1. Mythology
Myth Parallels

2. Global Myth Parallels Flood Hero/quest Hubris Stories
First Man/Woman stories
The Creative Sacrifice
Global Myth Parallels
Order Vs. Chaos
underworld
Stories
Miraculous births
Creation
stories
Life-Death-Rebirth
Fate and Destiny

3. Creation stories
All mythologies have a story of how the universe, world, humans, and elements were created.
Creation Myths always begin with nothingness.

4. The Creative Sacrifice
Divine figures whose death creates an essential part of reality
Mesopotamian
Tiamat
Killed by Marduk
Norse
Ymir
Killed by the gods

5. Hubris Hubris: excessive pride or self-confidence.
Whenever a character exhibits hubris in myths, it leads to the character’s quick punishment, usually from the gods
Many humans/gods/demigods follow a pattern of self-destructive behavior

6. Hubris Greek Mythology
Icarus – he flew too close to the sun, which melted his wings and he fell to his death
Prometheus – gave humans fire, which he wasn’t supposed to do. He was punished for stealing the fire.

7. Floods Stories Stories of floods are widespread.
Floods were likely experienced frequently, as people needed to live near a water source.
Floods also occurred from melting glaciers.
Said to be a punishment from gods

8. Flood Stories Hebrew Tradition: Mesopotamian (Babylonian) Tradition:
Noah and the Great Flood
God commands Noah to build an Ark in advance of a flood sent by God as punishment.
Mesopotamian (Babylonian) Tradition:
The Epic of Gilgamesh
One of the great gods, Ea, commands Utanapishtim (a hero) to build a boat to save living creatures from a flood caused by the gods.
Greek Tradition
Deucalion and Pyrrha
Zeus, unhappy with civilization, puts a great flood on the earth, wiping out all but two people.

9. Flood Stories
Deucalion and Pyrrha
Noah’s Ark
The Epic of Gilgamesh

10. Fate and Destiny
Many mythologies involve a character’s destiny which drives his/her actions
No human or god can escape fate.
Roman:
Aeneas’ destiny to found the Roman Empire
Gilgamesh:
Gilgamesh’s fate is to die
Greek:
Hector’s fate is to die by Achilles

11. First Man/ Woman
The first humans are either fashioned by gods or emerge from natural elements
Norse Mythology
Ash and Elm (Ask and Embla)
Greek Mythology
Prometheus and Epimetheus/ Pandora
Babylonian Mythology
Marduk’s creation of man
from Kingu’s blood

12. Order Vs. Chaos
Often in creation myths, a group of younger, more civilized gods who represent order conquers and/or struggles against a group of older gods or monsters who represent the forces of chaos.
Greek Mythology:
Titans vs. Gods
Mesopotamian:
Younger vs. Older Gods

13. Miraculous Births
Miraculous conceptions occur through intervention by a deity/ supernatural
Miraculous births make divine status obvious usually when the mother is human and father is a deity.
Babylonian/ Sumerian
Marduk
Created in the heart of Apsu
Greek Mythology
Heracles
Fathered by a god (Zeus), virgin mother
Egyptian:
Set
Born through his mother’s side

14. Quests Greek Mythology Sumerian English Mythology
A hero goes on a journey and oftentimes must overcome their own weaknesses and faults in order to succeed.
Greek Mythology
Hercules
Odysseus
Sumerian
Gilgamesh on the quest for immortality
English Mythology
Percival (one of King Arthur’s knights) and his quest for the Holy Grail

15. Underworld The land of the dead
the destination of human souls in the afterlife
Often the hero travels to the underworld as an ultimate challenge. If he/she returns from the underworld, the hero has passed the true test of bravery and skill.

16. Underworld Myths Roman Mythology Greek Mythology Norse Mythology
Pluto/ Inferno
Cupid and Psyche
Greek Mythology
Hades/Tartarus/ Elysium
Persephone
Norse Mythology
Hel/ Niflheim
The Death of Balder
Egyptian Mythology
Duat
Osiris, Isis, and Horus