1988 School Magazine

iCffiARL@TTffi M'}@NC@URT To encourage the students of the cirls'crammar school, grisbane, in a greater love and knowledge of folklore, ivelyn Lesley Marsland, a pupil at B.G.G.S. -1933-34, gave $iZOb tr the trustees of the school to be invested. The Trust Deed made on October 22,1986, provided for the income to f urnish prizes annually to be known as the i'Charlotte d'joncourt Folklore Prizes" in memory of her mother, Charlotte d'joncourt Marsland (nee Hyde) who also atiended B.C.G.S.

CRffiATg@N "What is the origin of the Universe?" This question has challenged Mankind since the beginning of his existence. For in every nation, race, civilization, tribe or religion, there is at least one myth, legend or theory for creation. These ideas fo1 creation, for no-one as yet knows the true origins, can be divided into three paits, the origin of the universe, the Earth and Mankind. Probably the most challenging question to Mankind is f rom what, or where, did the universe arise? Scientists have proposed three theories, the most widely accepted being "The Big Bang Theory". ln this theory, some small or great accident happened. This made all matter, centred at one place, fly apart, and, due to the gravitational forces, the matter collected into various celestial bodies, stars, planets and moons. Some of the matter did not succumb to these forces and became much smaller masses such as asteroids. Many pre- Christian cultures support this theory. They explain creation as beginning with chaos. Some divine intervention causes this elemental conf usion to solidify into the universe as Man recognises it. Water is one of the most common factors in these myths. It is the beginning of all things, f rom which everything ensues. This water, is either by itself, as ocean or sea, or is Iike a primordial soup, containing all the elements. The prominence of water indicates Man's early under- standing of water being the most essential item for life. There are other ways in which the universe is created by a god, butwithoutthe intermediary step of chaos. ln the Swahili myths, which are based on lslamic beliefs, Cod places stars, like lanterns and the planets in seven sections of the universe. Many lndian myths begin with a great egg which hatches and divides into two parts, earth and sky. Some of the Greek myths also have this idea, with a cosmic egg, which is hatched by a great snake, that represents time. This use of an egg is important, {or it indicates the presence of a great mother founder, on which all lif e depends. ln this way, the u niverse is seen as a child who is being nurtured and raised. There are few cultures which do not have some god or great being who began the universe. The Australian aborigines are an example of this. Many tribes just have the universe in situ. The gods appear afterwards and the stars form as various people f lee the earth. The need for most pre-Christian cultures to have some superhuman being, who created the universe, is an important point. lt expliins some of modern Man's reliance, and dependence, on a being greater than himself who knows what, and why, everything happens as it does. Once the universe came into being, an explanation is necessary for the origin of the particular planet on which we live. On this point the number of myths multiply dramatically. Those cultures, whose beginnings were water, show great variation as to how the earth appeared. Some, such as the American Indians claim mud was either brought up from, or dropped into the sea, by a god, and grew into the large mass of the world' ln Siberiithe waters were put on fire, by Cod, and the earth appeared f rom the conf lagration. ln some lndian myths, a great e88 arose from the water, and when it broke, it Tormed sky and earth. These myths are very 59

Competition for prizes, Junior and Senior, takes the form of a qutzand a ma jor essay, the su bject to be determined by the school PrinciPal.

Awards such as the " Charlotte d'joncourt Prizes" help to broaden educational horizons and greatly enrich a school's profile.

Char!otte cn'ioncourt Marsland"