked: “Well, where is the mad bull?” When he found out that a mad bull was running all over the island, the first thing he did was get himself vaccinated against rabies, have a snack, and then he started running all over the island. Don't get used to it! Finally, he came face to face with a mad bull. Without hesitation, Hercules punched the bull in the nose, and while he was shaking his head in pain, he jumped on his back and shouted menacingly: “Come on, go ahead!” Otherwise, yay... I'll tear it off! Although the bull was mad, he understood that he was in danger - if he lost his egg... then the cows would no longer be interesting. Therefore, the bull did not resist. He ran to the sea, threw himself into the water and swam towards Greece. And when the bull swam to Greece, he ran away again, and now began to rush all over Greece. But what was Hercules’ fault in this? He did his job. The bull was delivered to Greece. But the feat was again not counted. What kind of feat is it - to swim on a mad bull in the sea?

22.10.2012
THE EIGHTH LABOR OF HERCULES
Horses of Diomedes

The king of Thrace, Diomedes, had horses of marvelous beauty and incredible strength. Since childhood, they have been chained to stalls with triple chains. Because they were always striving for freedom, not wanting to serve anyone. And these wonderful horses never ate ordinary horse food: grass, hay, oats. They ate only human flesh.
King Eurystheus ordered Hercules to get to Thrace, steal the horses of Diomedes and bring them to Mycenae. Hercules sailed to Thrace on a ship, along with his beloved friend Abdera. Hercules came to King Diomedes and said to him:
- Sell, king, your horses. I will pay you thirty thousand drachmas for them.
- Yes, my horses are not worth a million drachmas! - Diomedes laughs.
“Well, since they don’t cost anything, give them away just like that,” says Hercules.
- You've lost your mind, buddy! Where has it been seen that priceless horses are given to some stranger at his first request? Maybe you're drunk? So go and get some sleep!
Hercules was terribly offended by the words of King Diomedes, and harbored a mortal grudge against him. At night, Hercules and his companions sneaked into the stables of Diomedes and took his horses to his ship. Diomedes and his soldiers rushed after Hercules. A battle began, in which Hercules emerged victorious, killing King Diomedes and his soldiers. When Hercules boarded the ship, he was horrified to see how the horses of Diomedes were devouring his beloved friend Abdera.
Hercules arranged a magnificent funeral for his beloved friend. Near his grave he founded a city, which he called Abdera. When Hercules brought the horses to Eurystheus, he ordered them to be released. The horses ran away into the mountains, covered with dense forest, where they were torn to pieces by wild animals with pleasure.
This is the story of the eighth labor of Hercules. Although, to be honest, I don’t understand at all - what was the feat? Hercules stole the horses and lost his beloved friend. He killed King Diomedes, who was defending his horses. Somehow I don’t dare call this a feat. But the Greeks insist on this. Well, okay, the Greeks know better.

THE NINTH LABOR OF HERCULES

Belt of Hippolyta

Where the Fermodon River flows into the waters of the Eucine Sea, stands the city of Themiscyra, the main city of the Amazon country. This country is ruled by militant Amazon women. They despise men and are proud of their invincibility. And the Amazons are ruled by the powerful Hippolyta. The god of war Ares gave Hippolyta a leather belt, and as long as she wears this belt, no one can defeat her and the Amazons.
The young, but wayward and capricious daughter of King Eurystheus, Admet, found out about this. She came to her father and demanded that he take out this leather belt of Hippolyta and give it to her for her birthday. Eurystheus immediately ordered Hercules to bring him Hippolyta's belt.
Hercules gathered a small detachment of warriors and set off on a long journey on one ship. On the path of Hercules there was the island of Paros, where the hero was going to replenish his supplies of food and water. Unexpectedly, the sons of the ruler of the island, Minos, killed two of Hercules’ companions. The enraged Hercules killed half of the inhabitants of Paros, drove the survivors into the city, and threatened to starve everyone to death. The inhabitants of Paros were frightened and gave Hercules, instead of his two killed warriors, the grandchildren of Myros - Alcaeus and Sthenel.
Hercules swam further, not forgetting to shed the blood of those he did not like along the way. Finally he sailed to Themiscyra. Hercules went ashore along with his squad, and on the shore he was met by Hippolyta herself and many Amazons. At first, the Amazons wanted to kill the detachment of Hercules, but the queen stopped them. She was attracted by the mighty hero Hercules, and she invited him and his warriors to a feast. The Amazons and their guests feasted all day, and at night the Amazons took the guests to their bedrooms. And for every warrior from Hercules’s squad there were ten Amazons. And Hercules spent that night and many subsequent nights with fifty Amazons and their queen Hippolyta. Hercules and his warriors stayed for almost a whole year in the hospitable land of the Amazons. And when the time came to return home, Queen Hippolyta gave Hercules her leather belt.
They say that soon after the departure of Hercules, children were born to the Amazons. And fifty boys, when they started talking, said - we won’t go to school!
Hercules returned to Mycenae and gave Hippolyta’s belt to King Eurystheus. The king gave the belt to his beloved daughter Admete. But Admeta was afraid to own this belt and gave it to the temple of the goddess Hera.
Well, was it worth Hercules embarking on such dangerous adventures? Although it was probably worth it. Perhaps this is the greatest feat of Hercules. How do you think?
22.10.2012

