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How does the myth of eternal return shape mythical eschatology?
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eschatology
The Second Coming as depicted in “The Last Judgment,” fresco by Michelangelo, 1536-41, on the west wall of the Sistine Chapel, Vatican Palace, Vatican City.
The myth of the eternal return fundamentally shapes mythical eschatology by positing a cyclic view of history rather than a linear one. In this framework, the "end" of the world is not a final, unrepeatable conclusion, but rather a transition where the process of creation—the establishment of order out of chaos—is reproduced.12
Key characteristics of this eschatological model include:
- Cyclic Regeneration: History is viewed as a series of recurring cosmic cycles, such as the Hindu kalpa, involving successive periods of creation, decline, and destruction.32
- Ritual Reenactment: Through religious festivals and rituals, the primordial time of creation is regenerated. This allows believers to prove the transience of the world wrong and maintain the cosmic order against the forces of chaos.1
- Salvation as Return: Salvation is not found in a future historical fulfillment, but in the return to the primordial origin or a golden age. In traditions like Hinduism, this also extends to the individual, where the goal is to escape the cycle of samsara (rebirth) and achieve moksha.134
Ultimately, this myth frames history as a cultic drama where the world order is eternally defended and renewed.1