ANTB66H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Hierophany, Liminality, Gennep
UTSC
ANTB66H3 - Spiritual Paths: A
Comparative Anthropology of
Pilgrimage II: Naval of the Universe
10 MAY 2018 / 12:00 PM / ROOM MW170
Dr. Dean Young
Office hours: 2:00-3:00, MW282
LECTURE 2 - Cosmogony
THE CREATION OF THE WORLD / THEORIES THAT EXPLAIN THE ORIGINS OF THE WORLD
Foundational theories in ANTB66
1. Notion of Cosmogony
●Found in Mircea Eliade’s essay: The creation of the cosmos
●All of the myths / science that explains the origins of the world
●In almost all religious / cosmogous religions, there is a theory about
the beginning of the world - where cosmos (order) is created out of
chaos (Naval of the world) that has an embryonic sense of giving birth.
- It is associated with temples, mountain tops etc.
- Mountain
●Cosmogony is important to know because Eliad associates myth as the
source for pilgrimage sites
a) Sacred Centers
●Where three cosmic regions meet (below the Pole star)
- Heaven, Earth and Hell, / the underworld
●Temples and Sacred Mountains
●Axis Mundi: The Center of the world (Hinduish, etc.
●Ex from film: Overcoming chaos of the construciton rite in India -
Astrologer dtermining the spot where the snake’s head supports the
earth. (Rites supports origin) To build a temple, they have to find a
sacred spot. Myth of repetition
- Myth → Rites and how myths holds repetition to rites
b) Chaos
●Chaos rules a realm of confusion on the edges of Hell
●Divine Mysteries are revealed
●Run by Anarchy and Tumult
●Deities content for power (Satan, God, fallen angels, etc.)
●Chaos is at the center for most myths: Big Bang Theory, Satan, Greek
Mythology. They forms our understanding of our universe
●Rules round of confusion around the edges of Hell / Underground
●Association between Chaos as a disruptive force and chaos as a seat of
creativity (creation myth and creativity in general) - leads to new
beginnings / new understandings of the universe
c) Hierophany (Priest / Prophet)
●Interprets sacred mysteries for new cultures
●Revelation of sacredness
●Ex: Jesus Christ, Moses - hovers around the sacred centres with thr
rights to teach
d) Rites and Rituals
●Rituals are made up of a series of rites that protect the sacred from
the profane
●Ideas that extend from Emil Durkehim: The sacred is that which is set
apart from the profane
●Sacred Centres like mountains and temples are protected by rites that
repeat the origin myth, where the cosmos, the reigning order, overcomes
chaos
- Monks protect that site and perform rituals daily. These sites are
tightly controlled (Ex: Hindu Temples)
●Sacred Centres are dangerous places because they are between heaven and
hell
e) Profane
●The everyday (non sacred life)
●The routine
Document Summary
Pilgrimage ii: naval of the universe (cid:464)(cid:463) may (cid:465)(cid:463)(cid:464)(cid:471) / (cid:464)(cid:465):(cid:463)(cid:463) pm / room mw(cid:464)(cid:470)(cid:463) The creation of the world / theories that explain the origins of the world. Found in mircea eliade"s essay: the creation of the cosmos. All of the myths / science that explains the origins of the world. In almost all religious / cosmogous religions, there is a theory about the beginning of the world - where cosmos (cid:513)order(cid:514) is created out of chaos (cid:513)naval of the world(cid:514) that has an embryonic sense of giving birth. It is associated with temples, mountain tops etc. Cosmogony is important to know because eliad associates myth as the source for pilgrimage sites a(cid:514) sacred centers. Where three cosmic regions meet (cid:513)below the pole star(cid:514) Axis mundi: the center of the world (cid:513)hinduish, etc. Ex from film: overcoming chaos of the construciton rite in india -