Introduction
The two flood myths identified for the essay are Komililo Nandi and Kawaya (Lake Victoria). Komililo Nandi flood myth is from the Kalenjin Culture located in Kenya, East Africa. The Nandi people are a subtribe of the Kalenjin tribe. The myths stipulate that the hero Ilet, the lightning spirit, came to live and settled on Tinderet. The hero caused a heavy rain that killed several hunters who were in the forest below the mountain. However, when Ilet was dead, the rain seized. Kawaya flood myth is from the Luo Community, which is a tribe in Kenya, East Africa. The heroine of the tale is a daughter-in-law who went against the instructions of his father-in-law. The myth stipulates that a man and his wife had the lake enclosed in a small pot placed in their roof to fill the water cans. The man informed his daughter never touch the pot as it has secreted of the ancestors. However, the daughter-in-law grew curious, felt the pot, and it was shattered drowning everything. The essay will compare and contrast the two myths, make an interpretation and an analysis in the modern world.
Comparison
The existence of superstition is the main similarity between the two flood myths. The two legends believe in something which may be impossible in the real world. In the first myths, there is a transformation of a spirit into a human, causing the rain. In the second myths, there is an ocean that is stored in a pot. Another similarity between the two tales is the presence of physical features that connotates with a specific community. Each community has a unique activity that they identify with. The Nandi and famous in Kenya for taking part in hunting while those close to lake Victoria mainly engage in fishing activities. For instance, in the first myths, there are the Tinderet mountains found in Kenya among the Kalenjin community. The hills are of great significance, and the Nandi people believe that it is the place of residence of their gods. Also, in the second myths, there is mentioning of Lake Victoria, which is very symbolic to the Luo Community found in Kenya. They hold onto the belief that the spirits of the ancestor's dwell in the lake.
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A critical difference between the two myths is the theme. The first myth is based on the theme of sacrifice. There was a need for one person to sacrifice so that the others can be at peace. The heavy rains from the mountain resulted in many Nandi community members (Isaak, 2002). Offering Ilet was a way of saving the people from the floods. In the second myth, the central theme is curiosity. The father instilled a belief in his daughter-in-law that the pot contained the ancestors'' secretes (Isaak, 2002). The primary role of the view was to prevent her from touching the pot. However, the daughter-in-law did not adhere to the belief and instead decided to handle the pot out of curiosity.
Interpretation
The first myth mainly focuses on the aspect of religion. The tale shows what the Nandi people believed in and the connection they had with their well-being. Legends play a considerable role in defining the belief of a community (Ismet, 2016). Members of the community depended on the forest to hunt and gather food. But the forest was considered religions and sacred. Such is why the hero turned into a human and killed all the hunters in the woods. It appears that the gods were not pleased with the activities of the Nandi people in the forest, and such is why they decided to bring the heavy rains. The story is similar to the biblical narration of Noah and Ark. In the story, God was not pleased with the ways of humans and decided to bring heavy rain that killed those who were not believers.
The second mythical story primarily shows the connections that humans have with each other and the divine beings. The father's idea to lie to the daughter in law about the sacred ancestors shows the relationships that humans have with their ancestors. They are feared and respected at the same time, and that was supposed to keep the daughter-in-law away for the pot. The myth is similar to that of the roman where Jupiter was angered with humans' ways and decided to destroy them with floods. The anger was because of the rebellious nature of humans towards the gods. Such is similar to the revolutionary spirit of the daughter-in-law that resulted in the flooding.
Analysis
Structural analysis of myths focuses on the underlying structures that are found in the tale. The main focus of the research is on the binary opposites that are present in the legends. In the first myths, there is Ilet who is a supernatural being referred to as the spirit. The binary opposite is the human being that he turned into after the transformation (Stein and Stein, 2017). In the second myth, the ocean is anticipated to be huge, and the binary opposite is a pot of water that is believed to be holding the sea in place. It is the binary opposite that makes most of the cultural narrations to be myths. For instance, it is not possible to make an ocean to fit in a pot. The tales are structured in a way that they are made to make people believe in the impossibilities of life and also believe in the unseen. In the first myth, the structure makes the Nandi people believe in their gods' power if they go against their wishes. In the second myths, the Luo community members are made to feel on their ancestors' existence even if they cannot physically see them.
Myth Today
Myths are being carried from one generation to another and have manifested in many films in the modern world. Poseidon (Immortals) is an example of a new movie that depicts the mythical theme of great floods. In the film, Zeus is the God of the sea and declares death to any immortal that influences humans' ways. In return, Poseidon sends a great wave to kill Hyperion's as a way of saving Theseus. The Hyperion's death is through floods that wipe out a large population of the human race. Most of the myths in the modern world have divine interpretations (Lang, 2011). There is an association between mythology and religion.
Conclusion
I learn that most of the myths in society have religions connotations. There are some aspects of religions believes that focus on making the myths to be true. A key consideration is the main motive of each legend. I have learnt that each legend has a different intention. Some of the myths aim to dictate people's way of life, and others focus on making people believe even in desperation. Also, there are common implications of most of the myths as they tend to communicate the same message. For instance, both the two flood myths discussed above are from African society and portrays the similarities in religious believes among the two communities. They both believe in supernatural beings that can influence their life and nature surrounding them. Lastly, I have learnt that the myths may differ from one community to another depending on the beliefs of the forefathers.
Reference
Stein, R. and Stein, P. 2017. The Anthropology of Religion, Magic, and Witchcraft . 4th edition. London: Routledge.
Ismet, M. (2016). The role of myths and ritual in religion. The Fountain. Retrieved from The Role of Myth and Ritual in Religion - The Fountain Magazine | The Fountain Magazine . Accessed 4 January 2021.
Lang, A. (2011). Myth, ritual and religion. Mon – Fiction. Retrieved from Myth Ritual and Religion Volume 1 (ebooktakeaway.com) . Accessed 4 January 2021.
Isaak, M. 2002, Sept 2. Komililo Nandi. Flood Stories from Around the World. Retrieved from http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood - myths.html#k omililonandi . Accessed 4 January 2021.
Isaak, M. 2002, Sept 2. Kawaya. Flood Stories from Around the World. Retrieved from http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/flood - myths.html#k awaya . Accessed 4 January 2021.
