Why do creation stories somehow match across the globe? How can distant cultures share the same myth of dragons, snakes, giant Gods, virgins, and the tree of life? NOTHING is clear about our history, and I’m ready to revise everything I learned in school. How should we interpret these strangely parallel tales? Are the stories real? Or myths? What’s your take on them?
Every culture has its sacred historical texts. These are important roots of our ancestry. Perhaps just now we are learning how to read them. Our mythical stories cannot be read literally – that’s far too pedantic. However, they are definitely not fairy tales. Having read countless parallel stories, I have come to believe many of them are written in code. I’m convinced that in these stories are hidden the secrets of the universe. We must crack the codes to discover the secrets of life. Yep. Perhaps if we interpret them allegorically we can begin understand the history of our shared origins. When we listen to their deep symbolism, instead of reading them word for word, we discover the truth has been hiding in plain sight. We can see how much we have in common with every other culture!
For example, the ancient creation myth of a giant god slaying a serpent sea monster shows up in many indigenous cultures: In Greek mythology, Zeus kills Typhon and Hercules kills the Hydra. In Norse mythology Thor kills Jörmungandr, in Hindu mythology, Indra kills Vrtra. In Slavic mythology Perun kills Veles, and in Hittite mythology Tarhunt kills Illuyanka. In each of these stories a good deity kills a monster serpent, and thus brings order to the world.
Executive Summary:
- Norse Creation Myth: Giants, Gods, and Dragons in the Sacred World Tree Yggdrasill
- Aztec Creation: Flying Serpents? Divine Male – Female Union?
- Islamic: Adam and Hawwa in the Garden, no shame, no original sin
- African Sky God and Earth Mother: Original Adam and Eve?
- Chinese: Wise Brother and Sister Dragons Created Humans
- Hindu: Creator God Vishnu Floats in the Ocean on the Giant Snake Ananta
- “In the Beginning”: The Hebrew-Christian Bible, from Genesis 1-3
- Sumerian Creation: Controlling Gods Conspire to Guard Forbidden Fruit of Immortality
- Indonesian Creation: The Mighty Underworld Dragon King is the Source of All
- Bali Hindu Creation Story: The Serpent, the World Turtle, and the Underworld Cave
- Bali Tribal Myth: The Prince and the Star Maidens
Here’s my wild guess at interpreting these stories symbolically:
NOTHING is as we were told, so we can start over with a clean slate. Human life, and life on earth is much older than we thought. Our stories all mention multiple Gods that came from the skies, I’m guessing there were once Gods associated with different civilizations of Earth. Perhaps multi-dimensional “star beings” showed up from the skies and walked the Earth. We can call them “demiurge”, like the Greek Gods, Zeuss, Apollo, and a race of very large supreme beings such as Krishna, Yaweh, Elohim, Ra, Seraphim, Nephilim, Anunakki, and Archons, all of whom were subordinate to the Supreme Being. They were powerful, they offered guidance, and demanded obedience. Wise snakes and dragons are present in many creation stories. Legends tell us these beings were shape-shifters, meaning they could change form. Maybe they traveled widely over the Earth.
These “demiurge” Gods lived extremely long lives, but were not the Almighty Omnipotent Supreme Power. They had divinely creative abilities, however sometimes they were stupid and fought with each other. These Gods enjoyed being served and waited on. Oh boy! They loved sex. And they mixed their bloodline with Adamites. These beings have always lived in a parallel society alongside humans, however they are hidden.
The Tree of Life represents the path for eternal life. It symbolizes the vertical spinal cord connecting kundalini spiral life force from the underworld, through middle world, up to pole stars and to God. It is clear, the “Gods” will do everything possible to stop humanity from awakening to the Christed light, to claim our spiritual enlightenment i.e. union with God.
That’s my take on it. OK, your turn. Ha Ha!
1. Norse Creation Myth: Giants, Gods, Dragons, and the Sacred Tree Yggdrasill
In the beginning, there was nothing but endless void. Nordic myth holds that a dark realm of ice lay to the North, and the world of fire lay to the South. When the fire and ice first met, somehow a drop of water came, and this became a Big Wave. Like a tsunami! From this life began.
The first being was a primeval giant called Ymir, which is old Norse YMR for “Big Sound”. He was nurtured by the great cow Goddess giving the four streams of milk from the four directions. Ymir fathered a race of frost giants. The great cow also brought forth the God Odin and his two brothers. Odin represents the spirit, consciousness, poetry, and clairvoyance. The old Norse stories are coded allegorical lessons in metaphysical knowledge, more than just fairy tales.
But soon the giant Ymir became so evil and huge that Odin and his brothers killed him. The blood flowing from Ymir’s body almost drowned the other frost giants. Only two of them escaped up into the mountain, which became known as Jötunheim, the home of the giants.
Odin and his brothers used Ymir’s body to shape the universe of nine worlds. They placed his dead corpse across the void. His flesh created the earth, and his blood made the sea. His open skull was used to create the heaven. Sparks from the fiery realm made the sun, moon and stars. Ymir’s huge eyebrows made a safe haven called Middle Earth for humans to live.
