Reconstructing the Proto Indo-European Myth of Creation

This is the story of Manu, Yemo, and Trito; There are many religions that began across Eurasia, however what you may not know is that many are linked by an ancient myth, the Indo European Creation Myth, a myth spoken by the Proto Indo Europeans. This video will tell the myth, explain it, and then compare it with other religions to see if they are descended from it.

Acknowledgements

Thumbnail art created by Monontova from Fiverr
Pictures are licensed from Shutterstock, PxHere, or under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Share alike License, unless otherwise specified.

References
Lincoln, B. (2016) ‘The Indo-European Cattle-Raiding Myth Source : History of Religions , Vol . 16 , No . 1 ( Aug ., 1976 ), pp . 42-65 Published by : The University of Chicago Press’, 16(1), pp. 42–65.
Lincoln, B. (1986) Myth, cosmos, and society. Harvard University Press. ISBN 0674597753
Lincoln, B. (1975) ‘The Indo-European Myth of Creation’, History of Religions, 15(2), pp. 121–145. doi: 10.1086/462739.
Anthony, D. W. (2010) The horse, the wheel, and language: How Bronze-Age riders from the Eurasian steppes shaped the modern world, The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World. Princeton University Press. doi: 10.5860/choice.45-6255.
Quiles, Carlos. 2019. A Game of Clans, Independently Published, ISBN 1072003228
Quiles, Carlos. 2019. A Clash of Chiefs, Independently Published, ISBN 1072023539
Quiles, Carlos. 2019. A Storm of Words, Independently Published, ISBN 1072035294
Landsberger and Wilson. (1961) ‘The Fifth Tablet of the Enuma Elis’, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 20, pp. 161, 175.

Chapters
======================
0:00 Introduction
3:18 A reading of the Indo European Creation Myth
6:50 Explaining the Myth
8:30 The Bovine
10:04 Priests
10:47 Trito the Warrior
12:30 Storm Gods or Warrior Gods?
14:41 How do we know this?
17:33 Other theories
21:38 The connection with other religions
34:21 Further analysis
36:02 A question for you

[Crecganford]

I'm looking to do a live stream? When would be a good day/time to do this?

[TazPessle]

The creation story reminds me of the creation story of silmarillion. Not in the relationship between entities, but in how it creates good and evil. Tolkien did an amazing job of recreating a natural religion

[birthe]

I'm a classicist, so I'm mostly familiar with PIE linguistics and Graeco-Roman mythology, but your comment about how ritual was more important than faith for pagan religions suddenly enlightened my understanding of Greek and Roman beliefs. I already knew from literary sources that people didn't always believe in the gods in the most literal sense, certainly not in later periods, but as long as the rituals were performed, that faith wasn't really required. Which seems to me why accusations of impiety and such only happened when it would affect the rituals and actions. It also matches with some of the discussions that happened in the early centuries of Christianity since in pagan apologetic literature, we can see that they emphasise that the traditional rites should be performed because they have allowed Rome to be safe and powerful for centuries and certainly not done harm, rather than discussing faith (which the Christians do in their apologetic literature).

While some scepticism remains for some of the things you mention based on things I've learned from my professors, there is an incredible richness and depth of research in these videos and they form a very interesting supplement to knowledge I already have.

[DogsAndDataRus]

Hecate is often represented as a three-faced or three headed goddess, and she's just one of many forms of the maiden, mother, crone triple goddess in many cultures. The interesting thing about Hecate is that, although she's considered part of the Greek pantheon, she may have pre-Greek origins in Anatolia and she is traditionally associated with snakes.

[vyuyfop]

Hi, good video. Purusha in Rigveda is also called Manu (Shraddhadeva Manu) and his twin brother is Yama. And get this, Manu is considered to have built a boat when warned by a fish that a great deluge is coming and thereby saved the 7 sages, so Manu is somehow associated as Noah and Gilgamesh. Yama in RigVeda is the first mortal and hence considered the lord of afterlife like hades.

[ellerose]

Much respect for you to even turn down sponsorships and for only doing these videos to educate people. That seems very rare to me. It is very appreciated!

[vladislavn]

I really enjoy your videos and am amazed by the depth of your exploration into these topics.

