I mean it's not evil and it's not really existent. so why does every mythology have darkness as evil incarnate. i'd like to see ones darkness as the force of good.
what do you think.
2007-06-19 07:53:01 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Mythology & Folklore
Mythology is the tool primitive civilizations use to explain things, usually personifying elements of nature. The sun is definitely a force of good for primitive civilizations that have advanced to farming, as without the sun, the crops do poorly, and so do the people. The opposite of good (light), is evil (darkness). Also, you are much more likely to get killed in the darkness, because in ancient times, there was far less light pollution, and night was truly dark. So, if a nocturnal and large beast, monster, or one of a person's enemies were sneaking up on them, they would have more trouble seeing them.
Although I have never seen darkness as a force of good, you are far exaggerating when you say "every mythology (has) darkness as evil incarnate." Greek and Roman mythology, which I know best, has Night as a person, neither evil nor good. The Underworld is dark, yes, but the goddesses of the night are not goddesses of the Underworld, and the Pluto and Proserpina (Hades and Persephone) are not god(desse)s of darkness or night. In Norse mythology, the forces of evil are ice and fire giants, not darkness. Another evil god is Loki, but he is not of darkness, but of trickery and lies.
The moon goddesses were never the positive side of darkness, in response to an earlier post. They were the positive side of night. The moon is the main source of light at night, hence, it is not a force of darkness.
2007-06-19 08:15:15 · answer #1 · answered by Halcyon 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most people, especially young children, have an innate fear of the dark. When you are unable to see, your other senses, such as hearing, pick up and then your imagination kicks in. So, the tree branch hitting the window turns into the claws of some monster. It's easy then to see that humans fear the dark. That might play a part in why we use darkness to portray evil...
2007-06-20 16:08:03 · answer #2 · answered by .:Curiouser_and_Curiouser:. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not all mythology does this all the time. In fact, with most origins if you get down to the really advanced stuff it will recognize that darkness and light are two sides of the same thing and is not inherently evil.
Being a 'bad guy' I think is easier at night because I'd want to be as clandestine as possible.
2007-06-19 15:44:34 · answer #3 · answered by Zimmia 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I kind of agree with you. After all, God created both the day (light) and the night (darkness), so why is darkness inherently bad? I always cringed at the idea that in Heaven there will be no more night or darkness because I, for one, prefer nighttime to daytime. I'd much prefer to sit outside at night and just take in the beauty of the stars and the moonlight, rather than sitting out getting toasted by the sun. But that's just me.
2007-06-19 15:36:34 · answer #4 · answered by Starfall 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is because light is considered as the "good force" and in the light you can see people as they really look and you seem to notice everything around you with more vividness
and the absence of light would mean the absence of good. We tend to associate the darkness with evil because we fear the unknown and in darkness you can't tell what someone might be doing.
Predators like lions use this advantage at night to hunt.
Its like hey say darkness is a veil for thiefs and beasts
2007-06-19 15:01:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well, I think it might just be our survival instincts. Think of creatures scared of the dark because of predators roaming around, predators they can't see and need to hide away from to not wind up as dinner. Throughout evolution, this has stayed in the backs of our heads, and remains so to this day. The night is evil, dark, bad. Little kids still think monsters are hiding in their closets at night.
2007-06-19 15:07:46 · answer #6 · answered by chgoalex 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Many nations worshiped Sun as their primary deity; for them, darkness was an enemy of Sun;
a lack of Sun interpreted as death or anger of Sun, or the deity turning away its face meant bad crops and meager hunts thus bad stuff--famine, illness, and death, for example.
P.S. However, there are myths about Moon Goddess, for example, representing a positive side of darkness.
I hope it helps.
2007-06-19 15:04:17 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I believe that it was because of our ancient primitive ancestors and the things that went bump in the night for them could literally eat them alive as well as create some serious fears....... And since we are still genetically attach to them... The primitive side of our brains still holds some of those very same fears to be true in today's world....
2007-06-19 20:57:31 · answer #8 · answered by kilroymaster 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its easier to hide bad deeds in the night.
But sometimes, the worst deeds are done in day light, in front of our very eyes...
yet we do nothing to stop that, do we?
2007-06-19 18:45:12 · answer #9 · answered by Joseph R 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
coz alot of bad things happen in the dark
2007-06-19 14:56:41 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