Giorgio Vasari and Gerardi Cristofano,
XVI century, Palazzo Vecchio, Italy

Ancient myth

According to some scientists, EON is one thing; according to others, it is another. You can’t trust anyone, because the history of the Earth is a boiling ocean of insights, comprehensions, fabrications, unsubstantiated rumors and completely conclusive, but empty facts. With all this, when dealing with issues of Culture, it is necessary to know what the relationship between Eternity and Time is. So who are you God Aeon? We turn to ancient Greek mythology and immediately come to a myth that tells about the first Gods, the conflict between which determined the course of Ancient Greek history, and then penetrated into current ideas

Chaos(ancient Greek “to open up, open up”). Ancient Greek poet of the 8th - 7th centuries BC. Hesiod in his Theogony (Genealogy of the Gods) stated: “First of all, in the universe Chaos arose.” We know more.

The external image of Chaos in modern representation...

Ancient Chaos is the discharge and dispersion of matter, and therefore it is eternal death for all living things. He is also the condensation of all matter, and therefore he is the principle and source of all becoming. Chaos is the eternally creative womb for all forms of life.

Antique Chaos

• A majestic and tragic image of the cosmic First Unity. In it is melted Being, from which everything appears and in which everything perishes. He is the universal principle of continuous and continuous, endless and limitless becoming.
  Ancient Chaos is omnipotent and faceless, it shapes everything, but itself is formless.
  He is a world monster, the essence of which is Emptiness and Nothingness, or Infinity and Zero at the same time.

The first creation of Chaos was Gaia - ancient Greek Goddess of the Earth. According to Hesiod: “then broad-breasted Gaia was born, a safe haven for all.” Gaia- The mother of everything that lives and grows on her.

According to Hesiod:“Gaia, first of all, gave birth to the starry Sky of Uranus, equal in breadth, so that it would cover it everywhere and serve as a strong dwelling for the all-blessed gods.” Uranus was chosen by Gaia as her husband, and “was the first to rule the whole world.” The Earth gave birth to Heaven, who became her husband (how is that possible?). Their union gave birth to children who were supposed to turn Chaos into Cosmos (which means it’s necessary!). As it were…

IN CHAOS, TWO FORM-CREATING FORCES were identified:
SKY, endowed with inexhaustible productive power,
and EARTH with original maternal inclinations.
They were beautiful in appearance, because Gods cannot be otherwise...

"Also Kiklopov with an arrogant soul, Gaia gave birth - counting three, and by name - Bronta, Sterope and Arga. In all other respects they were similar to the other gods, but only a single eye was located in the middle of the face: That’s why they were called "Round Eyes", "Cyclopes" that they had one round eye on their face. And they had strength, power, and dexterity to do the work.”

The couple also had other, more terrible-looking children, but we will talk about them later. Now - about the main thing...

Children born to Gaia-Earth and Sky-Uranus

They were terrible and became hated by their father at first sight. As soon as one of them was born, each one was immediately hidden in the depths of the Earth by the parent, not released into the light, and enjoyed his villainy.” The fact that the children worked properly did not matter to the father...

Gaia-Earth gave birth to a TERRIBLE APPEARING GOOD.
And Uranus-Sky, BEAUTIFUL IN VIEW, turned out to be capable of EVIL.
This is how the MORAL-AESTHETIC PROBLEM arose,
which is that GOOD and EVIL
could become both BEAUTIFUL and TERRIBLE.

The creation of everything that exists in this world always occurs thanks to the Feminine Principle. I was once again convinced of this by accidentally stumbling upon Smith Ramsay’s book “Myths and Legends of the Australian Aborigines.” Or rather, it was offered to me by a bookstore seller, assuring me that it was real interesting thing and it’s worth at least getting acquainted with it.

Being distant from coastal zone and being in places difficult to reach for colonialists, some of the indigenous people of Australia preserved ancient legends about the creation of the world and devoted their pure hearts to them, good man, which will help us look from the other side, the South, at the creation of the world:

HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

This creation story was told by a Carrara woman from the West Coast. South Australia. She is 65 years old and speaks her language fluently. Her name is quite euphonious: Cardinnilla, which means a cheerful stream running briskly towards the mighty and the vast ocean to merge with him.

Initially, the entire Universe was plunged into darkness. This darkness was silent and motionless, and the Earth inside it remained cold and lifeless. Mountains with pointed peaks rose on the surface of the Earth. The land was also covered with hills, valleys and plains, deep caves and karst voids. Life forms were found in these caves, but not intelligent ones. There was no wind on Earth, not even a small breath of it.

