This volume offers an instructive comparative perspective on the Judaic,
Christian, Greek and Roman myths about the creation of humans in
relation to each other, as well as a broad overview of their enduring
relevance in the modern Western world and its conceptions of gender and
identity. Taking the idea that the way in which a society regards
humanity, and especially the roots of humanity, is crucial to an
understanding of that society, it presents the different models for the
creation and nature of mankind, and their changing receptions over a
range of periods and places. It thereby demonstrates that the myths
reflect fundamental continuities, evolutions and developments across
cultures and societies: in no context are these more apparent than with
regard to gender.
Chapters explore the role of gender in Graeco-Roman and Judaeo-Christian
creation myths and their reception traditions, demonstrating how
perceptions of 'male' and 'female' dating back to antiquity have become
embedded in, and significantly influenced, subsequent perceptions of
gender roles. Focusing on the figures of Prometheus, Pandora, Adam and
Eve and their instantiations in a broad range of narratives and media
from antiquity to the present day, they examine how variations on these
myths reflect the concerns of the societies producing them and the
malleability of the stories as they are recast to fit different contexts
and different audiences.
