The Role of Agriculture in Mythology - Essay Example

Overall review of the role of agriculture in mythology The relationship between agriculture and mythology is deep because the basic elements of mythology are deeply rooted in ancient methods of agriculture. To be specific, gods/goddesses related to agriculture dominate the mythical stories in ancient cultures/civilizations. Within this scenario, the mythological stories in ancient Egyptian culture are linked with the River Nile and the related agricultural experimentations. This is usual because the ancient Egyptian culture fully depended upon the River Nile and is the grass-root level reason behind the prosperity. Thesis statement: The overall review of the role of agriculture in mythology of Egypt and the influence of agriculture on the mythology of Egyptian culture proves that agriculture deeply influences mythology because the urge to inculcate innovation into the ancient agricultural system is evident in their belief in nature, religion, cosmology, and art in general. This section of the review is broadly divided as: The role of agriculture in mythology and The influence of agriculture on the mythology of Egyptian culture. The role of agriculture in mythology First of all, the foundation of ancient civilizations was agriculture. Besides, the influence of agriculture can be seen in the mythical stories within different cultures. This is usual because agriculture cannot be separated from ancient civilizations. Some civilizations like Egyptian civilization were based upon small independent cities with their own methods of agriculture. John Claudius Loudon stated that, “Landed property, in ancient Egypt, it would appear, was the absolute right of the owners, till by the procurement of Joseph, in the eighteenth century B. C, the paramount or allodial property of the whole was transferred to the government” (7). This eventually resulted in the formation and spread of different mythical stories related to agriculture. Some cultures tried to inculcate innovative methods of agriculture and underwent rapid progress. On the other side, some other cultures tried to depend upon traditional methods of cultivation and underwent degradation. The civilizations like Egyptian civilization provided ample importance to agricultural experimentation and the same helped the culture to undergo rapid progress. Adrian Kerr stated that, “Egyptian agriculture along the Nile was based on planting autumnal crops after the annual inundation had subsided” (241). To be specific, the ancient people knew that there are basic elements in nature, beyond human control. Still, innovative methods within agriculture can help human beings to produce more crops with ease. From a different angle of view, the origin of agriculture is beautifully portrayed in different mythical stories. Within Egyptian civilization, agriculture is portrayed as the background of mythical stories. Ana Ruiz stated that, “Ancient Egyptian civilization was based upon the fertility of the soil; seeds were planted that only the Nile could nourish” (8). To be specific, the mother figures within the mythical stories of this civilization are related to agriculture and productivity. One can see that agriculture is the creation of food grains and vegetables. When this is superimposed into the context of mythology, it is evident that mythical stories are filled with agricultural symbols in general. Similarly, the ancient Egyptians tried to link agriculture with supernatural elements and related mythical stories. This helped them to believe that there is an external force to help them while dealing with harsh climate and annual floods. Besides, they considered that flood is an experiment to test human being’s belief. Gradually, mythical images related to agriculture and related works began to emerge and it is evident in their innovative form of writing named as hieroglyphics. Jane Shuter stated that, “Paintings of farming scenes have been discovered on the walls of Egyptian tombs and some examples of crops have survived, dried in the desert sand” (14). The ancient Egyptians believed that their cultural characteristics are interconnected with the living world. Within this context, the ancient Egyptians used to consider that it is important to follow the cyclic process of natural happenings. For instance, they believed that annual floods in their river system are not bad, but the God’s grace to protect the Egyptians from famine. They structured their agricultural experimentations according to the annual floods. Besides, the prominence given to goddesses and female deities in Egyptian mythology is symbolic of productivity. One can easily identify that agricultural productivity is utmost important for an ancient culture to survive in harsh conditions. The legend of Osiris with this culture proves that they considered agriculture as the base of their civilization. For instance, people of this ancient culture believed that Osiris is a supernatural element, symbolic of agriculture. To be specific, this god was considered as dead, but reborn as the symbol of agriculture. One can see that rebirth is interconnected with success and is symbolic of germination. So, the people considered that this god underwent martyrdom during every harvest, but used to resurrect during the next crop growing. In short, agriculture played dual role within ancient Egyptian mythology, as the background of mythical stories and as the foreground of supernatural/imaginary elements. The influence of agriculture on the mythology of Egyptian culture The origin and the process of development and the decline of world renowned cultures prove that agriculture was the base. But, unexpected natural calamities washed out some developed cultures from the earth. Those cultures which adopted innovative methods of