ডাকবাংলা

Polynesian Mythology
Creation: Why big brother is always right

Maui was the fifth child of Taranga. Some say he was born dead, others say since he was born prematurely, he was said to be a carrier of bad luck. So his mother threw him into the sea, wrapped in a tress of hair from her top-knot.

Ocean spirits found the child, revived him, wrapped him in sea weed and gave him to the care of Rangi, the sky-father, who took the child to the celestial realms and nourished him to adolescence.

One day Maui found the hair of his mother and, recognising it, decided to descend from the celestial world of his foster father and search for her in the world of humans. But he was always out of place both in the world of his mother, Taranga, and in the realm of his adoptive father, Rangi. Maui realised the days on earth are too short to get the work done. With the help of his brothers, he caught the sun in a noose and beat him severely with a jaw-bone club until he promised to go slower in future.

Maui then hauled up a great island that lurked below the sea in the form of a fish, using blood from his nose as bait. When it emerged from the water, Maui went to find a priest to perform the appropriate ceremonies and prayers, leaving his brothers in charge of the fish. They did not wait for Maui to return and began to cut up the fish, which immediately began to writhe in agony, causing it to break up into mountains, cliffs, and valleys. If the brothers had listened to Maui, the island would have been a level plain and people would have been able to travel with ease on its surface.

Egyptian Mythology
The true heir: An ancient tale of sibling jealousy and betrayal

In the beginning there was nothing but waters of Nu in the world from which emerged the first pyramid-like mound, just like the earth that appears when the waters of the Nile recede. On this mound stood Atum who produced the god of air Shu and the goddess of moisture Tefnut, who in turn produced Geb, the earth-god, and Nut, the sky-goddess, who produced Isis and Osiris, the first queen and king of human civilisation. Atum is sometimes described as masculine, for he masturbates to create his male and female children. But he is also referred to as ‘the Great He-She’, acknowledging the androgynous nature of life before the arrival of the two genders.

Osiris became first king of the Nile valley and he established a great kingdom, but his brother, lord of the desert, became jealous of him and invited him to a meal and then showed him a box. ‘Is the box smaller or bigger than you?’ Seth asked innocently. Osiris was not sure, so Seth asked him to lie in the box and check. Osiris got into the box without suspecting a thing. Seth immediately sealed the box and buried Osiris alive. He then cut his body into tiny pieces and threw them in the Nile.

Isis searched the lands for various parts of her husband, and put them together. She then used her magic powers to resurrect her husband long enough to give her a child and this child was named Horus who was Osiris’ true heir. But Horus had to fight many battles to establish his supremacy over Seth.

Inuit/Eskimo Mythology
Creatures of the sea: The gory story of how life was created in the oceans

Sedna was a beautiful young woman whose father, a widower, was constantly trying to marry her off, but she would have none of it. She kept rejecting her numerous suitors. One fateful day, a sea bird promised to take her away to his “comfortable, luxurious” home. The impulsive young girl eloped with the bird but the “comfortable, luxurious” home turned out to be a filthy, smelly nest. And, to make matters worse, her new husband treated her like a slave. Sedna begged her father to come and take her back home, and he agreed. But as they headed across the waters, a flock of sea birds surrounded the boat. The incessant flapping of their wings caused a tremendous storm to arise and their small vessel was tossed from side to side. Fearing for his own safety, Sedna’s father threw her into the ocean to appease the angry birds. When Sedna tried to climb back into the boat, he cut off her fingers. As she struggled to use her mutilated hands to try again, he cut off her hands and threw her and her appendages into the water. As she sank to the bottom of the ocean, her dismembered limbs grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea mammals.

Babylonian Mythology
Killing the mother: When generations went blood-thirsty in a bid to create the earth, sky and humankind

Tiamat was the great mother of all gods; in her body resided all her children. All was well until the children made so much noise that the old gods demanded the destruction of the new gods. The first time this happened, Tiamat warned her children. The second time this happened, Tiamat ordered her consort to destroy the new gods.

The new gods rallied around Marduk who, after a furious fight, defeated Tiamat and her consort and all the old gods who sided with them. From the body of Tiamat, Marduk created the earth below and the sky above. Tiamat’s tears became the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The blood of her consort was mixed with the red earth and from this was created humankind. As the spawn of the old gods, humanity was forced to serve the new gods forever. Failure to serve the new gods led to floods and storms. This tale is told in the Enuma Elish.

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