The entire world is structured on the axis of a giant Ash tree. The great World Tree, Yggdrasill, supports the Universe connecting all nine worlds. This mighty tree grows from the deep underworld, its roots touching and connecting all the worlds. The tree extends up through the nine realms to Asgard, the abode of the Gods. Only one creature can climb the great ash, a squirrel runs back and forth with messages from the roots to the top. At the very top of Yggdrasil, lives an eagle.
Beneath the roots of the tree lives a giant dragon-serpent Nidhogg, who gnaws at the roots of the tree from beneath, along with a horde of smaller uncountable dragons, demons, and serpents, threatening the Nine worlds. Nidhogg means “Curse-striker”, and is the essence of chaos and destruction, he is like the primeval Giants as they were called “devourers of humans”. The dragon Nidhogg rules the underworld, realm of dead murderers, perjurers, and adulterers.
Norse flow of time is cyclical, not linear. Thus, the power of free will and fate interact to give birth to the reality of the world. The sacred Yggdrasil tree grows out of a mythical well called Urðr, whose waters nourish the tree. The water marks a circular passage of time, as dewdrops gather on the leaves, fall back into the well, and each drop creates a new moment.
Three magical wise maidens called Norns live at the well of Urðr. They represent the past, future, and present. Norns are mythical female beings who create and control fate as they are powerful cosmic entities even beyond gods, beyond life and death. The Norns gather water and nourish the tree from the magical Well of Urðr.
Legend states that when a new child is born, the Norns will appear at its birth to decide how long the newborn should live. While observing the child, the Norns will measure the child’s lifespan, its fate, both good and bad, and weave it into a thread of life. The Norns weave and shape our destiny and to remember days in a person’s life. Thus, people who follow the water flow of the tree, to develop themselves spiritually, can gain control over this ever-present nourishment to gain great magic because they ultimately rule destiny. Norse Time is somewhat flexible – the present can circle back into the past, and perhaps even retroactively change it.
The Yggdrasil tree represents the cosmic axis between heaven and earth, connecting to the North Star at the pinnacle of heaven. This is the constellation of the chief god Odin’s wagon or chariot, we now call Ursa Major. Also known as the Big Dipper, it has seven stars – four are the wheels and three stars are the wagon tongue of Odin’s chariot.
The monster Jormungand was said to be the son of the Asgardian prince Loki and of the sorceress Angerboda, who were descended from the Frost Giants of Jotunheim. They were humanoid in appearance, however their son Jormungand was a shape-shifting water serpent. It is said that the offspring of Gods bear the form of the animal that their parents had assumed at the moment of conception. Jormungand was said to be the size of a human baby at birth. Realizing that Jormungand could be a potential danger to the Gods of Asgard, the Great Odin banished Jormungand to the depths of the oceans of Earth, the world that the Asgardian scalled “Midgard.”
The serpent Jormungand grew to incredible size, known as the Midgard Serpent, enormous enough to encircle the entire planet. It was prophesied that Odin’s son Thor, God of thunder, would kill the huge serpent Jormungand. But, the prophecy continued, Thor would die from the Serpent’s venom. And so it happened.
The mythical God Odin, inspires a relentless and ruthless quest for wisdom, knowledge, power, and clairvoyance. In fact, Odin has only one piercing eye. His other eye socket is empty because he sacrificed it for wisdom. Legend tells that Odin pierced himself with a spear and hung on Yggdrasil for 9 days and 8 nights to learn the secret esoteric knowledge of runes. He traded his missing eye for a drink from the spring of clairvoyance to gain inner wisdom.
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2. Aztec Creation: Flying Serpents? Divine Male – Female Union?
Creation for the Aztec civilization of the 15th -16th centuries echoes many other world myths of shape-shifting wise snakes.
Ometecuhtli was the god of duality and the spiritual realm, representing the Aztecs idea that the entire universe was composed of polar opposites. As the primeval androgynous God, he possessed dual forces of nature: masculine – feminine, light – dark, chaos – order, and good – evil.
Ometecuhtli was self-birthed. With this power, he provided sperm and egg to be Father-Mother to four other Aztec gods symbolic of the four directions. These four offspring were Huitzilopochtli, Quetzalcoatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Xipe Totec. The great Ometecuhtli was not directly worshipped, as he resided on the highest plain, called the 13th heaven, being less concerned with the daily affairs of ‘lower’ gods and mortals.
His son Quetzalcoatl became widely revered as “Precious feathered serpent”, a kind of hybrid flying dragon with feathers. Quetzalcoatl was sometimes worshipped as the god of wind and rain, patron of priests and merchants. He was also considered the god of wisdom, learning, science, agriculture, and the arts. Quetzalcoatl invented the calendar and discovered maize, the primary food of the Aztecs. There are so many myths. In one story he was born to a virgin after she dreamed about a God.
In some Nahua traditions Quetzalcóatl is also the creator of the cosmos along with his brothers. In other versions two brothers fight each other again and again in battle, giving rise to four ages in which the world is destroyed and re-created with each successive battle between the two gods.