For a long, long, eerie time, a deadly calm reigned over it all. And in this darkness and tranquility the beautiful young goddess slept (In accordance with this story, the sun is feminine and is called by the following names: Sun Goddess, Young Goddess, Mother, Mother Goddess, Mother Sun, Mother Sun Goddess and Goddess of Light and Life. The Moon, here also feminine, is considered the ruler of the night. Moon and morning star male, marked the beginning of the human race. When people die, they become stars in the sky). One day, the Great Spirit Father quietly whispered to her: “You have been sleeping for a long time, and now wake up, go give life to the Universe and everything that is in it. Do as I tell you. First wake up the grass, then the plants, and then the trees. When the face of the Earth was covered with grass, plants and trees, they were populated with insects, fish, lizards, snakes, birds and animals. Then rest until all these creatures you have created have developed enough to fulfill the task for which they came to Earth. There is no place on Earth for anything that does not benefit other parts of this creation.”

The young goddess took a deep breath, shaking up the hitherto calm atmosphere, and told the Great Spirit Father that she was ready to fulfill his order. She opened her eyes, and her whole being was filled with bright light. The darkness in front of her dissipated. She looked around the Earth and saw how empty it was. Then, faster than a meteor, it covered the vast distance to Earth. She made her home on the Nullarbor Plain [It looks and sounds like local name, but may be derived from Latin and means “no trees”], treating everything that surrounded her with care and love.

Leaving her home on the plain, she headed west and, having walked around the Earth, returned to starting point. Where her feet stepped, grass, bushes and trees appeared. Then she turned north and walked in that direction until she passed the south and returned to the starting point of her journey. So she continued to walk around the Earth until it was all covered with vegetation. After this, while taking a break from her labors, the Sun Goddess suddenly heard a voice that told her to go further into the caverns of the Earth to bring life there. She did just that and brought with her warmth and light to these dark and cold parts of the world. From under the Earth came the cries of the spirits: “Oh Mother, why did you disturb us? We have ruled these parts of the Earth for many millions of years." Mother Goddess Sun spent the whole day underground, exploring all the nooks and crannies of the dungeons and illuminating everything around with her light. Then hordes of beautiful insects of various colors, sizes and shapes appeared from the Earth. They began to fly from bush to bush, mixing all the colors around, making the Earth become more and more beautiful. Then Mother Sun lay down to rest.

She rested for some time to allow the insects to adapt to their new living conditions. Then, on a chariot of light, she visited the peaks of the mountains, rising majestically on the face of the Earth. After that, she soared on a powerful wind, which took her to the most remote corners of the Earth in the blink of an eye. On the same wind she returned home to the Nullarbor Plain. Then she rested for a period equal to two sunrises, and at this stage of creation the sun did not set. It shone continuously, and there was no darkness anywhere on Earth, with the exception of its belly. After resting, the Sun Goddess visited another cave, or abyss. She looked into its depths, and her face, shining with love, dispelled the darkness. When she stepped onto the dark, cold and lifeless bottom of the cave, her presence melted the solid ice. Then she went upstairs and went home to the Nullarbor Plain. From this abyss appeared snakes and lizards without legs, which slid on their bellies along the surface of the Earth. A river also began to flow out of this cavern, winding through the valley, and fish of all kinds, large and small, began to be found in its waters.

Then Mother Sun looked at her work and said that it was good. She commanded that the new life she created be harmonious everywhere. Mother Sun again visited the tops of the mountains and saw there trees, bushes, grass, butterflies, beetles, snakes and lizards, land and water and was pleased with her work. The wind picked her up again and carried her through all the nooks and crannies of the Earth, and then brought her back home to the Nullarbor Plain. There she rested for a while before resuming her work of creating the world.

When the Mother Goddess reappeared, she was accompanied by insects, snakes and lizards who worshiped her and wanted to see her create life in the next cavern. And again, when she descended to the bottom of the cavern, the darkness dissipated. Spiritual forms of birds and animals could be seen on all the ledges and at the bottom of the cave. When the Mother Goddess rose from this abyss, a mighty wind picked her up again and, as if on a chariot, carried her home to the Nullarbor Plain. A few days after her visit to the cavern, many birds of various colors appeared from there, and then many animals of all shapes, sizes and colors. They all went straight to the Mother Goddess to admire her greatness. They left there satisfied and happy with life. The Sun Goddess rested a little, making sure that the Father of All Spirits was pleased with what she had created.

After this, Mother Sun commanded that there should be short periods on Earth seasonal changes. The hot period would come first for a certain period of time, followed by the cold period, but they should not bring with them extreme heat or cold that could harm the creatures or vegetation existing on Earth. Mother Sun commanded that such heat and cold remain only in the most remote corners of the Earth. Light and darkness must also replace each other.

At the beginning of spring, Mother Sun called insects, reptiles, birds and animals to gather together, and a huge number of them came from the north, where the north wind is born and lives. Another set of them came from the south, from the habitats of the south wind, and also from the west, where the west wind lived. But the greatest number of them came from the east, the royal palace and cradle of sunlight and sunbeams. When they all gathered together, Mother Sun spoke to the animals, birds, reptiles and insects in a gentle and calm voice.