cultivation were able to withstand because those cultures exploited the natural calamities. For instance, Egyptians knew that they cannot control flood. But they made innovative canal system to cultivate different crops, including cash crops. This idea was innovative because other cultures during that time period solely depended upon food crops and totally ignored the scope of cash crops like cotton within the economic sector. One can see that the Egyptian culture flourished in the most extreme climatic region. So, the people believed that nature helped them to develop their culture. This belief is evident in the prominence given to the different gods within ancient Egyptian belief system. As agriculture was an integral part of their life, they provided ample importance to the same within their religious belief. When the river system failed to supply enough water, they believed that Gods were angry with them and found solace in mythical stories. Pat Remler stated that, “Wandering the river valley, the first nomadic Egyptians must have feared the unpredictable power of nature—the violent forces of thunder, lightning, and storms” (71). One can see that the ancient Egyptian culture did not provide prominence to any single god. Besides, each city state within this culture had its own belief system and related gods. When all the small city states were unified under the leadership of Pharaoh, the belief system of the capital city became prominent. So, the influence of agriculture within this culture is evident in their belief in nature and religious matters. Similarly, the Egyptians provided ample importance to cosmology and were keenly interested in connecting both with their culture. To be specific, they used to find out the exact time of floods by examining the position of stars and other heavenly bodies like planets. Fiona Macdonald stated that, “Egyptian artists portrayed the sky as a giant goddess with star-covered body” (7). Besides, they constructed huge tombs/burial grounds/temples according to the movement of stars and their alignment. This is unique because the decorated those buildings with paintings pointing out the influence of agriculture over their culture. In addition, they used to collect agricultural products within these tombs and painted/engraved the same on the walls. On the other side, the elite class considered this as a unique opportunity to connect the mythical stories with their cultural characteristics because they believed that the Gods chose them to rule over the nation. Geraldine Pinch stated that, “The extent to which Egyptian rulers were regarded as divine is much disputed, but the kings of the early Dynastic Period certainly enjoyed more power and responsibility than anyone else in their culture” (6). On the other side, the importance given to agriculture is evident in their art and architecture. For instance, the artifacts excavated by the Egyptologists from different sites prove that the same contains the different methods of agriculture. Besides, the influence of agriculture is evident in the lifestyle of the people lived during this time interval. So, one can see that all these factors of influence prove that agriculture molded the unique belief system and related mythology within the Egyptian culture in general. In short, agriculture and the unique system of mythology transformed this culture into a world renowned civilization, renowned for agricultural experimentation. Summing, role of agriculture in mythology of Egypt is unique because it is symbolic of the human relationship with nature and human interest in mythical stories. Besides, the influence of agriculture on the mythology of Egyptian culture sheds light into the development of mythical stories in different cultures. To be specific, agriculture and mythology are inseparable within the Egyptian culture because a culture cannot survive without the help of innovative agricultural methods and mythical stories about their forefathers, gods, and deities. In addition, the people of ancient Egypt considered nature as an inseparable element within their ritualistic belief system. Similarly, they connected their rulers with supernatural elements. One can see that this link between the ruling class and the extraterrestrial world stimulated the people’s interest in mythical stories. To be specific, rebirth, cyclic process within life, belief in after world etc can be easily linked with the process of agriculture. When mythology was linked with agriculture, later generations within this culture hesitated to consider both as different in their culture. In short, review of the role of agriculture in mythology of Egypt and the influence of agriculture on the mythology of Egyptian culture is helpful to attain an agreeable conclusion that cultures cannot survive without the help of agriculture and mythology. Works Cited Kerr, Adrian. Ancient Egypt and Us: The Impact of Ancient Egypt on the Modern World. U.S.: Adrian Kerr, 2009. Print. Loudon, John Claudius. An Encyclopædia of Agriculture: Comprising the Theory and Practice of the Valuation, Transfer, Laying Out, Improvement, and Management of Landed Property: and the Cultivation and Economy of the Animal and Vegetable Productions of Agriculture, Including All the Latest Improvements: a ..., Volume 1. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1825. Print. Macdonald, Fiona. Egyptian Myths and Legends. London: Raintree, 2013. Print. Pinch, Geraldine. Handbook of Egyptian Mythology. California: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print. Ruiz, Ana. The Spirit of Ancient Egypt. New York: Algora Publishing, 2001. Print. Remler, Pat. Egyptian Mythology, A to Z. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Print. Shuter, Jane. Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Heinemann, 2001. Print. Read More