For hundreds and thousands of years, human beings have been fascinated with unique myths and legends.
While most of these tales are mere stories that have been handed down from one generation to another, the origins of a few of these stories can be traced back to past geological events.
It warns us of potential dangers and inspires awe about our planet. Here I have listed some ancient tales from around the globe and their associated geological influences.
Noah’s Ark
It is a well-known story among Jews, Christians, and Muslims where God decides to destroy the earth with a massive flood.
However, he chooses to spare only one man, Noah, and his family. According to God’s commands, Noah constructed a huge ark and filled it with two animals of every species.
Soon, God covered the Earth with water and drowned everyone and everything on land. Due to his great act, Noah continued surviving with his family and the animals on the ark.
Atlantis
The ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, wrote about a great civilization called Atlantis. A race of people who were half human and half god founded this civilization.
They resided in a bubble that boasted of great naval power. Unfortunately, a massive cataclysm destroyed their home situated on circular islands.
Delphi’s Oracle
On the Mount Parnassus slopes, a temple was devoted to the god Apollo in ancient Greece in Delphi. There was a sacred chamber where a priestess called the Pythia would breathe in sweet vapors radiating from a rock’s crack.
When these vapors would send her into a frenzied state, she would channel Apollo and speak nonsense. After that, a priest would transform that gibberish into prophecies.
Pele
Pele arrived in Hawaii with her sisters and other relatives. In Kauai, she came across a man, Lohi’au but did not stay there. Eventually, Pele settled in Kilauea’s crater on the big Hawaii island.
She asked her sister, Hi’iaka, to set on a quest for Lohi’au. In return, Hi’iaka requested her sister not to destroy her beloved forest. She was assigned 40 days for the task but failed to return in time.
It made Pele assume that they had engaged in a romantic affair themselves. As a revenge motif, she set Hi’iaka’s forest on fire. When Hi’iaka discovered that her beloved forest had been destroyed, she made love to Lohi’au in front of Pele.
The infuriated Pele killed Lohi’au and disposed of his body in her crater. The furious Hi’iaka dug deeper and deeper to recover his body as rocks were set flying. Finally, she recovered his body. Now, they are living together.
Namazu
A giant catfish, Namazu, is buried beneath Japan. Kashima keeps Namazu still with the help of a huge stone on the fish’s head. However, when the god, Kashima, sleeps, Namazu can move its tail or feelers and cause the above-ground to move.
The Creation of Crater Lake
Initially, when the Europeans arrived in the Pacific Northwest, they heard a story from the Klamaths related to the creation of Crater lake.
The Native Americans considered that gazing on the lake was synonymous with inviting death upon themselves.
They said that the lake had been created during a great battle between Skell, the chief of the Above World, and Llao, the ruler of the Below World.
During the war, the land was engulfed with darkness. Skell was standing on Mount Shasta and Llao on Mount Mazama. Both of them threw rocks and flames.
With the collapse of Mount Mazama, the battle ended when Llao was sent back to the underworld. Afterward, rain filled the remaining depression and formed a lake in place of the mountain.
The Vanished Island
Rapuanate had taken a female from the Solomon Islands of the South Pacific to be his wife. However, her brother took her back. It angered Rapuanate, who turned to sorcery to take revenge.
He acquired three taro plants, two for planting on Teonimanu and one for keeping. When new leaves sprouted on his plant, it indicated that the island was about to sink.
People had time to escape from the island. It turned salty when the ocean water started rising. They fled on rafts, boats, or clung to trees that were washed off the land.
Conclusion
As you can see, the world is filled with legends and myths to inspire and delight us. All of their exquisite details are worth exploring in the modern-day places where they originated, isn’t it?