Ideas presented in creating myth...

What type of Myths are these?

Epic of Gilgamesh: This is a hero myth according to the creation myth. A hero myth usually starts out as a regular being and never a hero in the first place. Later, throughout the story the character becomes the hero. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the character does not start out as a hero but is portrayed as a bad person and later becomes a hero.


The Odyssey: This is a hero myth according to the creation myth because in the creation myth says that the hero goes through many obstacles when returning back home. This applies to the Odyssey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus faces many obstacles in his journey back home from the Trojan War. His journey is very epic. According to the creation myth, the hero also receives help. This goes same for Odysseus. On his journey he receives help from the gods.

What archetypes are presented?

Epic of Gilgamesh: According to the creation myth, Epic of Gilgamesh includes certain characters we see in many stories. The hero character, king, friend of the king, wise men and women, and lover. There are other characters as well but usually these are the main characters one would see most often in stories. This shows that these characters are archetypes.


Odyssey: The archetypes presented in the Odyssey are Odysseus, Athena, sirens, and Poseidon. These characters are seen in many stories... Odysseus because one sees Odysseus as the strong, galliant hero. There is always a hero in many stories. Athena, goddess of war, helps Odysseus throughout his journey just like a mentor/guidance. There is always a helper. Sirens distract Odysseus throughout his journey. There is always a character that blocks and distracts the hero in many stories. Poseidon is known as a bad character and is an obstacle against Odysseus. There is always a bad/evil character.

Why you think these stories are still relevant thematically in today’s society?

Epic of Gilgamesh: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the story portrays love, death, and danger from the gods. This is relevant still in today's society because in the Epic of Gilgamesh shows that love between two friends, Enkidu and Gilgamesh, can change a person from being bad to good. In society today we learn that the love from friendship really helps one in life in good, positive ways. For death, the Epic of Gilgamesh shows how one can not stop death. This is still relevant today in society because people know that one can not stop from dying and we must acknowledge that. Epic of Gilgamesh also shows how the gods are dangerous and strong. This applies to people till this day because people who believe in God know that he is strong and powerful. That there is no one higher than him. These are some of the themes that Epic of Gilgamesh portrays and relates to us in today's society.

Odyssey: In the Odyssey, the story portrays temptation and being cunning. This story is relevant today in society because in life, like this story, people face many temptations and from these temptations people either win like Odysseus or lose. This story really shows how Odysseus faces many obstacles throughout his journey and wins by not being tempted by the obstacles. This applies to life and how within our journey there are so many obstacles we need to face and from them we get tempted which leads us into the wrong path. From Odyssey we learn to win over those temptations and end up at the goal we aim for. In the Odyssey, Odysseus shows how he uses his brain rather than his body. He knows his weakness and uses what he knows to be strong to him which is his brain. Obstacle to Obstacle he wins by being very cunning and does not use much of his strength because he knows he is not strong. This applies to people in today's society because people who are not good at using their body use their brain and visa versa. From this we see how different people have different ways to live and win over obstacles within each of their journey's in life.

What is the central message that people still connect to?

Epic of Gilgamesh:  The central message that the Epic of Gilgamesh portrays is that one can not escape or runaway from death. This connects to people today because there is no way for people to stop and runaway from death. Death comes to people when it is time. 

Odyssey: The central message that Odyssey portrays is that we must not be arrogant and think we are all mighty. Odysseus' arrogance led him to face so many obstacles and from this he learns that he is not "all that" and that he is just a being not a god. This connects to us today because we should learn from this that being arrogant can make us trip and stumble in life. We should learn that God is powerful and that there is no one higher than him. We are nothing but careless humans.