Essay about Cannibal Spell vs Hymn to Aten - 732 Words

COMPARE AND CONTRAST CANNIBAL SPELL FOR KING UNIS AND GREAT HYMN TO ATEN Early civilizations each chose their own way to interpret their world and convey the morals and expectations they valued. Though the differences between them are many and vast, there are several common themes found as the oldest societies this world knows began to define their existence and purpose in the universe. No matter where they found themselves, they possessed a universal question and curiosity of their origins. Two of the most ancient pieces of writing scholars have access to are the Cannibal Spell for King Unis, and The Great Hymn to the Aten. The Spell was found in the temple of a buried king, never meant to be gazed upon by human eyes. It describes a†¦show more content†¦Both tales contain a single, omnipotent, all-powerful deity that keeps himself entirely separate from the humans, and requires their worship of his greatness. In this version, the almighty created humans to bear the burden o f the gods (Norton Anthology, 158.) The Enuma Elish addresses the omnipotence of the gods by labeling divine knowledge as â€Å"the entirety of all of everything† (Norton Anthology, 24). The Greek and Roman creation stories reflect much about the beliefs of their citizens and the expectation they had of each other from the way these tales were revered. The Romans were a society that valued duty above all, and a unified version of their tales. The ultimate goal of the Roman citizens was to create one massive, unified empire. The Greeks however, valued agon, or conflict. They felt it kept the best work at the forefront, and constant competition would force the best results. Their tales varied from city-state to city-state, so there are several versions of the Hesiod myth, for example. The Hesiod and Ovid creation tales contain many of the same characteristics, however. The gods found here are very selfish, human, and petty. They often have direct interactions with people and th eir lives, and can often have children with them, creating demigods. They have been