Universal Events

The most famous archetypes fall into the category of Universal Events. Here is my personal definition:

A Universal Event is a specific moment in mythical time that occurs in multiple cultures around the world, though not at the same chronological time.

So what are the major Universal Events?

The Creation of the Universe/World

The universe didn't always exist. Someone caused something to happen that resulted in everything we know and are. Whether it was a watery abyss, chaos, darkness, or an explosion something existed before the universe, and whether it was a god, a goddess, or a divine couple, someone did something that made it all take form. Every culture across the globe knows how the world was created, each is different but there are striking similarities in many of them. A lot of creation myths also include the creation of the gods, but not always obviously, since not every mythology has a pantheon.

The Creation of Humanity

People didn't always exist. Scientists know this today, but cultures around the world have always known it. Someone somewhere decided that the world needed humans. How we got here changes around the globe, but the fact is that humans were created. Some say we were made to reflect the majesty of the gods, others say we were created to serve the gods. Or maybe the gods just got tired of talking to themselves. It all depends on which culture you're hearing it from.

Death

Say what? How is death an event? Well, technically it is. Death happens at a specific time. Gun shoots bullet into you, sword chops your head off, flood drowns you -- however it happens suddenly BOOM. You're dead. Everything that comes before and everything that comes after is a matter of debate but every human dies. That's fact. It's called mortality and frankly it sucks -- or not, depending on who's telling the tale. But did you know that in almost every culture, death did not start out a given? Death was created. Humans were once immortal but something happened -- a girl opened a box, people ate an apple, some dude fell asleep, an animal didn't think his plan through -- and TA DA! Death entered the world. Whether it was a punshiment, an accident, or a mistake caused by a woman, a man, a god, or an animal, death was unleashed on earth.

The Flood

At some point the world flooded. Almost every culture has a story about a time when water flooded the earth and often destroyed everything. From the Sumerian Utnapishtim and the Biblical Noah saving the world in a big boat, to the destruction of the world before this one by a giant flood in several Central American cultures, the idea of a flood sent from the heavens to wipeout life on earth appears pretty much everywhere. I guess it's not surprising when you consider that about 70% of the earth is covered in water.

The First Story

Everyone tells stories. We listen to stories from the moment we're born. Fairy tales, movies, books, tv shows -- stories are all around us. Can you imagine a world without stories? Well, almost every culture has a story about how stories appeared in the world. It's usually a tale of an adventure or quest to find something that will teach or enlighten or entertain the culture. Someone dives into the ocean to get stories from the sea, a trickster tries to steal them from the gods, however it happens someone had to go and get stories to tell. They had to learn how to tell them, but the myth is never a slow progression of learning, it's a specific quest -- and event that leads to humans having the ability to tell stories and having stories to tell.

The End of All Things

Although not every culture has the concept of the world coming to an end, there's an awful lot that do. Whether it's an epic battle of gods and demons, a collapsing of a civilization, a shift in the balance of the universe, the sun expanding, or just a god being pissed off, this world apparently has an expiration date. Also, there are some myths where the world was destroyed in the past and this is a brand spanking new reality, that may or may not be doomed. Universal pessimism or simple reality check? You decide!