Creation myths often serve as a storytelling method in which cultures discuss origins of existence, values, and beliefs. Two creation myths, “The World on the Turtle’s Back” by the Iroquois tribe and “Life from Moon and the Stars” by the Zimbabwe tribe, express similar ideas of God’s tolerance for disobedience. However, the Zimbabwe tribe’s God proves more lenient than those in the Iroquois culture. In both the Iroquois and Zimbabwe myth, God/the gods give their pupils multiple fresh starts after their misconduct. Despite their opinions regarding a woman’s curiosity, which would usually result in severe consequences, the Gods in the Iroquois myth demonstrate tolerance when they give the wife an opportunity to restart life. Rather than receiving
…show more content…
In the Iroquois myth “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, the gods punish the wife for her discontentment of status quo. They show no remorse for the woman as she immediately receives punishment by falling through the hole. The wife gets no warning of the repercussions for her actions, evident when her right-handed grandson unexpectedly “grabbed her by the throat and cut her head off” (Iroquois) after she “said that he was murderer” (Iroquois). Such behavior by a woman usually results in death, contrary to what occurred earlier in this myth. She gets away with unruly etiquette once, but not twice. Unlike the wife, Moon endures his punishment throughout the course of a lifetime and God still willingly gives him offerings. After going against his word, God rewards Moon with Morningstar. When Morningstar goes back to heaven, “God offered him another wife” (Zimbabwe). Nevertheless, when comparing the amount of disciplinary warnings in the both myths, the Zimbabwe god informs Moon of his fate more than the Iroquois gods inform the wife. Before God grants Moon his second wife, he tells him that he “would die after two years” (Zimbabwe) if he takes his offering. Moon fornicates with his second wife, Eveningstar, and she creates life on earth in addition to Moon’s daughters. When the daughters mature, they possess extreme beauty and Moon wants to engage in inappropriate relations with them. Suddenly Moon ‘fell(falls) ill” (Zimbabwe) as a result of Eveningstar’s jealousy. The citizens in his kingdom eventually kill him because they believe that “King” no longer suits Moon as a fitting title. Once again, God does not lie to Moon about his future. Throughout the entire myth he remains truthful to Moon. Moon knew what would result from his relationship with Eveningstar, but even after death, God allows him to rise “from the sea to the skies to seek his first wife Morningstar, in hope of
In the Iroquois myth “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, the gods punish the wife for her discontentment of status quo. They show no remorse for the woman as she immediately receives punishment by falling through the hole. The wife gets no warning of the repercussions for her actions, evident when her right-handed grandson unexpectedly “grabbed her by the throat and cut her head off” (Iroquois) after she “said that he was murderer” (Iroquois). Such behavior by a woman usually results in death, contrary to what occurred earlier in this myth. She gets away with unruly etiquette once, but not twice. Unlike the wife, Moon endures his punishment throughout the course of a lifetime and God still willingly gives him offerings. After going against his word, God rewards Moon with Morningstar. When Morningstar goes back to heaven, “God offered him another wife” (Zimbabwe). Nevertheless, when comparing the amount of disciplinary warnings in the both myths, the Zimbabwe god informs Moon of his fate more than the Iroquois gods inform the wife. Before God grants Moon his second wife, he tells him that he “would die after two years” (Zimbabwe) if he takes his offering. Moon fornicates with his second wife, Eveningstar, and she creates life on earth in addition to Moon’s daughters. When the daughters mature, they possess extreme beauty and Moon wants to engage in inappropriate relations with them. Suddenly Moon ‘fell(falls) ill” (Zimbabwe) as a result of Eveningstar’s jealousy. The citizens in his kingdom eventually kill him because they believe that “King” no longer suits Moon as a fitting title. Once again, God does not lie to Moon about his future. Throughout the entire myth he remains truthful to Moon. Moon knew what would result from his relationship with Eveningstar, but even after death, God allows him to rise “from the sea to the skies to seek his first wife Morningstar, in hope of