Why are myths the way they are?

We all know that myths were our ancestor's ways of understanding natures forces. They invented monsters, Gods and Goddesses and various other forces or people/heroes. But was there any meaning behind why certain myths were in a certain way and why the others were more different although they reasoned out the same things?

For this, we look at two different mythologies around the world. First, the myth of the Minotaur and secondly, the myth of the Hawaiian Goddess, Pele.

Crete was ruled in ancient times by Minos. He was the husband of Pasiphae. Minos was hostile toward Poseidon and hence cursed by Aphrodite that his wife would fall in love with his prized bull. The great inventor Daedalus, helped the queen to win over the bull's attraction and later the Queen gave birth to the Minotaur. Half-Bull, Half-Human. The minotaur was locked away in a labyrinth below the palace. His roars are so strong, they bring earthquakes to Crete regularly.

Pele, on the other hand, is the Goddess of the volcano. She is portrayed as the one who works the volcano and the resulting disaster as her fault. However, being the son of Earth mother and Sky father, she also creates the land and is thus a creator. She is credited to be the one who formed the Hawaiian Islands. According to the legends, the earthquakes and the resulting volcanic eruptions are the works of Pele.

Both of these myths surfaced to explain the reason behind earthquakes. But why did Crete citizens choose the Minotaur, while the Hawaiian citizens chose the Goddess Pele?

The answer lies in the consequences the earthquakes have for the respective places.

Crete is situated on a piece of crust called the Aegean Block and Nubean block. When the Nubean block pushes the Aegean block, terrible earthquakes occur, sometimes causing tsunamis which break away all things built on the island. Overall, the "roar of the Minotaur" is bad for them.

In Hawaii however, every time Pele causes the volcano to erupt and cause destruction, the islands are destroyed. But, after a decade the ash from the volcano makes the ground very fertile and thus more creation can take place.

These consequences of the natural phenomenon show us why places have different myths. Minotaur is a monster. Whenever it does something, it should be aimed at the destruction of humanity above. Pele, on the other hand, is a Goddess. She stays only as long as her believers. This means she has an incentive to do good, even though she may not want it. This makes even her destructive rage as something usual and thus people of Hawaii think of the volcano as a Goddess whereas the Crete people, think of earthquakes as something dangerous. A monster.

Wherever we look, the trends are visible. The myths are directly based on the happenings of the world around people and it's consequences. Myths are after all an ancient way to recognise how our world moves on around us. They are people's imagination trying to comprehend nature. It is a very primordial form of Science. Today we use careful calculations and research to understand something, previously the world looked to monsters and Goddesses.

Realised why your God is portrayed as he is? Let us know in the comments section.