1

Hero Comparison:
How the World was Made vs. The Garden of Eden



Tiggy Cooper
Grade 10 English
Mrs. Slaughter














2
Theres that one irritating question in the back of everyones mind; how
was the world made? Various people have found the answers they are satisfied with
by turning to religion, such as Christianity and the Cheyenne religion. Beliefs such as
these two religions each have a story of how the world was created. How the World
was Made is a Cheyenne myth of how the waters, heavens and people came to be.
The Garden of Eden, which is a Christian story, is similar to the Cheyenne myth.
However the Garden of Eden focuses on people more than the Cheyenne story.

How the World was Made and the Garden of Eden have vast amounts
of similarities. For example the two stories both have an almighty God with
incredible powers, the myths start out with absolutely nothing in the universe and
each tale teaches a valuable lesson taught by the god. Both stories have a great god
who creates the fruitful world. In the Garden of Eden, God is the almighty god.
Maheo, the All Spirit is the god in How the World was Made. Maheo and God are
most alike when they create the people. Both gods pull out their own rib bones and
breathe life onto the bones to create the first man and women to walk the earth.
Another significant similarity between the two stories is each myth teaches a
valuable lesson. In the Garden of Eden, the moral taught is to listen to beneficial
advice given by those around us. How the World was Made goes a long these lines,
with Maheo demonstrating that even the smallest of creatures can give effective
assistance when in need. These examples go to show of how similar the two tales
are.

Although there are numerous similarities between the two myths, several
differences help tell the stories apart. How the World was Made revolves around
Maheo and his ever-helping animals, however in the Garden of Eden, God, Adam
and Eve are the core characters. An additional character in the Garden of Eden is
the evil serpent, who tempts Eve and Adam into shame, misery and sorrow. There is
no evil in the Cheyenne myth, only a few problems that must be solved for life to go
on in the magical world. An additional difference between the two stories is how
the first woman is treated. Maheo said to his power Our Grandmother Earth is like
3
a woman; she should be fruitful; let her begin to bear life meaning that bearing life
into the world is a grateful gift and should be seen that way. However, when God
punishes Eve her punishment is in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. The
Garden of Eden characters view childbirth as a curse, unlike the Cheyenne
characters. Maheo the main Cheyenne character only had four powers, unlike God,
who had an endless amount of powers. Maheos four powers are making the water,
the light, the sky air, and the peoples of the water. The issue of power is one of the
most significant differences between the Christian and Cheyenne god.


If the irritating question of how was the world made still persists in the
back of ones head after looking back at these two perspectives, then one might want
to look further in depth into Christianity or Cheyenne religion. There are vast
amounts of similarities and dissimilarities between the two tales. By looking back at
these two tales one can self reflect on how the world was created.