She said: “Listen, O my children, I am your nursing mother. The Great Spirit Father gave me the strength to create you from the Earth. My work on Earth is finished, and now I am heading to the higher realms where I will be your light and life. When I leave, I will leave another being in my place to rule over you. You will be its servants, and it will be your god and master. You will all undergo certain changes. In time, your bodies will return back to the Earth, and the life that I caused and the Great Spirit Father gave to you will cease to exist in this form on Earth. She will be transported to those places near my abode, from where she will shine and guide those who come after you. Your refuge will be the Land of Spirits. But this will only happen after you have lived your life, fulfilled the desires of your hearts and reached a state in which you are ready to meet this change. And now I’m leaving you.”

And then Mother Sun soared above the Earth and began to rise higher and higher to immense heights. All animals, birds, reptiles and lizards watched with fear in their eyes the departure of the Goddess of Light and Life. So they stood, watching as the face of the Earth was enveloped in darkness. This strange phenomenon filled them with fear and sadness, and when the darkness deepened, they fell silent. It seemed to them that Mother Sun had abandoned them. They stood like that until they saw the east lit up with sunrise. They watched in confusion as the light gradually appeared. Everyone began to discuss what was happening: “We all saw how Mother Sun moved to the west, so what is now coming to us from the east?” So they stood there, watching Mother Sun rise to the eastern sky and smiles at them. Everyone stood rooted to the spot, watching their beloved Goddess.

She, without stopping, continued her journey to the west. And then those gathered realized that the radiant smile of the Mother of the Sun would always be replaced by a period of darkness, which means that dark period designed for relaxation. And then everyone fled in different directions, seeking shelter in dense forests, burrowing into the Earth or resting on the branches of trees. The flowers that had opened in the light now closed and went to sleep, but the acacia remained awake all night. She wanted to maintain her shape and color both in the dark and in the light. The spirit of the water of a small stream loved so much sunlight that began to rise higher and higher until it disappeared from sight. He cried and sobbed so sadly in his attempts to reach the light that he exhausted himself with grief, returned back to Earth and remained lying on the trees, bushes and grass in the form of beautiful and sparkling drops of dew.

When dawn broke again in the eastern sky, the birds were the first to notice this herald of the arrival of the Mother of the Sun. They rejoiced so much that some began to tweet and chirp, others began to laugh incessantly, and others began to sing beautiful songs of praise. When Mother Sun looked at them from the eastern sky, drops of dew rushed to the sky, wanting to meet and accompany their Mother Sun, and this marked the beginning of morning and evening. And then all living creatures understood the plans of the Great Mother of the Sun.

After many years, these living creatures began to show dissatisfaction with their existence. Some cried because they could not fly, others languished because they had to spend too much time in the water. Some grumbled, others slept constantly, refusing to eat and enjoy life.

Then Mother Sun returned to Earth again, gathered everyone and said: “O children of the Earth, didn’t I bring you into the world from the womb of the Earth? Didn't I breathe life into you? O dissatisfied creatures, I gave you life and the right to decide for yourself. Do as you see fit, but you will regret your choice.”

And then the animals, birds, reptiles and insects did as they wished. And in which ones only strange creatures as a result, they did not turn into: a kangaroo, a frilled lizard, various shapes bats, pelicans with huge beaks, a platypus, a flying fox, a stupid looking old wombat, a frog that reaches maturity in such a strange way! At first it appeared in the form of a tadpole with only a body and a tail, then in the place where the body turns into the tail, legs appeared. After some time, the tail falls off, and the body develops further with four legs.

The mice that wanted to turn into birds now became bats, but their bodies were not covered with feathers. The seal, who was tired of wandering through the forests and hills, wished to live as he does today. The owl wept bitterly, wishing to have huge clear eyes that could see at night. Her wish was fulfilled, but now she cannot see during the day, and therefore during the day she is forced to hide in a cave or in a hollow tree, since she can no longer tolerate bright light and cannot look into the face of Mother Sun. The koala was ashamed of his beautiful tail, which all animals admired, and wanted to get rid of it. As a result, his tail died, and now the poor koala is embarrassed to appear in the company of a dingo, who is proud of his tail and happily wags it when he meets other animals. See how some insects made their wishes come true. Some now resemble pieces of tree bark, others - sticks or dry twigs.

Such diverse creatures clearly demonstrate what discontent and foolish desires can lead to. When Mother Sun realized that these strange creatures could provoke unrest on Earth, she said: “I will send down a piece of myself to you, O children of the Earth. The desire of my heart will come to you even before I appear tomorrow.” So the next morning, when the animals, birds, reptiles and insects awoke from their sleep, they saw the morning star shining in the eastern sky over the Nullarbor Plain. Everyone gathered in front of the star, but it did not speak to them, but remained sitting, turning its gaze to the east. When Mother Sun rose, she said: “I will give you a son of the World of Spirits, and he will be one of you.” Then she said to the shining morning star: “O my son, rule here and I will send you a friend. When I disappear behind the western sky and darkness covers the entire Earth, you will see a bright form that will appear in the western sky. This is the ruler of the night who will support your radiance and share with you the joys of light."

That's how it all happened. When the Goddess of Light, Mother Sun, rode her chariot of light across the heavens and disappeared in the west, and darkness covered the entire sky with its blanket, the promised helper appeared and flooded the entire Earth with his light. Thus, at the request of the Sun Goddess, the Moon was born. The moon descended to Earth, became the wife of the morning star, and they had four children. These children grew and multiplied in the form human race, and when they died, they took their place in the heavens in the form of stars.

