In the beginning, there was no man on Earth, There was only the Sky, where it was above and the Sea was below it.They both had equal powers. The only thing between them was a small Bird. The Bird was flying endlessly, until he got bored and tired. He can't reach the Sky above him and he can't land on the Sea. then the Bird, thought deeply. Then he splashed water from the Sea. When he continued splashing, the water reached the Sky,
The Sky became furious. He didn't want water to flood him. The Sky noticed that the Sea was also mad. The sky thought of making rocks and throwing them. The Sky threw the rocks and landed on the Sea.
The bird was pleased. He landed on the rock and made a nest. Then the Sky pleaded the Bird not to disturb him and the Sea. The Bird noticed some thing that was floating but he ignored it.
When a bamboo shaft bumped him. He got so mad and pecked the bamboo until it broke into two. On one half a man got out, and in the other half was a woman. Then they were called "Malakas at Maganda"( Strength and beauty) They were the first parents, and from
then, the rest of the words began.
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Malakas at Maganda
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In the beginning, Heaven and Earth were not divided. The from the ocean of chaos, the eternal land ruler, Kunitokotatchi arose. Then, came the female God, Izanama and the male God, Izanagi. They stood on the floating bridge of heaven and stirred the ocean with a jewelled spear until it curdled, and so created the first island, Onokoro. They built a house on this island, with a central stone pillar that is the backbone of the world. Izanami walked one way around the pillar, and Izanagi walked the other. When they met face to face, they united in marriage.
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| Izanami and Izanagi |
Their first child was named Hiruko, but he did not succeed, so when he was three, they placed him in a reed boat and set him free he became Ebisu, God of fishermen.
Then Izanami gave birth to the eight islands of Japan. And finally Izanami began to give birth to the Gods who would fashion and rule the world -- Gods of the sea and Gods of the land, Gods of wind and rain. But when Izanami gave birth to the God of fire, she was badly burned and died.
Izanagi was furious with the fire God and cut him into three pieces. Then he set out to search for Izanami. He went right down into the Land of Gloom looking for her.. He called her, saying, "Come back, my love. The lands we are making are not yet finished!"
She came to him, saying, "You are too late. I have already eaten the food of this land, But I would like to return. Wait here for me, and I will ask permission from the spirits of the underworld. But do not try to look at me."
At length, Izanagi got tired of waiting, so he broke off a tooth from the comb he wore in his hair to use as a torch and followed her. When he found her, he saw that she was already decaying and maggots were swarming over her body. She was giving birth to the eight Gods of thunder.
Izanagi drew back, shocked. Izanami called after him, "Shame on you." She commanded the foul spirits of the Land of Gloom to slay him.
The spirits pursued Izanagi, but he managed to escape. He threw down his headdress and it turned into grapes, which the spirits stopped to eat. Then he threw down his comb, which turned into bamboo shoots, and once again the spirits stopped to eat.
By the time Izanagi reached the pass between the land of the dead and the land of the living, Izanami herself had nearly caught up with him. But Izanagi saw her coming and quickly blocked the pass with a huge boulder that it would take a thousand men to lift, so making a permanent barrier between life and death.
Standing on the other side of the boulder, Izanami shouted, "Every day I will kill a thousand people, and bring them to this land!"
Izanagi replied, "Every day I will cause one thousand five hundred babies to be born."
Then Izanagi left Izanami to rule the Land of Gloom, and returned to the land of the living.
In the beginning there was an empty darkness. The only thing in this void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. With the wind she laid a golden egg and for ages she sat upon this egg. Finally life began to stir in the egg and out of it raised Eros, the god of love. One half of the shell rose into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth. Eros named the sky Uranus and the Earth he named Gaia. Then Eros made them fall in love.
Uranus and Gaia had many children together and eventually they had grandchildren. Some of their children become afraid of the power of their children. Kronus, in an effort to protect him, swallowed his children when they were still infants. However, his wife Rhea hid their youngest child. She gave him a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes, which he swallowed, thinking it was his son.
Once the child, Zeus, had reached manhood his mother instructed him on how to trick his father to give up his brothers and sisters. Once this was accomplished the children fought a mighty war against their father. After much fighting the younger generation won. With Zeus as their leader, they began to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars.
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| Prometheus and Epimetheus |
Soon the Earth lacked only two things: man and animals. Zeus summoned his sons Prometheus (fore-thought) and Epimetheus (after-thought). He told them to go to Earth and create men and animals and give them each a gift.
Prometheus set to work forming men in the image of the gods and Epimetheus worked on the animals. As Epimetheus worked he gave each animal he created one of the gifts. After Epimetheus had completed his work Prometheus finally finished making men. However when he went to see what gift to give man Epimetheus shamefacedly informed him that he had foolishly used all the gifts.
Distressed, Prometheus decided he had to give man fire, even though gods were the only ones meant to have access to it. As the sun god rode out into the world the next morning Prometheus took some of the fire and brought it back to man. He taught his creation how to take care of it and then left them.
When Zeus discovered Prometheus' deed he became furious. He ordered his son to be chained to a mountain and for a vulture to peck out his liver every day till eternity. Then he began to devise a punishment for mankind. Another of his sons created a woman of great beauty, Pandora. Each of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus' present was curiosity and a box which he ordered her never to open. Then he presented her to Epimetheus as a wife.
Pandora's life with Epimetheus was happy except for her intense longing to open the box. She was convinced that because the gods and goddesses had showered so many glorious gifts upon her that this one would also be wonderful. One day when Epimetheus was gone she opened the box.
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| Pandora and her box |
Out of the box flew all of the horrors which plague the world today - pain, sickness, envy, greed. Upon hearing Pandora's screams Epimetheus rushed home and fastened the lid shut, but all of the evils had already escaped.
Later that night they heard a voice coming from the box saying,
"Let me out. I am hope."
Pandora and Epimetheus released her and she flew out into the world to give hope to humankind.