Over time, different Aztec creation stories emerged. One legend tells that Quetzalcóatl and his brother Tezcatlipoca worked together to create the sun, the first man and woman, fire and the rain gods. Some say the two brothers shape-shifted themselves into sea snakes, to rip in half a giant sea monster Cipactli, thus creating Earth and Sky. An unpredictable god, occasionally Quetzalcoatl appears in human form.
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3. Islamic Creation: Adam and Hawwa in the Garden
The Signs are in the Heavens and Earth”, says Allah. “Verily in the heavens and the earth are signs for those who believe. And in the creation of yourselves, and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are signs for those of assured faith. And in the alternation of night and day, and that fact that Allah sends down sustenance from the sky, and revives therewith the earth after its death, and in the change of the winds, these are signs for those who are wise” (45:3-5).
Big Bang Creation? The Qur’an says that “the heavens and the earth were joined together as one unit, before We clove them asunder” (21:30). Following this big explosion, Allah “turned to the sky, and it had been (as) smoke. He said to it and to the earth: ‘Come together, willingly or unwillingly.’ They said: ‘We come (together) in willing obedience'” (41:11). Thus, the elements and what was to become the celestial bodies began to cool, come together, and form into shapes, following the natural laws that Allah established in the universe. The Qur’an further states that Allah created all. “It is He Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon; all (the celestial bodies) swim along, each in its rounded course” (21:33).
Six Days. The Qur’an states that “Allah created the universe in six days” (7:54), using the Arabic word “youm” (day). The verses that mention “six days” . This word appears several other times in the Qur’an, each denoting a different measurement of time. In one case, one day is equated with 50,000 years (70:4), whereas another verse “a day is like 1,000 years of your reckoning” (22:47). The word “youm” is thus understood, within the Qur’an, to be a long period of time — an era or eon. Therefore, Muslims interpret “six day” creation as six distinct periods or eons of time, not days.
Life Came From Water. The Qur’an describes how “Allah has created every animal from water. Some that creep on their bellies, some that walk on two legs, and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills, for truly Allah has power over all things” (24:45). The Tree of Immortality is said to be a code of life, a sacred Muslim concept.
Creation of Adam & Eve
Islam teaches that human beings are a unique life form that was created by Allah in a special way, with unique gifts and abilities unlike any other: a soul and conscience, knowledge, and free will. Human beings began with the creation of two people, a male and a female named Adam and Hawwa (Eve).
The Qur’an describes how Allah created Adam from clay, and makes it clear that a “mate” for Adam was created from the same nature and soul. She is not mentioned by name in the Qur’an, but in Islamic tradition she is known as “Hawwa” (Eve).
The Quran tells of the first man and woman. Adam is traditionally known as the father of humanity, and Hawwa, which is Arabic for Eve, is revered as the “Mother of Mankind”. God created them both at the same time, and then asks the angels to prostrate before Adam. All the angels obey, except for Iblis, a rebellious outcast. (Iblis is a Genie, a Jinn, an angel, a supernatural being.) Iblis creatures are not evil, however they give allegiance no one. Iblis is sometimes kind, sometimes a not, but never evil.
In the Garden Eden, God forbade Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the Tree of Immortality. But Adam was a human being, therefore his heart was changeable and his willpower grew weak. Iblis summoned all the jealousy within him and took advantage of Adam’s humanity. He coaxed him every day, whispering: “Shall I guide you to the Tree of Immortality and Eternal Life?” And he said to them: “Your Lord did not forbid you this tree, otherwise you will become angels or immortal.” Iblis swore by Allah: “Verily, I am a truly sincere well-wisher for you both.” Surah 7: 20-21
Adam’s dream was to live forever in the pure innocence of Paradise. He wondered, “What will happen if I eat from this tree? It might truly be the Tree of Immortality.” Then they ate the fruit. After eating, Adam and Eve discovered they were naked, and began to cover themselves. God saw what they had done and banished them from the garden. Some say the fruits were turned to thorns. Some say Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden far apart, and had to search for each other and were eventually reunited at Mount Arafat.
The punishment did not last long, it did not blame Eve, and it did not apply to all of humanity. The Quran holds that Eve made no mistake, there is no original sin, and the fall of man does not exist. Allah is merciful and does not give us burdens of others to bear, as most likely we carry enough of our own.
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4. African Sky God and Earth Mother: Original Adam and Eve?
An African Yoruba legend holds that the world was created from the union of two gods: The “Sky Father”, Atum or Adàmú and “Earth Mother” Odùduwà. Ancient African world view holds that celestial rain from the sky impregnates the fecund earth, giving birth to all life. That is the creation story.
Could the Bible story of Adam and Eve really be a tale of how the sky-god and the earth-mother gave birth to humanity? The Christian Bible follows this story line, except in trying to appear ‘monotheistic’, Old Testament writers may have ‘demoted’ the gods to human. In Hebrew, “Earth goddess” is Hawwah, or “Eve”, as in Arabic. This parallels the Yoruba word ùwà/ìwà “earth, world, life” “existence, life, destiny”. Hawwah can also be seen as form of the Egyptian god Geb, which comes from Egyptian gbb “earth”. Maybe the Egyptian gods Atum and Geb were also demoted to “human beings” and all ‘glory’ given to Yahweh Elohim, as the only “God.”