The natives say that the stars are the children of the daughters and sons of the morning star and the beautiful Moon, created by Mother Sun. Bazjara and Arna, the prophets of the World of Spirits, say: “ You, children of the Earth, must remember to whom you owe your birth, and should not strive to change your position, like animals, birds, reptiles, insects and fish. Remember also your superiority over these creatures and that you, your children and your children's children will eventually return to the Great Father of All, the Eternal Spirit».

Prepared by: Max Vorontsov

The creation of the world is the original question in any religion. How and when everything that surrounds man was born - plants, birds, animals, man himself.

Science promotes its theory - a big explosion occurred in the universe, which gave rise to the galaxy and the planets around it. If the general scientific theory of the creation of the world is united, then different peoples have their own legends about it.

Myths about the creation of the world

What is a myth? This is a legend about the origin of life, the role of God and man in it. There are a huge number of such legends.

According to Jewish history, Heaven and Earth were original. The material for their creation was the clothes of God and snow. According to another version, the whole world is an intertwining of threads of fire, water and snow.

According to Egyptian mythology, initially darkness and chaos reigned everywhere. Only the young God Ra, who shed light and gave life, was able to defeat him. In one version, he hatched from an egg, and in another version, he was born from a lotus flower. It is noteworthy that there are many variations in the Egyptian theory, and many contain images of animals, birds, and insects.

In the stories of the Sumerians, the world came into existence when the flat Earth and the dome of Heaven united and gave birth to a son - the God of Air. Then the deities of water and plants appear. Here for the first time we speak of the emergence of a person from the organ of another.

The Greek myth about the origin of the world is based on the concept of chaos, which swallowed up everything around, the sun and moon were inseparable, cold was combined with heat. A certain God came and separated all opposites from each other. He also created man and woman from a single matter.

The parable of the ancient Slavs is based on the same chaos that reigned everywhere and around. There are deities of time, earth, darkness, wisdom. According to this legend, all living things appeared from dust - humans, plants, animals. The stars came from here. Therefore, it is said that the stars, like man, are not eternal.

Creation of the world according to the Bible

The Holy Scripture is the main book of Orthodox believers. Here you can find answers to all questions. This also applies to the origin of the world, humans and animals, plants.

The Bible has five books that tell the whole story. These books were written by Moses during his wanderings with the Jewish people. All the revelations of God were initially recorded in one volume, but then it was divided.

Initial in Holy Scripture is the Book of Genesis. Its name from Greek means “beginning,” which speaks of the content. It is here that the story is told about how the birth of life, the first man, the first society occurred.

As the Scripture says, man, by his existence, carries the highest goal - love, beneficence, improvement. It contains within itself the breath of God himself - the soul.

According to biblical history, the world was not created in eternity. How many days did it take for God to create a world filled with life? Even children know about this today.

How God created the earth in 7 days

The appearance of the world in such a short time is briefly described in the Holy Scriptures. Not in the book detailed description, everything is symbolic. Understanding transcends age and time - it is something that lasts for centuries. History says that only God can create the world out of nothing.

First day of creation of the world

God created “heaven” and “earth”. This should not be taken literally. This does not mean matter, but certain forces, entities, angels.

On this same day, God separated darkness from light, thus creating day and night.

Second day

At this time, a certain “firmament” is created. The personification of the separation of water on earth and air. Thus, we are talking about creating air space, a certain atmosphere for life.

The third day

The Almighty orders the water to gather in one place and make room for the formation of land. This is how the earth itself appeared, and the water around became seas and oceans.

Fourth day

It is notable for the formation of celestial bodies - night and day. The stars appear.

Now the possibility of counting time arises. The successive sun and moon count days, seasons, years.

Fifth day

Life appears on earth. Birds, fish, animals. This is where the great phrase “be fruitful and multiply” comes into play. God gives the beginning, the first individuals who will themselves raise their offspring in this paradise.

Sixth day

God creates man “in His image and likeness” and breathes life into him. Man is molded from clay, and the breath of God revives dead material and gives him a soul.

Adam is the first person, man. He lives in the Garden of Eden and understands the languages ​​of the world around him. Despite the diversity of life around him, he is lonely. God creates a helper for him, the woman Eve, from his rib while Adam sleeps.

Seventh day

Called Saturday. It is reserved for rest and serving God.

This is how the world was born. What is it exact date creation of the world according to the Bible? This is still the main and most difficult issue. There are claims that time is being described long before the advent of modern chronology.

Another opinion says the opposite, that the events in the Holy Book are our time. The figure varies from 3483 to 6984 years. But the generally accepted point of reference is considered to be 5508 BC.

Creation of the world according to the Bible for children

Initiating children into the doctrine of God teaches correct principles of behavior and points to undeniable values. However, the Bible in its present form is difficult for an adult to understand, let alone a child’s perception.

In order for a child to study the main book of Christians himself, a children's Bible was invented. A colorful, illustrated publication, written in a child-friendly language.

