A reoccurring theme throughout this whole unit and previous
ones that I’ve read was the explanation of why things appear the way they do.
The ancients were very limited on their knowledge of the world but they sought a
greater understanding. Most of these stories have something to do with animals,
nature, and the extraterrestrial structures that are observed from Earth. Being
a science major makes these pieces really interesting for me to read. They
prove the curiosity the ancients had and the proof that we as people are always
searching for a greater understanding of the world around us.
Within this particular unit it detailed the explanation for
why the fish lives in water, why the elephant has such little eyes, and why the
hawk eats chickens: amongst several other things. Of course in today’s society
we know these explanations are far from the truth. The story The Fish and the Leopard's Wife was the one that detailed the reason why all fish live in water. The
Nigerian people believed that fish used to live on land and were best friends
with the leopard. The fish grew to love the leopard’s wife and while his friend
was away he slept with her. After the leopard discovered what had been done he addressed
the problem with the King. The King then banished the fish forever to always
live in the water. In addition, he was condemned to be hunted by animal and man
alike for food.
This of course is nowhere close to reasoning as to why fish
live in the water. It simply provides an interesting view as to what people thought
a long time ago. These stories have no scientific backing but they provided a
basis for learning. The thirst for knowledge is the first step in actually acquiring
it. We owe a lot to the ancients for first starting the quest for a greater
understanding of the world we live in.
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