The creation story that most stood out to me was “The Song of Creation” from the Rig Veda. I think that this creation story is really different from the rest in the sense that it addresses and ponders the existence of nothingness before the existence of anything through the entire song. In my opinion, addressing this intrigues us with the universal dilemma of why we exist and how exactly did we come to be; something that has no definite answer. It raises questions and makes us wonder about our origins and the beginning of life as a whole which, in comparison to the mythic/ fantastical nature of the other stories, makes it feel much more real and historic. This, in conjunction with the the ambiguous nature of the whole song, make “The Song of Creation” really interesting.
Particularly, it’s very interesting because there are no specific details or explanation given for the creation. For example, there is no specific god or creator mentioned, in contrast to some of the other stories, except for “The One”, who is only mentioned vaguely in a few lines, and who I believe managed to coexist with the nothingness (line 7) as probably the creator of the world and life—but it is never stated. It is also really interesting to me that I directly correlated the line “arose at last born of the power of heat” (line 12) to the Big Bang; possibly because of relating heat to an explosion. Even though I don’t think the allusion was intentional, it is still interesting how a line like this could be interpreted as a real event.
All in all, I think it’s very interesting how peculiar and different this song is in relation to other creation stories. There is a certain comfort in the ambiguity but also a slight frustration that arises from not knowing the answers. However, I think the vagueness of the text allows for more interpretation and helps the song avoid falling into any type of specific religion or culture, since it isn’t that specific in terms of beliefs or gods, making it very accessible.
I agree with what you said about this story’s lack of connection with religion. It came off as story that didn’t have ulterior motives. I didn’t see any moral lessons or a “pathway” to the author’s god of choice. In the Hymn to Aten, it’s clear that the author wants everyone to worship this one god.
This story reminds me of the chicken and the egg. Which came first? If even the gods didn’t come first, but some single force, what created that?
The idea of nothingness reminds me of mindfulness meditation. Maybe by quieting our minds to focus on nothingness we’re able to get in touch with our universal origins.
Hi- I agree with your take on the Rig Veda and its being open to interpretation and understanding. It is true that the way Rig Veda is written is very forward- thinking and has been approachable by whoever reads the Veda and also those who use it as a guide book in their religion, i.e. Hinduism. I, too, enjoyed bow suggestive (and almost how obvious) it got towards the end. I enjoyed hoe it hinted on more than what seemed on the surface. It was great reading between the lines, while it remained unclear whether the author really wanted us to do that or not.