The Origin of Death in the Mythologies of the Nations; A Typological Approach

The myths speak about the entrance of mythical elements (good or evil) to the realm of human beings; they depict different themes and there is much to be gained from them. There are myths about the origin of the world, man, drugs, plants, animals, and so on. Also, some myths deal with the issue of death. The myths associated with the origin of death have different types and layers and traces of it can be found across cultures. The study of their typology can pave the way for a more sophisticated analysis of the myths of the nations. The aim of the present article is to identify the typology of the myths associated with the origin of death in the mythologies of different nations. By using descriptive-analytical method and based on comparative approach, in the present research the myths associated with the origin of death are divided into two kinds of human-centered and non-human-centered. In human-centered myths, man brings consciously or unconsciously death into his/her life; but in non-human-centered one, an inhuman creature has a central role. Each of these two kinds have different divisions.