The story of the creation of the world from the Old Testament tells that initially there was nothing. But God has always been. All seven days of creation are narrated very briefly. It also tells the story of the emergence of the first people and how they betrayed God.

The story of Adam and Abel is described. These stories are instructive for children and teach them the right attitude towards others, elders, and nature. Cartoon and art films, which clearly show the events described in the Holy Scriptures.

There is no age or time for religion. She is beyond everything essential. Understanding the origin of the environment and the role of man in the world, finding harmony and one’s path is possible only by understanding the values ​​that faith carries.

The history of the creation of the world has worried people since ancient times. Representatives of different countries and peoples have repeatedly thought about how the world in which they live came into being. Ideas about this have been formed over the centuries, growing from thoughts and guesses into myths about the creation of the world.

That is why the mythology of any people begins with attempts to explain the origins of the surrounding reality. People understood then and understand now that any phenomenon has a beginning and an end; and the logical question of the appearance of everything around logically arose among representatives of Homo Sapiens. groups of people in the early stages of development clearly reflected the degree of understanding of a particular phenomenon, including such as the creation of the world and man by higher powers.

People passed on theories of the creation of the world from mouth to mouth, embellishing them, adding more and more details. Basically, myths about the creation of the world show us how diverse the thinking of our ancestors was, because gods, birds, and animals acted as the primary source and creator in their stories. There was, perhaps, one similarity - the world arose from Nothing, from Primordial Chaos. But its further development took place in the way that representatives of one or another people chose for it.

Restoring the picture of the world of ancient peoples in modern times

The rapid development of the world in recent decades has given a chance for a better restoration of the picture of the world of ancient peoples. Scientists of various specialties and directions have been studying found manuscripts and archaeological artifacts in order to recreate the worldview that was characteristic of the inhabitants of a particular country many thousands of years ago.

Unfortunately, the myths about the creation of the world have not been fully preserved in our time. It is not always possible to reconstruct the original plot of the work from surviving passages, which prompts historians and archaeologists to persistently search for other sources that can fill in the missing gaps.

Nevertheless, much can be learned from the material that modern generations have at their disposal. useful information, in particular: how they lived, what they believed, who the ancient people worshiped, how the worldviews differed among different peoples, and what was the purpose of creating the world according to their versions.

Modern technologies provide enormous assistance in searching and recovering information: transistors, computers, lasers, and various highly specialized devices.

The theories of the creation of the world that existed among the ancient inhabitants of our planet allow us to conclude: at the heart of any legend was the understanding of the fact that everything that exists arose from Chaos thanks to something Almighty, Comprehensive, feminine or masculine (depending on the foundations of society).

We will try to briefly outline the most popular versions of the legends of ancient people in order to get a general idea of ​​their worldview.

Myths about the creation of the world: Egypt and the cosmogony of the ancient Egyptians

The inhabitants of Egyptian civilization were adherents of the Divine principle of all things. However, the history of the creation of the world through the eyes of different generations of Egyptians is somewhat different.

Theban version of the appearance of the world

The most common (Theban) version tells that from the waters of the endless and bottomless ocean, the very first God, Amun, appeared. He created himself, after which he created other Gods and people.

In later mythology, Amon is already known under the name Amon-Ra or simply Ra (Sun God).

The first people Amon created were Shu, the first air, and Tefnut, the first moisture. Of these he created which was the Eye of Ra and was supposed to monitor the actions of the Deity. The first tears from the Eye of Ra caused the appearance of people. Since Hathor - the Eye of Ra - was angry with the Deity for existing separately from his body, Amun-Ra placed Hathor on his forehead as a third eye. From his mouth, Ra created other Gods, including his wife, the Goddess Mut, and his son Khonsu, the lunar Deity. Together they represented the Theban Triad of Gods.

Such a legend about the creation of the world makes it clear that the Egyptians laid the Divine principle into the basis of their views on its origin. But this was the supremacy over the world and people not of one God, but of their entire galaxy, which they honored and expressed their respect through numerous sacrifices.

Worldview of the Ancient Greeks

The richest mythology was left as a legacy to new generations by the ancient Greeks, who paid great attention to their culture and gave it paramount importance. If we consider the myths about the creation of the world, Greece, perhaps, surpasses any other country in their number and diversity. They were divided into matriarchal and patriarchal: depending on who the hero was - a woman or a man.

Matriarchal and patriarchal versions of the emergence of the world

For example, according to one of the matriarchal myths, the ancestor of the world was Gaia - Mother Earth, who arose from Chaos and gave birth to the God of Heaven - Uranus. The son, in gratitude to his mother for his appearance, poured rain on her, fertilizing the earth and awakening the seeds dormant in it to life.

The patriarchal version is more expanded and deeper: in the beginning there was only Chaos - dark and boundless. He gave birth to the Goddess of the Earth - Gaia, from whom all living things came, and the God of Love Eros, who breathed life into everything around.

In contrast to the living and striving for the sun, the gloomy and gloomy Tartarus was born underground - a dark abyss. Eternal Darkness and Dark night. They gave birth to Eternal Light and Bright Day. Since then, Day and Night have replaced each other.

