This small project will require some imagination and creativity as you lean on what you have learned in our HUM 125 thus far. Each one of you will be the author of the creation story to a fictional world. Many do not have creative writing experience. In order to bridge the gap, after the explanation of the rubric below we will run some example exercises to get us started in class. Feel free to draw upon the influences of the readings in class as inspiration. There should be no plagiarizing of previous works and cultures. While of course there may be similarities in story and characters you should avoid cultural appropriation (the inappropriate adoption of cultural practices by a more dominant culture.)
This project will be completed on Blackboard and will be around 4-5 paragraphs in length. Since the requirement is short, I expect clear details on characters, locations in each of these paragraphs. Concentrate on specific word choice and a readable story. The rule of thumb here is that if you can understand the story by reading it out loud (oral tradition) it should translate to the page (written tradition.)
Step one – How will it all begin?
Chose how your creation myth will begin. Draw upon the creation PowerPoint lesson. Be concise with the details and don’t be afraid to pepper in a little scientific knowledge here (I.E – the Gods formed the planets and Earth by combining the rocks and harnessing the gravity of the sun.) You can be purely fantastical with this as well in your descriptions. (Example – the All-Mother grew tired on waiting on the Male Sun God for life to care for so she gave birth to Gaia, the Earth.)
· Chaos is the creator
· Overthrow of previous Gods (Olympians vs Titans)
· Emergence into a new world
· A world that already exists (can be our own) that begins with a new creation. You cannot describe any apocalypse that came before, only that the previous world was destroyed somehow. Focus on creation
· Creation out of nothingness
· The universe or world simply comes to be
· Creation from Gods/supreme beings (world parent)
· Regional influences
· Can base world/Gods off of an environment found on Earth. (For example, think water based like Polynesian religions or forest Gods/deities like pre-Christian Germanic pagan faiths)
Step two – The Higher Powers/Gods/Elementals
You will have to create a few names, descriptions and a hierarchy of your higher powers/Gods/or elemental forces of the universe. You can decide if your system of Gods will be monotheistic or polytheistic. Either way, one God or Goddess must be supreme in either form. You do not have to stick to Western dominant Western themes of masculine or feminine identities or heterosexual behaviors. Create opposition forces within the Gods.
-Gods who become the opposition. Can be through a disagreement, a metaphor on human sin, etc
-Associates of these Gods (Think deities or creatures that do the bidding. For example – Three Abrahamic faiths: Angels. Norse myth: Valkyries.
-Opposing forces: These can be representative of the evil in the world (greed, envy, conniving desires, selfishness, etc.) They must be represented in one or many figures (Hades, Loki, etc). These figures must also have minions to do their bidding (Demons, Flying Monkeys, etc).
Step Three – Creating life
The Gods or elementals of your world must create life. There will be no death and destruction here – that will come later with Ragnarok, when your God’s fate is out of your hands. You can create any of the following. The main Gods can create these figures or sub-Gods can also create life or aid in life. When aiding in life, think about figures like Prometheus aiding humans with fire.
-Human beings (Don’t stick to the traditional Adam and Eve myth). Be creative!
-Animals with humanistic behavior
Step four – Your creation will make a mistake (“You done messed up A-aron!”)
-The creation of your Gods (humans or human-like animals) will make a mistake that will determine their fate. These creations are found in every culture to be ultimately flawed, just as the Gods are. Remember, in most cultures the humans or animals are mirrors of that culture. The mistake can lead to some unfortunate fate, a problem in the world or a problem for the power of the Gods.
-Determine what that mistake will be.
-They do something that is forbidden by the Gods
-They challenge the Gods or spite them.
-The creations become more self-aware of their world and rebel against the law and order of the Gods
-The creations become tempted by the evil forces and make a crucial mistake
Rules: Keep it simple! Don’t overload your reader with too many characters but at the same time do what the assignment asks – be creative and detailed. Keep the use of appropriate language and avoid deeply offensive rhetoric for it will not be tolerated. Each step should have at least one paragraph. The fifth paragraph is if you need more space. This will be entered on Blackboard in the discussions tab. You will have over a week to complete the assignment.