Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Myths like the two brothers have a significant role to play in human societies. They answer some questions that are posed by some people in the society concerning creation and the manifestation of things around them. In this myth, a river was created when Bata invoked the god of justice. This shows some power that was available to the people at that time and how some creation was made by them. In human societies myths like The two Brothers show with some tangible proofs the way our ancestors lived. This myths are believed by many in our modern day societies and have alot to do with everyday beliefs of so many people. The myth talks about a river that flowed from the coast near the valley of cedars to Egypt. It talks about how the hair of the wife of Bata flowed in the river from the waters in the valley of Cedars to the coast of the waters in Egypt. This river I believe should be Nile which is the major river in Egypt. It also shows that this point was a time when Egypt had a kingdom and Pharoah as its ruler. It also shows the strength of Egypt that waas depicted by the Pharoah. This is because the Pharoah was able to send chariots to get the beautiful wife of Bata. This myth also shows that this time was a time when civilzations had taken place because people were organized in places like Egypt. It also shows civilization because at this time people were ploughing, sowing, feeding, and reaping accoording to the seasons. Modern societies have myths that exists in different forms. Some of them are told in the form of stories by the older generation to the youger generation. Myths are present in our everyday life in small ways and in bigger ways. For example there is a little myth in the igbo tradition that explains why the turtle has a cracked back. This is a short myth that says that the turtle got its cracked back because of its crafty attitude and as a result was thrown from a high altitude to the ground which resulted in it cracking its back. Even this myth is similar to some myths or beliefs held by peoplein some communities that women tend to break homes faster than men. This is showed in the myth as Anubis wife broke the peace his happy home and Bata’s wife also destroyed the peace in his home. In one way or the other myths exist in modern societies either in little or large settings. The myth shows of some structure in the society which can be seen in some modern society these days. At first, Anubis treated his brother with all care and trust, and offered him the care of a father. At the same time Anubis was married to a wife and owned enough properties to care for his family . Also later in the story Bata had a woman which could also be placed as his wife which made him feel happy. All these and more show us the structure of societies in those days which are also similar to the structure of societies in these modern societies. The myth teaches alot of useful values to modern societies. It shows how simple misdeeds (sin) could cause great damage to a very peaceful family. In the myth, the wife of Anubis tried to sleep with Bata and this misdeed caused great havoc and violence in the family. It also shows how Bata’s wife was punished at the end for her evil deeds. This shows that no evil deed or injustice goes unpunished. There are many values to be learnt from the myth. The myth conveys useful storied and analogies that are used in our modern days. It also portrays values that should be maintained in our modern day society.

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