Perhaps over centuries the details were adapted to fit the social-political theological framework of that age? When we know the roots and meaning of names, we can see clearly the underlying mythical theme the Hebrews were trying to convey. Could the Bible story of Adam and Eve be related to two African deities? So, Adam and Eve (Atum/Adàmú/Mudzimu & Geb/Hawwah) may be a story of how spirit (rain) and matter (earth) gave birth to life as we know it. And by transforming the Egyptian Gods Atum and Geb down to a human level, as Adam and Eve, perhaps Hebrew storytellers passed down the same story, in a more politically acceptable form.
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Chinese Dragon Gods Fuxi and Nuwa, from Goguryeo Tomb Murals
5. Chinese: Wise Brother and Sister Dragons Create Humans
Chinese dragons were believed to be benevolent creatures with divine origins. The Chinese creation story depicts dragons as a snakelike, reptilian creature, often with physical characteristics of other animals sometimes tiger paws, deer antlers, and eagle talons.
Chinese Myth holds that Chinese brother-sister dragon Gods Fuxi (伏羲) and Nüwa became husband and wife and birthed the human race. After a great flood destroyed the world, the two came down from Mount Kunlun, created humans of clay, and breathed life into them. Nüwa performed many miracles to rebuild the world, constructing four pillars to hold up the sky, placing a dragon upon the top of one to bear the weight of the heavens.
Nüwa also created humanity, giving the Chinese people a direct link to dragons from the moment of their creation. Not all dragons were benevolent, however. Some were jealous of Nüwa’s achievements. Malevolent Dragon Kings caused the Earth’s waters to flood her creations. Soon after, the God of Fire vanquished the Dragon Kings, and Nüwa returned to Earth to repair the damage to her lands.
Fuxi (伏羲), is considered the Father Dragon-God, creator of Chinese culture, writing characters, marriage, and agriculture. He invented the original Eight Trigrams of the I-Ching said to encode the structure and the rules of the universe.
After the creation of humanity, dragons lived alongside mankind, providing protection and guidance. China’s first imperial dynasty was said to have dragon blood flowing through their veins, leading to the Chinese royalty calling themselves “descendants of the dragon.”
The Chinese tree of life or world tree, the Cassia tree (Kien-Mu or Jian-Mu), is regarded as the central axis of the world, the rod between Heaven and Earth linking the Male Serpent/Dragon, Lord of the Sky, with the Female Goddess of Earth. The World Tree is also associated with the seven stars of the Big Dipper, which rotate around the pole star Polaris, marking the four cardinal directions. This constellation is called the “Three Enclosures (三垣, Sān Yuán) in Chinese.
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6. Hindu Creation: God Vishnu Floats on the Endless Snake Ananta
In the ancient Bhagavad Gita, the God Krishna reveals he is the source of everything that exists. He summarizes how all creation of the universe springs from him. As the original, highest Supreme God, Krishna can take any form. He is sometimes seen as a fun-loving blue God playing the flute. Krishna has several aspects, and a name for each one, like professional hats he wears. The God Vishnu is an aspect of Krishna, in the professional role of creator. Brahma is another aspect of Krishna.
In the beginning, there was nothing in the universe. The was only darkness. When the time came for creation to begin, Vishnu removed the darkness and expanded it into three. These three parts came to be known as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The first object that appeared was water and Vishnu slept on this water. Since nara means water and ayana means resting-place, Vishnu is accordingly also known as Narayana.
In the beginning the god Narayana (an aspect of Vishnu) floated on the snake Ananta (“Endless”) on the primeval waters. From Narayana’s navel grew a lotus flower, in which the god Brahma was born with four mouths, creating the “Egg of Brahma,” which contains all the worlds. Ananta is the endless serpent of infinity who eavesdropped on the secret Yoga teachings imparted to Goddess Parvati by Lord Shiva. On being discovered, Ananta was required by Lord Shiva to impart that teaching to human beings. In order to do that, Ananta assumed a human form called Patanjali. Thus, the God Brahma was born out of this material creation energy. And the Hindu Trinity was born: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer.
Brahma’s first step in creation of the world, was to give rise to the four Kumaras. These are four completely realized child-beings that roam all the universe. These were the first mind-borne creations, meaning they appeared from Brahma’s creative power without a physical birth. Next came the seven great Sages called the Saptarishi, also ‘mind-born sons’ of Brahma, given the task of procreation of the human population. They correspond to the seven stars of the Big Dipper, Ursula Major, and the North Star, Polaris, pinnacle of heaven, upon which revolves the entire zodiac, and all the other celestial bodies in space. After each eon the universe dissolves and is recreated again.