When I was three years old, I had a recurring dream. In this dream, I was floating in a boat in complete darkness and emptiness, accompanied by two humanoid beings. I was sitting in the middle of the boat between them while they rowed. One of the beings was red, and the other was blue. We didn’t speak, but I could somehow understand them mentally, and I thought of them as my parents. This dream repeated often.

A year later, I had a similar dream, but this time, instead of me, there was a cow sitting in the boat. When I woke up, I thought how strange and amusing it was, wondering what the cow was doing there. Ever since, I’ve been trying to understand the meaning of these dreams and have searched for various interpretations. That’s how I came across the work of Carl Gustav Jung, who developed the theory of the Collective Unconscious and interpreted dreams through mythology.

Based on your stories, if my assumptions are correct, these dreams seem to be an ancient inheritance from the collective unconscious. I believe the cow in my dream represented the first human, who gave birth to all other humans. That’s why, in many ancient cultures, the cow was considered sacred, much like humans. There’s a Russian folk tale called "Ivan, the Cow’s Son, " where the main character is the son of a cow and eventually defeats a dragon. So, in a way, the ideal human is a direct descendant of the cow.

Additionally, you mentioned that in the beginning, there was only fire and ice, and then Manus and Yemo appeared. I believe they personified fire and ice, as one was red and the other was blue.

[soumyarupghosh]

Grateful that I found your channel
The sheer amount of hardwork you put into these.
And the respect you have for all cultures you discuss is staggering.
However, as an Indian, I want to point out that in Vedic Culture, Manus is *Manu* and Yemos or Ymir is *Yama*

[LouisRMichael]

In 4 years of almost daily youtube use, you are UNDOUBTABLY one of the greatest channels I have discovered, I feel lucky, like I've struck gold, to have found your channel. You combine multiple modes of thought into holistic, engaging, intuitive understanding. For me, the greatest part of your comprehensive explanations is that they let us all appreciate the magnificent scope of our sacred, precious humanity. Listening to you talk is like watching a tapestry get woven together, as threads of ideas become one whole, beautiful masterpiece.
Thank you so much for taking the leap of faith and starting to make these videos, and thank you so much for continuing this great work, and putting so much valuable education out into the ether for us all, thank you Crecganford!!!

[John]

I would rather watch your videos than watch the news!! You speak with an honest objectivity. You are such a wonderful alternative. Simple facts. Please keep this up. You ARE doing a wonderful service in these times of ego and stupidity.

[caesarius]

Thank you for the careful put subtitles and chapters. As someone who really wants to study all of that, it is a great help. 😊

[alexstuhldreher]

I happened to run across this channel by mistake on Monday, and have spent my lunch break this entire week watching nothing but your episodes. Many thanks for such a thorough, engaging, and cerebral series!

[eduardocustodio]

This has to be the best video i have seen on my life. Life takes a decisive turn after this. Thank you so much.

[nazareneoftheway]

The sumerians and Egyptians have similarities to these too, I think the creation myth is a lot more common in general points of narration elements and continuity than PIE and near east, but that's just the abrahahmic philosopher in me talking.

Rituals are extremely important, in abrahahmic terms they would call that law/Torah, to keep the physical world in harmony we must have actions of the universal laws/"works", to keep the spiritual world in harmony we must have faith, that is a very old esoteric concept.

[abrahamhorowitz]

Discord is great for community management. I'd definitely recommend that. I enjoy all your videos. Ty as always

[charleemichelle]

I am a contemporary Volva, German-American and Indigenous First Person pagan. Your videos are the best out on European mythology, art, craft, and practice. Your demeanor in your presenting is tactful, respectful, and poignant. Your ideas and discussion resonate well with me, friend.

[John]

Don't ever stop. Yes, I have enjoyed it. Whatever you do. Keep doing it!!

[gustavlarsson]

Mythvision sent me here, and I'm glad for it!
You just got yourself a new sub 💪👍

[blanketparty]

You have a gift for storytelling and information sharing. Thank you so much for these videos !

[colterwebb]

Love seeing motifs that translate into later cultures. I can't help but think of Seth and Osiris when manus is dismembering his brother. Also can't help but think of tiamat in regards to a serpent monster being the antagonist. Also tiamat again in the using of a divine body to create the heavens and the earth. Hearing these PIE myths really is like reading part of our cultures genome