Ancient Myth, Religion, And Philosophy

Undoubtedly both hunter and goddess mythologies had a great influence on ancient human cultures. In fact, we should recall from the previous chapter that the respective roles of the hunter and mother were intertwined in our ancestral biology, psychology, and behavior. The hunter served the mother by providing food and protection and the mother provided the hunter with sex and offspring. Love, bonding, and commitment united the male and female – the hunter/father and mother/nurturer. It also seems to be the case that the respective power and influence of the feminine and the masculine in both myth and human society has oscillated throughout recorded history, and has varied among different regions of the world. Whatever the specific details of the relative power of male and female deities across time and ancient cultures, and I more fully examine this topic in later sections of this chapter, it seems clear that our earliest myths were connected with fundamental themes of human survival and reproduction (which are future oriented themes) and highlighted the central contributions and values associated with each of the two sexes. To restate and expand upon the conclusions of the previous chapter, sex and the contribution of the two sexes, religion, and the future were intimately tied together in the minds and the myths of prehistoric humans.