Next came fourteen Manus. These were also mind-created sons of Brahma who rule the administration of humankind from the Heavenly realms. Their job is to establish and protect the sacred balance. Each of these fourteen Manus rules an eon, or cycle of billions of years. Right now, we are living in the era of the seventh Manu. The Supreme highest heaven lies high in the sky. Below that are the celestial abodes in which many angelic beings or devatās are directly responsible for maintaining the universe,. Lower are the Earthly realms, and far below are the seven Hellish realms.
In Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, Krishna describes the structure of the material world as an upside-down sacred tree of life. The mythical aśhwatth tree, also called a Banyan tree, grows very tall with enormous roots. He says, at the top of this tree is the Supreme God, the source, and its roots stretch infinitely up into the heavenly realms. The branches of this mythical tree extend downward into the material realms, where embodied souls wander up and down, lifetime after lifetime. This universal tree is so huge, no one can imagine its size. However, as people do fruitive actions, (actions that have results) this creates results in the form of leaves. The three guns or aspects of physical reality (Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas) nourish this tree, and objects of the senses grow like flower buds on the branches.
Ignorance of this tree keeps people wandering and trapped in the matrix. Krishna says that the solution is to align with God by going up to the source, and stop paying attention to the branches. Then we must cut this mythical tree down with the axe of detachment. When we find the source and surrender our life to Him, we reach the God Realm and we will transcend the material world forever. That is enlightenment.
Krishna says every soul is divine, and is a fragment of God. However, physical beings are conditioned by limited physical laws and distracted by the six senses, which include the mind. People living in a body, ignorant of their divine nature, tend to buy into sensory experiences and believe they can actually control the results of actions. When we transcend this limited idea we are not limited by the material. Then the natural movement of the soul to a new body doesn’t carry confusion into the next life. So, we can say that Krishna is the original source, the root creator of all.
“Sleeping Vishnu” is creating the world. This statue in Kathmandu was a high point of my trip to Nepal. The Budhanilkantha Temple is a huge statue of Lord Vishnu 16.4 feet tall reclining on a bed of nagas, or snakes in the water. It is said that this statue is perhaps 8,000 years old, a remnant of a refined civilization before the great flood. It was discovered in a farmer’s cornfield several hundred years ago. Vishnu is lying on a bed of stone nagas or snakes, all carved from a single piece of black lava. Its enormous size and beauty inspires silence.
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7. “In the Beginning”: The Hebrew-Christian Bible, from Genesis
Creation of the World, an edited summary of KJV Bible Genesis 1-3
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. (Whoops! Mistranslation. “The deep” refers to the female dragon goddess Tiamat, as the Hebrew word “tehom” is a Hebrew cognate of Tiamat’s name.) And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. He created the Heavens and let it divide the waters above from the waters below. Then he gathered the waters together to make dry land appear. He commanded the earth to bring forth grass, seeds, fruit trees. Then he created in the heavens to divide the day from the night, to be signs for seasons, days, and years. Then God made two great lights the Sun and the Moon and the stars. Then he let the waters bring forth moving creatures and flying birds, whales, and every living creature that the waters brought forth abundantly. He blessed it all. (Whoops! Whales is a mistranslation of the Hebrew word “taninim”, meaning “crocodile” or “serpentine sea monster”. Yep!) Then he created the beasts, cattle, and creeping things.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth.
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them… And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
There were four rivers: Pison of Havilah, Gihon of Ethiopia, Hiddekel that goets toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Now the serpent was more subtil (Oh dear, another mistranslation, the Hebrew word עָרוּם “Arum” means sagacious, wise, intelligent, asute, sage. Yes, the serpent was more intelligent than any beast of the field.)And he said unto the woman, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” And the woman said unto the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”
Eating the Forbidden Fruit
And the serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
And the man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.”
God’s Eternal Punishment:
And the Lord God said unto the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Unto the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” And unto Adam he said, “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”…
And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.” Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (End of Bible excerpt.)
And the rest is history………
8. Sumerian Creation: Controlling Gods Conspire to Guard Forbidden the Fruit of Immortality
The Enuma Elish story tells of the Babylonian creation of the world. It is said to be one of the oldest stories known to mankind and far predates the book of Genesis. It was carved into tablets in the 18th century BCE, however the story comes from many centuries before. The seven tablets of this epic were recovered in 1849 in fragmentary form at Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq). I suspect the Sumerian tablet translations are riddled with errors and wild guesses.
In the beginning, some say there was only Tiamat, the dragon Goddess of salt water who symbolizes the primeval force. Her consort Apsu was God of the fresh water. Together Tiamat and Apsu represent the mysterious divine void that came before form and order, which are the foundations of civilization. From these two Gods Tiamat and Apsu came all the thousands of great Gods and Goddesses of Babylon. Few images are known of Tiamat. She is said to be a fierce and huge Dragoness, the personification of the primeval forces of the universe before order.
It is said that the dragon Goddess Tiamat became enraged by the death of her consort Apsu, God of underground fresh water. There were disputes with the other Gods, and great disturbance.
