Dust to Dust

SUMMARY: The clock is ticking. Slowly calculating a predetermined date that holds the demise of all on Earth. When the universe itself decides to eliminate humankind. All cultures have it. Apocalyptic myths have been around just as long as Creation myths, always a reminder that we are mere pawns. But why the constant despair? Why does every culture need to talk about an “End of Days”? And trust me, they do.

The Aztecs had an extremely complex calendar system based on the stars. They used this calendar not only to create holy days and times, but also to determine the course of human life on earth. The Aztecs believed in the Legend of the Five Suns, the times of which coincide with periods in their history. Each sun is a period of time wherein there is peace and life. Once a sun dies, however, the world is absorbed in chaos as the gods destroy the world and renew it. There are only five suns, and we are presently on the fifth. The first sun was the Sun of Precious Stones, destroyed by Tezcatlipoca in its entirety with jaguars. The second sun was the Sun of Darkness, where life was destroyed by a large hurricane sent by Quetzalcoatl. The third sun was the Sun of Fire. Life was destroyed by a rain of fire created by Tezcatlipoca. The fourth sun was the Sun of Water, destroyed by a large flood of Tlaloc. The final sun that now exists is the Sun of Movement, Tonatiuh the Rising Eagle. It is said that the destruction of the current age will come through earthquakes, to make room for the sixth sun if mankind proves not to be worthy of this world. And I bet you can guess when THAT’S supposed to happen… through earthquakes,

Indian myths agree that the Universe ends in cycles, cycles that mirror those of birth and death in human life. The world ends through fire and flood, but is reborn, similar to resurrection in other Hindu beliefs.  The story of the avatars in Hindu mythology provides more depth to the resurrection pattern. Vishnu, the second member of the Indian Trimurti, or trinity, is the Preserver of Order. When universal chaos descends upon the world, Vishnu saves mankind by appearing in a certain form, known as an avatar. Out of the ten avatars that Vishnu will fulfill before the Universe ends, he has taken the form of only nine: a fish, a turtle, a boar, a lion-man, a dwarf, a Brahmin, the epic hero Rama, the famed god Krishna, and Buddha. The tenth form is known as Kalki, the man riding upon a horse. Vishnu will come to Earth as this form in order to destroy it and recreate it.

Norse myths state that before the end of the world (called Ragnarok), three winters without summers in between will happen in Midgard, and order will be lost in the human world. Fathers will fight their sons, siblings will commit incest, mothers will seduce their children, and brothers will tear at each other's hearts. Midgard will be consumed with war. The wolves Skoll and Hati will swallow the sun and moon, and the great wolf Fenris, son of Loki the trickster god, will run loose and kill Odin the All-Father, who steps forth to fight him. Odin's son Vidar will avenge Odin by tearing Fenris apart. Thor will battle the Midgard serpent and slay him but be slain himself by the serpent's venomous fumes. Many gods as well as all men and women save two, Lif and Lifthrasir, who seek shelter under the branches of Yggdrasil, will die. The sky will fall into a pit of flames and the earth will sink into the sea. After the end of the world, the earth will rise renewed out of the sea and flourish. Grain will grow where no grain was sown; Lif and Lifthrasir will repeople the new world with their offspring and descendants. Odin's sons as well as his brothers Vili and Vé will reconvene with the other surviving gods on the plain of Ida, where Asgard used to be, and hold council. They will reign over the new world as the ruling gods. So the earth was begun, and so it shall end.

ANALYSIS: As you can tell, all Apocalyptic Myths tend to be about regeneration. The reason for this might be because of the way the Earth is TODAY. It is constantly dying and being reborn. Every 365.24 days, to be exact. Those are the SEASONS. When all hope seems lost, when there is death and starvation everywhere, when the very sun refuses to shine, what happens? A single flower bud breaks through the icy crust, and blooms. Spring has begun, and with it, a new planet.

REFLECTION QUESTION: Why are humans fixated on the end of the world? Should they just focus on the present?

CITATION: Min, S. (n.d.). The Dawn and Dusk of Man - End of the World Myths  [Apocalypse Mythology]. Retrieved 

     from http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00875/text/Apocalypse.htm