Origin Stories -- What They Are and Why They Matter -- English III

Why are we here? Why do things happen the way they do? What does it all mean?

These are questions people have been asking since the very beginning, I suppose. These are the questions that everyone will have to answer for his or herself at some point during a lifetime. Depending upon where a person is raised, who they connect to, etc., often determines how he/she will answer these questions.

This is why we have origin stories. Sometimes they are referred to as myths, but that word seems to have such a negative connotation. After all, try telling a devout Christian that the Creation story in Genesis, chapter one is a "myth" and see where it gets you.

Origin stories are used by different cultures to explain many things. The most common things they explain are:

• How the earth came to be created, and especially how life got here.
• The beginning of natural phenonmena, like seasons, weather conditions, etc.
• The behavior of people and animals.
• Events people cannot control.

An origin story has several characteristics:

1. The involvement of the Divine -- gods, spirits, aliens, etc.
2. Deliberate choices made by the Divine that effect what happens on Earth.
3. Elements of magic and the supernatural. Origin stories do not have to be logical, or make scientific sense.
4. Explain something and reveal its importance.

While these are characteristics that most origin stories share, different cultures may have additional characteristics in their stories that are exclusive to their perspective of the world. In our textbook, we will be studying the origin stories of Native American culture. There are additional characteristics found in their stories that we do not always see in Greek stories, or Biblical stories.

• Involvment of the elements: earth, water, wind and fire.
• The importance of nature is stressed above all else.
• Animals often take on human characteristics, or become specific characters; they often speak.

Origin stories are very important to people. Knowing the origin of something often helps us better understand what is, or what it's nature is. Take a look at our movies today. Many of them are "prequels," trying to offer an explanation for why things happen the way they do. "Star Wars" gave us three films designed to explain the origin of Darth Vader. A new "X-Men" film is coming in the next couple years called "X-Men: First Class," in order to explain the origin of the rift between Magneto and Professor X. An "Alien" prequel is also in the works.

These origin stories also help to bring a community together. We see this best in religious cultures, where entire days of the week are devoted to studying and interpreting the significance of these stories in the lives of believers. Origin stories, for many, are sacred and important. They create a language and establish a foundation for seeing the world.

As we begin looking at American literature, we need to take a close look at the origin stories of the different cultures represented. These origin stories explain much about how we are to look at the unraveling of American history and American literary tradition.

Now, take a look back at the video up top about the origin of Spider-Man. How is this an origin story? What characteristics can you see?