In a cosmic battle Tiamat is defeated by the God Marduk. Enki, Marduk, and all the other Gods came together to annihilate Tiamat. Marduk split Tiamat in two. One half of her became the vault of heaven. Her eyes become the source lakes from which spring the great Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and mountains arose from her head. After the victory, Marduk became king of the gods.
However, at this point, the story shifts and becomes very confusing. Perhaps the Sumerian translations are unreliable, and we see many conflicting versions. This is unfortunate, because this Sumerian story may be the root of our Bible story in Genesis.
The great father sky God, Anu was said to be the father of the 50 great gods, and ruler of the stars and the spirits. Anu, and his two sons Enlil and Enki were the trinity that came to Earth and ruled over the heavens, the earth and the seas. Anu is sometimes referred to as “An”. “An” translates from the Sumerian language as “high one” and the name Anu eventually became synonymous with “god”.
The serpent God Ningizzida is an underworld deity of medicine, nature and fertility. It seems that he/she was originally a tree god (the name Ningishzida means “lord of the sacred/giving tree” in Sumerian, the first known written language), but he became associated with fertility, the underworld, and the healing force of nature. His name in Sumerian is “lord of the good tree”. Ningizzida was the ancestor of Gilgamesh.
It seems his two sons Enki (Ea) and Enlil took rulership of Earth as giant Gods, although their brotherly relationship was competitive and rebellious. Enlil and Enki both bear the Sumerian title ushumgal meaning or “great serpent-dragon.” So, maybe they were shape-shifting dragons too. Enki is known as the as Lord of Earth and the water. We begin to cross many cultures here. Enki lived in the ocean underneath the earth, and was is one of the most powerful gods in the world, along with Anu and Enlil. Enki’s emblem was two serpents entwined on a staff – the winged caduceus symbol of healing and the rod of Hermes.
The original Sumerian tree of life was endowed with fruit that creates health and longevity. Enki’s youngest son, Ningizzida, was also a serpent, called the Lord of the Tree of Truth, known as the wise Thoth in Egypt. His ancient Mystery School Teachings were passed down to initiates who became the priests. They hid the secret knowledge of creation when their experiment was to end.
The Babylonian myth describes Adam and Eve in the beautiful Garden of Eden. They were instructed to eat anything in the garden, EXCEPT one specific tree, on pain of death. They were informed by a snake, and they disobeyed by tasting the fruit. The expreience transformed them, God became angry and they were banished from the garden.
The real surprise is that some of the early Gods may be fused together and recast in the Hebrew Bible Garden of Eden. Even the Greek, Hindu, and Egyptian Gods are influenced by this powerful team. Many scholars say the cruel God Yahweh in the Bible was the same as the powerful Enki. And the rebellious snake helping Adam and Eve attain Knowledge was his rebellious brother Enlil. Then something happened. Did Adam and Eve attain the knowledge of immortality and become “like gods”? After Adam and Eve attained the true knowledge, they were no longer wild animals. They were “like Gods” and wore clothes.
Numerous scholars hypothesize that the Hebrews borrowed Gods and Goddesses of Mesopotamia in the Bible, assimilating them all into one monotheistic God: Yahweh or Elohim. This biblical story signifies a major change to the human species. This change caused Adam and Eve to have to leave enclosed garden sanctuary for the gods. They had to fend for themselves. Some scholars say that Enlil played the part of Eden’s Serpent allowing Adam and Eve to obtain forbidden knowledge against the his brother the King’s wishes. Perhaps this was not evil temptation at all, but kind assistance. Perhaps the Sumerian God Anu is the Biblical Yahweh, the God of Eden that was furious when man obtained forbidden knowledge. He removed Adam and Eve from the garden to deny them any more chances for immortality.
Serpent is not evil.
The Hebrew word עָרוּם “Arum” means sagacious, wise, intelligent, astute, sage. It does NOT mean cunning, subtle, or devious, like the usual English translation in Genesis 3. Not evil, the serpent was seen as more intelligent than any other creature, because it was a royal form. The Christian Bible usually interprets Eden’s serpent to be Satan who is seen as a dragon, serpent, and devil. However in the original Mesopotamian history, a serpent-dragon is not evil, but rather a gift of wisdom and royalty of high status.
9. Indonesian Creation: The Mighty Underworld Dragon King in Sumatra
Creation myths of Indonesia are incredibly diverse as they include hundreds of ethnic groups, each having their own stories, also mingled with Hindu, Islamic, and other deities. Here’s the Batak creation myth of Sumatra, that has many versions.
At the beginning of time there was only the sky above and a great sea below. In the sky lived the gods. In the sea lived a mighty underworld dragon Naga Padoha. The earth did not yet exist nor life as we know it. At the beginning of creation, everything came from the God Mula Jadi Na Bolon, but his origin remains uncertain. A rough translation of his name is the “Beginning of Becoming”. Everything that exists can be traced to him. He lives in the upper sky world, which is divided into seven levels. His three sons were born from eggs laid by a hen fertilized by Mula Jadi’s semen. Two swallows acted as messengers to assist Mula Jadi in various ways in his act of birthing. Mula Jadi begets three daughters and three sons. He pairs them, and the three couples produce offspring.
