Knowledge about nature might remain incomplete if its appreciation in different mythologies were not unearthed. According to Wikipedia, mythology can refer either to the collected myths of a group of people - their body of stories which they tell to explain nature, history, and customs or to the study of such myths. Nevertheless, personifications of nature or natural phenomena remain a major area of interest for those who try to explore and understand uniqueness of nature and its importance at different culture and creed. In doing so, it is also imperative to comprehend the operational definition of nature and, to me, the most acceptable explanation has been given by famous historian of nature, Peter Coates. He has articulated the meaning of nature from five premises. To him, nature is a particular set of physical places of the world more or less unmodified by human intervention or anthropogenic activities or to phrase as 'unspoiled nature'. He also considers nature as all physical places, touched or untouched by people, and equates it with the word 'environment'. The third premise conceives nature as force or entity with almost religious qualities i.e. synonyms to 'mother nature' or the 'laws of nature' that causes certain things to happen. Such a premise is followed by understanding nature as an essence, for example, phrasing human nature to explain certain behaviours or moral and practical lessons. Last but not least, his fifth premise holds nature is everything that has nothing to do with humans.
With the above preamble on mythology and nature it may be relatively less difficult to explore the place of the latter within the periphery of the former in different cultural contexts.
As the study of myth or mythology dates back to antiquity, the presence of nature can also be traced there. Nevertheless, there are certain theories on the myth-nature nexus. The theory of Euhemerism conceives myths as distorted accounts of historical events. This theory is named "Euhemerism" after the mythologist Euhemerus (c.320 BC), who suggested that the Greek gods developed from legends about human beings. For example, the myth of the wind-god Aeolus evolved from a historical account of a king who taught his people to use sails and interpret the winds. Allegory is another theoretical perspective to look at myths which considers myths began as allegories for natural phenomena: Apollo represents the sun, Poseidon represents water, and so on. A group of thinkers believe that myths resulted from the personification of inanimate objects and forces. According to them, the ancients worshipped natural phenomena such as fire and air, gradually coming to describe them as gods. Homer and Anaxagoras belong to this school of thought on mythology. The myth-nature nexus become more obvious when we look at different cultures.
In Egyptian mythology the role of the river Nile, animals and cosmic features are palpable. Anuket or the goddess of river Nile seems omnipotent in several myths that relate to flooding and cultivation. Among the animals, cat goddess or Bast known to protect pregnant women and children and Anubis or the god of dead or the Jackal god are represented in Egyptian mythologies according to their behaviour in the nature. The cosmic features are also engraved in Egyptian mythologies. Khonsu is referred as god of the moon and Ra is the god of sun as well as god of all gods in Egyptian mythologies.
In Indian mythology there are mentions of five elements of nature (panchavuta) that determine the quest of the world. These are: are Earth or Prithvi; Water or Jal; Fire or Agni; Air or Vayu and then Ether or Akasha. Each of these five elements has its own character and celestial elements. In Hindu mythology there is personification of each of these elements. Bhu-Devi or Sita is the personification of Mother Earth, water is personified as Varuna, Agni is the god of fire, Vayu is personified as air and Indra, king of the gods, associated with weather including the sky. Nevertheless, there are many other deities in Hindu mythology who represent different characteristics of the said elements. These five elements of nature are believed to be guiding factors both in the worldly affairs as well as in the mystic world, thus nature and super nature seem to have signatures of environment and temperament that we encounter at all times. Besides mythological animals like garuda, jatayu, kamadhenu and narashingha, the animals known to us occupy important places in Hindu mythology. Rat is Lord Ganesha's vehicle; Lord Shiva's guardian and vehicle is a bull; tiger is the vehicle of Goddess Durga; peacock is the vehicle of Goddess Saraswathi; Goddess Lakshmi rides on owl as it is her vehicle; harnsa, also known as swan, is the vehicle of Lord Brahma; the elephant, also known as 'airavat', is the vehicle of Lord Indra; and Lord Varuna, god of rain and water, rides on a crocodile.
The people of China have a rich and complicated mythology that dates back nearly 4,000 years. Throughout Chinese history, myth and reality have been intertwined. Historical figures have been worshiped as gods, and ancient myths are sometimes treated as historical truths. In addition, three great religious traditions -Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism - have played a role in shaping the mythology. The result is a rich tapestry of characters and tales, both real and imagined, and a unique pantheon organised very much like ancient Chinese society. According to Chinese myths, the sun, moon, and planets influence sublunary events, especially the life and death of human beings, and changes in their colour menace approaching calamities. Alterations in the appearance of the sun announce misfortunes to the State or its head, as revolts, famines, or the death of the emperor; when the moon waxes red, or turns pale, men should be in awe of the unlucky times thus fore-warned. Cosmological myths of China, especially as they relate to the Chinese understanding of the world, gives importance the Chinese practice of geomancy, otherwise known as the art of 'feng-xue', the art of wind and water - the role of water in the Chinese Taoist quest for perfection or immortality through the practice of alchemy. While thinking about the presence of animals in Chinese mythology we hardly can imagine anything but dragon. At the heart of Chinese mythology there are four spiritual creatures or si shou, four celestial emblems, each guarding a direction on the compass. Each creature has a corresponding season, colour, element, virtue, and other traits. These mythical animals are Tortoise (Black Warrior) = North, Winter, Black, Water; White Tiger (Kirin) = West, Fall, White, Metal; Red Bird (Phoenix) = South, Summer, Red, Fire; and Dragon = East, Spring, Blue/Green, Wood. Twelve animals comprising the zodiac calendar of China is purposely omitted here as it is not a myth but was made during Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD). Nevertheless, Chinese mythologies have spread in parts of South Asia and Far East and, accordingly, changed over time and places. But the elements of nature can be traced through further research.
It should be mentioned here that not only the great civilisations have great mythologies, but also the people of small cultures, isolated countries or islands do have their own myths - may be still unknown to the mainstream academics and researchers - where the variables of nature are given adequate emphasis and deserve due attention.
Dr. Shahed Hassan is Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Dhaka.
shahedhassan@yahoo.com
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