American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences                cover
Open Access

American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

ISSN (Online): 2378-7031

DOI: 10.46568/arjhss

Research Article Vol. 3, Issue 1 2017 Open Access

The Myth of Creation from Malaysia and Australia: A Comparative Study

Halimah Mohamed Ali

Universiti Sains Malaysia
halimah@usm.my
Citation: Halimah Mohamed Ali, “The Myth of Creation From Malaysia and Australia: A Comparative Study”. American Research Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume 3, 2017; pp:1-10
Abstract
Myths are sacred narratives. They describe how this world was created and also how the living beings came into existence as they exist today. Myths are normally said to be untrue thus unbelievable. However, there are thinkers that say that myths are at times a higher form of truth. These types of myths can be labelled as sacred myths. The study of myths is interdisciplinary and international. This essay will analyse the myths of creation from two countries, Malaysia and Australia. The myths chosen are aboriginal myths. The theoretical framework will be built using the theory of myths by G.S. Kirk (1984) and Theodor H. Gaster and simple definitions on myths. These will be used to analyse the selected texts, from Malaysia titled “Asal Usul Ka’adat”, dan “Asal Usul Padi”, and from Australia titled “ The First Men and Women” dan “The Discovery of Fire”.