Then other creatures and phenomena appeared: Deities, titans, cyclops, giants, winds and stars. As a result of a long struggle between the Gods, Zeus, the son of Kronos, raised by his mother in a cave and overthrew his father from the throne, stood at the head of Heavenly Olympus. Starting with Zeus, other famous people who were considered the ancestors of people and their patrons take their history: Hera, Hestia, Poseidon, Aphrodite, Athena, Hephaestus, Hermes and others.

People revered the Gods and propitiated them in every possible way, building luxurious temples and bringing countless rich gifts to them. But in addition to the Divine creatures living on Olympus, there were also such respected creatures as: Nereids - sea inhabitants, Naiads - guardians of reservoirs, Satyrs and Dryads - forest talismans.

According to the beliefs of the ancient Greeks, the fate of all people was in the hands of three goddesses, whose name was Moira. They spun the thread of each person's life: from the day of birth to the day of death, deciding when this life would end.

Myths about the creation of the world are replete with numerous incredible descriptions, because, believing in forces higher than man, people embellished them and their deeds, endowing them with superpowers and the ability inherent only to gods to rule the fate of the world and man in particular.

With the development of Greek civilization, myths about each of the deities became increasingly popular. A great many of them were created. The worldview of the ancient Greeks significantly influenced the development of the history of the state that emerged at a later time, becoming the basis of its culture and traditions.

The emergence of the world through the eyes of ancient Indians

In the context of the topic “Myths about the creation of the world,” India is known for several versions of the appearance of all things on Earth.

The most famous of them is similar to Greek legends, because it also tells that at first the impenetrable darkness of Chaos dominated the Earth. She was motionless, but full of hidden potential and great power. Later, Water appeared from Chaos, which gave birth to Fire. Thanks to great power Warmth in the Waters, a Golden Egg appeared. At that time, there were no celestial bodies or time measurements in the world. However, according to the modern account of time, the Golden Egg floated in the vast waters of the ocean for about a year, after which the progenitor of everything named Brahma arose. He broke the egg, as a result of which its upper part turned into Heaven, and its lower part into Earth. An air space was placed between them by Brahma.

Next, the progenitor created the countries of the world and began the countdown of time. Thus, according to Indian legend, the Universe came into being. However, Brahma felt very lonely and came to the conclusion that living beings must be created. Brahma was so great that with her help he was able to create six sons - great lords, and other goddesses and gods. Tired of such global affairs, Brahma transferred power over everything existing in the Universe to his sons, and he himself retired.

As for the appearance of people in the world, according to the Indian version, they were born from the goddess Saranyu and the god Vivasvat (who turned from God into man by the will of the elder gods). The first children of these gods were mortals, and the rest were gods. Yama was the first of the mortal children of the gods to die. the afterlife became the ruler of the kingdom of the dead. Another mortal child of Brahma, Manu, survived the Great Flood. From this god people originated.

Pirushi - The First Man on Earth

Another legend about the creation of the world tells of the appearance of the First Man, called Pirusha (in other sources - Purusha). characteristic of the period of Brahmanism. Purusha was born thanks to the will of the Almighty Gods. However, later Pirushi sacrificed himself to the Gods who created him: the body of the primordial man was cut into parts, from which the heavenly bodies (Sun, Moon and stars), the sky itself, the Earth, the countries of the world and classes of human society emerged.

The Brahmans, who arose from the mouth of Purusha, were considered the highest class - caste. They were the priests of the gods on earth; knew the sacred texts. The next most important class were the Kshatriyas - rulers and warriors. The Primordial Man created them from his shoulders. From the thighs of Purusha appeared traders and farmers - Vaishyas. The lowest class that emerged from the feet of Pirusha were the Shudras - forced people who played the role of servants. The most unenviable position was occupied by the so-called untouchables - you could not even touch them, otherwise a person from another caste would immediately become one of the untouchables. Brahmins, kshatriyas and vaishyas, upon reaching a certain age, were initiated and became “twice-born”. Their life was divided into certain stages:

• Apprenticeship (a person learns life from wiser adults and gains life experience).
• Family (a person creates a family and is obliged to become a decent family man and housewife).
• Hermit (a person leaves home and lives the life of a hermit monk, dying alone).

Brahmanism assumed the existence of such concepts as Brahman - the basis of the world, its cause and essence, the impersonal Absolute, and Atman - the spiritual principle of each person, inherent only to him and striving to merge with Brahman.

With the development of Brahmanism, the idea of ​​Samsara - the circulation of being; Incarnations are rebirths after death; Karma - fate, the law that will determine what body a person will be born in in the next life; Moksha is the ideal to which the human soul needs to strive.

Speaking about the division of people into castes, it is worth noting that they should not have had contact with each other. Simply put, each class of society was isolated from the other. The too strict caste division explains the fact that only brahmins - representatives of the highest caste - could deal with mystical and religious problems.

However, later more democratic ones also arise religious teachings- Buddhism and Jainism, which took a point of view opposing the official teaching. Jainism became a very influential religion within the country, but remained within its borders, while Buddhism became a world religion with millions of followers.