One of the grand daughters of the original God Mula Jadi Na Bolon was called Batara Guru, Sideak Parujar, and she is the actual creator of the earth. Trying to escape from her intended husband, the lizard son of Mangalabulan, she hoists herself down from the sky on a spun thread to the middle world which was still just a watery void. She refuses to return but feels very unhappy. Out of compassion, Mula Jadi sends his granddaughter a god-sized handful of earth so that she can find somewhere to rest her feet. He instructed her to spread out the earth so that it became broad and long and she could rest. But the goddess did not relax for long.
But she soon discovered that the earth had been spread out on top of the head of Naga Padoha, the dragon of the underworld! He groaned in the primordial sea under the heavy weight, and he tossed his hear trying to knock it off him. The earth got wet and threatened to become a watery mud slide. Through her own cunning and the help of Mula Jadi, her grandfather, Sideak Parudjar was able to overcome the dragon to make him hold still. She thrust a sword deep into the body of the snake monster Naga Padoha all the way up to the hilt and laid him in an iron block so he stays still. Now whenever Naga Padoha twists in the block, an earthquake occurs on earth.
Her intended husband, the lizard son of Mangalabulan, shape-shifted into another form, so Sideak Parujar agreed to marry him. She gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. When the two grew up, their divine parents returned to the upper world of Heaven, leaving the couple behind on the earth. All of mankind is the result of their brother-sister union. The couple settled on the volcano Pusuk Buhit, near beautiful Lake Toba in Sumatra, and all the Batak people are their great-great-grandchildren.
Meanwhile in Borneo, the Dayak Tribe Tells of Flying Dragons and a Tree of life.
An alternate creation myth one thousand miles from Sumatra tells of a cosmic battle at the beginning of time between a male and female bird / dragon, the first primeval couple. The mythical conflict ended in a mutual, procreative murder and both died.
After death, the bird-dragon’s body parts were used to create the physical universe, and the first world tree. The supreme being of the upper world, Mahatala, was the creator of the first tree of life (sanggaran). From its buds, his sister, Jata, goddess of the underworld, created a parallel tree where she placed a female hornbill (like a toucan) to eat its fruit. Mahatala was jealous and changed his “sword” into a male hornbill toucan that lived on the parallel tree of life.
Eventually the two birds had a terrible battle over the fruit of the two trees of life. Finally, they destroyed both trees, and from their ruins were created the upper, middle, lower worlds, the first humans. Another tree of life was formed that guaranteed eternal happiness in the upper world departed souls. In bamboo carvings, the upper world of the dead was often depicted under the tree’s boughs. In its branches was an idealized land of the living filled with earthly abundance. The tree of life called Batang Garing lives in the Borneo forest. This is an example of how many cultures share overlapping myths from all over the world.
………
10. Bali Creation: The Serpent, the World Turtle, and the Underworld Cave
The Balinese people say in the beginning there was neither heaven nor earth. Then, through the power of meditation, the World Serpent, Antaboga created the World Turtle, Bedawang.
On top of the World Turtle lay two coiled snakes and a Black Stone. This was the lid of a cave leading to the underworld, a place where there is neither sun nor moon. The underworld cave is ruled by the great God Batara Kala and the Goddess Setesuyara. It is also the home of the Great dragon serpent Basuki.
The shape of the universe is created by the God Kala who brought together the light and Mother Earth. All around this extends an ocean of water. And over the water is a series of layers of domes or skies going ever higher into the heavens. First there is the middle sky, and above it the floating sky the abode of Semara, the God of Love. Above that is the dark blue sky with the sun and moon, and above that the perfumed sky, that is very beautiful and full of rare flowers. This is the home of Tjak, the serpent bird with a human face, and the dragon Taksaka, who has legs and wings. Here also live the Awan snakes, which are the falling stars. Higher up still is the flame-filled heaven of the ancestors. And above that lies the highest layer of all, the abode of the Gods, watched over by Tintiya, the male supreme being.
The Gods created Bali as a flat, peaceful land. But when the neighboring island of Java fell to the Muslims, the Hindu Gods were quite displeased, so they moved to Bali. At each of the four cardinal points of the island, they built a mountain high enough for their exalted rank. In the very center of Bali, they created the Great Cosmic Mountain Gunung Agung. This is the source of everything, and that is why they called it the “Navel of the World.”
11. Bali Tribal Myth: The Prince and the Star Maidens
One group of Bali tribal people imagine the creation of humans like this:
According to this myth the seven celestial sisters, the Pleiades, descended to earth in wing-like sarongs.
While they were bathing a young Prince came and stole the sarong of one of the seven sisters. He told her he would give back the sarong only when she bore him a child. The Goddess gave in and gave birth to the first human child. This was the first human being. She said the Prince: You may have this child for his brief life on earth, but after that remember, he returns to me in the stars.“
And so it is said that even today mothers take their crying babies outside and point to the stars, saying: “Don’t cry. That is the faraway place we all come from, and that is where we all return. Hush now, there is no need to weep.”
