Topic Research: Creation Stories

The first possible topic that I found interesting is the "evolution" of Dashavatara, the ten avatars of Vishnu. As a biology major, I am interested in stories revolving around evolution. This is clear in the evolution of the avatars of Vishnu. The avatars go from a fish to a tortoise to a boar to a man/lion to a dwarf to warriors and kings. It would be cool to research how these characters progress and change through different incarnations of Vishnu.

The first story that caught my eye was the story of Matsya. This is the avatar of a fish.The story is interesting because the fish grows and saves earthly life in a Noah's-ark-like event. Matsya even carried Manu to safety according to some stories.  This would be another interesting story topic as Manu is often described as the first man. Perhaps there would be some stories on how modern life descended from this first man? This could provide some cool opportunities for stories that match my interests. The third story that seems interesting is the story of Narasimha. This is interesting because the avatar is half man and half mammal. Although this is a deviation from how evolution is truly understood to unfold, it is a good symbol for the transition to full man. I am also interested in this story because its purpose was to destroy religious persecution, so I think there would be some interesting stories that could be taken from this character.

Matsya