Despite the fact that the theories of the creation of the world through the eyes of the same people differ, in general general beginning they have - this is the presence in any legend of a certain First Man - Brahma, who eventually became the main deity in whom they believed in Ancient India.

Cosmogony of Ancient India

The latest version of the cosmogony of Ancient India sees in the foundation of the world a triad of Gods (the so-called Trimurti), which included Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Guardian, and Shiva the Destroyer. Their responsibilities were clearly distributed and delineated. Thus, Brahma cyclically gives birth to the Universe, which is preserved by Vishnu, and destroys Shiva. As long as the Universe exists, Brahma's day lasts. As soon as the Universe ceases to exist, the night of Brahma begins. 12 thousand Divine years - this is the cyclic duration of both day and night. These years consist of days that are equal human concept of the year. After Brahma's hundred-year life, he is replaced by a new Brahma.

In general, the cult significance of Brahma is secondary. Evidence of this is the existence of only two temples in his honor. Shiva and Vishnu, on the contrary, gained wide popularity, transforming into two powerful religious movements - Shaivism and Vaishnavism.

Creation of the world according to the Bible

The history of the creation of the world according to the Bible is also very interesting from the point of view of theories about the creation of all things. The Holy Book of Christians and Jews explains the origin of the world in its own way.

The creation of the world by God is illuminated in the first book of the Bible - Genesis. Just like other myths, the legend tells that in the very beginning there was nothing, not even the Earth. There was only complete darkness, emptiness and cold. All this was observed by Almighty God, who decided to revive the world. He began his work by creating the earth and sky, which did not have any definite shapes or outlines. After this, the Almighty created light and darkness, separating them from each other and calling them day and night, respectively. This happened on the first day of the universe.

On the second day, God created a firmament, which divided the water into two parts: one part remained above the firmament, and the second - below it. The name of the firmament became Sky.

The third day was marked by the creation of land, which God called Earth. To do this, he collected all the water that was under the sky in one place and called it the sea. To revive what had already been created, God created trees and grass.

The fourth day became the day of the creation of the luminaries. God created them to separate day from night, and also so that they always illuminate the earth. Thanks to the luminaries, it became possible to count days, months and years. During the day, a large luminary, the Sun, shone, and at night, a smaller luminary, the Moon, shone (he was helped by the stars).

The fifth day was dedicated to the creation of living beings. The very first to appear were fish, aquatic animals and birds. God liked what was created, and he decided to increase their number.

On the sixth day, creatures that lived on land were created: wild animals, cattle, snakes. Since God still had a lot of things to do, he created an assistant for himself, calling him Man and making him like himself. Man was to become the ruler of the earth and everything that lives and grows on it, while God reserved for himself the privilege of ruling the whole world.

A man emerged from the dust of the earth. To be more precise, he was sculpted from clay and named Adam (“man”). God settled him in Eden - a paradise country through which a mighty river flowed, overgrown with trees with large and tasty fruits.

In the middle of heaven two stood out special tree- the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Adam was tasked with guarding and caring for him. He could eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God threatened him that, having eaten the fruit from this particular tree, Adam would immediately die.

Adam was bored alone in the garden, and then God ordered all living creatures to come to man. Adam gave names to all the birds, fish, reptiles and animals, but did not find anyone who could become a worthy helper for him. Then God, taking pity on Adam, put him to sleep, took a rib out of his body and created a woman out of it. Waking up, Adam was delighted with such a gift, deciding that the woman would become his faithful companion, assistant and wife.

God gave them parting instructions - to fill the earth, to possess it, to rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air and other animals that walk and crawl on the earth. And he himself, tired from the work and satisfied with everything created, decided to rest. Since then, every seventh day has been considered a holiday.

This is how Christians and Jews imagined the creation of the world day by day. This phenomenon is the main dogma of the religion of these peoples.

Myths about the creation of the world of different nations

In many ways, the history of human society is, first of all, a search for answers to fundamental questions: what happened in the beginning; what is the purpose of creating the world; who is its creator. Based on the worldviews of the peoples who lived in different eras and in different conditions, the answers to these questions acquired an individual interpretation for each society, which in general terms could come into contact with the interpretations of the emergence of the world among neighboring peoples.

Nevertheless, each nation believed in its own version, revered its god or gods, and tried to spread its teachings and religion regarding such an issue as the creation of the world among representatives of other societies and countries. The passage of several stages in this process became an integral part of the legends of ancient people. They firmly believed that everything in the world arose gradually, one by one. Among the myths of different peoples, there is not a single story where everything that exists on earth appears in an instant.

Ancient people identified the birth and development of the world with the birth of a person and his maturation: first, a person is born into the world, acquiring more and more new knowledge and experience every day; then there is a period of formation and maturation, when the acquired knowledge becomes applicable in everyday life; and then comes the stage of aging, extinction, which involves a person’s gradual loss vitality, which ultimately leads to death. The same stages in the views of our ancestors applied to the world: the appearance of all living things thanks to one or another higher power, development and flourishing, extinction.

Myths and legends that have survived to this day form an important part of the history of the development of a people, allowing us to associate our origins with certain events and gain an understanding of where it all began.