Maori Creation Myths

518 Words3 Pages
Many of the major religions in the world have a story that explains how the world came to be, regardless if it’s Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam. Similarly, many native tribes around the globe also have stories about what or how the earth was created, in order to make sense of the environment and the world around them. The Norse and Maori creation stories are both similar in many ways and also very different. The Norse and Maori creation myths contrast in many interesting ways. Sherman’s summary of the creation myth found that one of the most important elements the myths share is the theme of revenge. However, the Norse myth takes a much darker path (Sherman). After Odin kills Ymir, Ymir’s sisters get revenge on mankind. They decided they would take revenge on all humankind by using magic spells carved in the tree of life. These spells are what limit humans’ lifespans…show more content…
Norse and Maori are very similar to each other. The gods from each story had children who sacrificed somebody else for their own good (Sherman) (Holloway). In the Norse creation myth, Odin and his two brothers were tired of Ymir’s cruel behavior and decided they would kill him. They slaughtered him and they use his body to make the earth. His skull was the sky and the clouds were his brain. They used his teeth for rocks and his bones for the mountains. Odin basically killed Ymir to make his own earth and for him to be the ruler of it. In the Maori mythological creation story, the children sacrificed their parents in order for them to create the world. The children’s parents were named Rangi and Papa and they were so tight together the children almost couldn’t breathe. Everyone decided Tane would push his parents apart despite the fact the parents loved each other. Tane pushed them apart and all the children, except Tawhiri, went out and created the earth, knowing their parents were very sad
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