About
Lama D and Sri Jana live in Bali, where they offer teachings to awakening humans. Lama D teaches Buddhist practices to 8,000 students online. Srijana aka Jane Barthelemy is an intuitive medium, energy healer, craniosacral therapist, and author. A practitioner of Kundalini Buddhist meditation for over 50 years, she has an MBA and worked as CFO of Rudi’s Bakery for 10 years. Her life path includes other careers including opera primadonna in Italy and owner/designer of Marco Polo Designs Venetian glass jewelry company. Health challenges led her to teach Qigong, Taichi, and write two wellness cookbooks: “Paleo Desserts”and “Good Morning Paleo published by DaCapo Press/Hatchette Books. Her first website JanesHealthyKitchen.com recently won the 2021 Corp Today Magazine Award for “Best Healthy Food & Lifestyle Blog – North America”. Her upcoming books include: “Heal Your Past Lives”and “Buddha Speaks – Channeled Passages from the Master”. Srijana and her Bhutanese husband Lama D are faculty members of the NewEarth University. Their website is FiveSeasonsMedicine.com.
Suggested Reading:
- Who Rules Humanity? by Pierre Sabak with James Bartley, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sQsT14ApeI
- Soundwaves and the Big Bang in the Poetic Edda – Hidden Knowledge in Old Norse Myths pt.1 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/LadyoftheLabyrinth/videos
- Unravelling the Truth About Eve: Her Position in History According to Islam https://themuslimtimes.info/2020/11/10/unravelling-the-truth-about-eve-her-position-in-history-according-to-islam-2/
- Creation, Concept of God and Death in Dayak Ngaju Culture,
https://terang-pagi.blogspot.com/2012/11/creation-concept-of-god-and-death-in.html - The Untold Truth of Adam and Eve, https://www.grunge.com/147848/the-untold-truth-of-adam-and-eve/?
- 9 Powerful Snakes from History and Mythology, https://www.history.com/news/snake-symbol-history-mythology
- These 3 African Genesis Stories Predate The Bible By Thousands Of Years, https://www.panafricanalliance.com/african-genesis/
- WEST-AFRICAN ORIGIN OF LANGUAGE: THE CASE OF IGBO, http://www.faculty.ucr.edu/~legneref/igbo/westafricanorigin.htm
- The Gnostic Gospels, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/gnostic-gospels/
- ADAM AND EVE IN ANCIENT GNOSTIC LITERATURE AND 1 TIMOTHY 2:13-14, https://margmowczko.com/adam-and-eve-in-gnostic-literature/
- The Mythology of Eden, by Arthur and Elena George
- Yahweh’s Divorce from the Goddess Asherah in the Garden of Eden, https://mythologymatters.wordpress.com/2014/10/06/yahwehs-divorce-from-the-goddess-asherah-in-the-garden-of-eden/
- Becking, Bob, Dijkstra, Meindert, et al. Only One God? Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah.London: Sheffield Academic Press (2001).
- The Generations of the Heavens and of the Earth: Egyptian Deities in the Garden of Eden, https://ggreenberg.tripod.com/writings/w-egypt-eden.htm
- ADAM AND EVE IN ANCIENT GNOSTIC LITERATURE AND 1 TIMOTHY 2:13-14, https://margmowczko.com/adam-and-eve-in-gnostic-literature/
- Vast underground river system discovered in once-vibrant Western Sahara https://www.rt.com/news/321574-africa-sahara-underground-river/
- Vast Ancient River System Discovered Under The Sahara Desert, https://www.iflscience.com/environment/vast-ancient-river-system-discovered-under-sands-sahara-desert/
- Did ancient river channels guide humans out of Africa? https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14935-did-ancient-river-channels-guide-humans-out-of-africa/#ixzz6oOqo6l00
- Are West Africans related to ancient Egyptians?, https://www.quora.com/Are-West-Africans-related-to-ancient-Egyptians
- Three Ancient Rivers Existed in Sahara 100,000 Years Ago, http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/paleoclimatology/science-ancient-rivers-sahara-01385.html
- The Gnostic Society Library, The Apocryphon of John, http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/apocjn.html
- Egyptian Gods: Nun, https://egyptian-gods.org/egyptian-gods-nun/
- Gnosis – Secret Gate to Garden of Eden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TndLzFZI9A
- https://www.earthstoriez.com/bali-indonesia-history-myth-folklore-of-the-kites-in-bali/
- The Serpent and The Turtle, https://www.angelfire.com/nt2/oz2002indo/story/turtle.htm
- https://www.timelessmyths.com/norse/beginning.html
- https://cais-soas.com/CAIS/Religions/iranian/Mithraism/mithraism_and_christianity.htm
- https://rajenvakil.com/blogs/a-study-of-the-mithras/
- http://gnosis.org/library/dss/dss-lc-enoch.htm
- Islam Creation Story, https://www2.nau.edu/~gaud/bio301/content/iscrst.htm
- https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/sumerian-double-helix-snake-god/
- http://www.bibleorigins.net/Pre-biblical-OriginsEdensSerpentPartTwoAcademy.html