which of the following traces stories themes and words back to their roots
Comparative mythology
Many cultures believe in a celestial supreme being who has cut off contact with humanity . Historian Mircea Eliade calls this supreme being a deus otiosus ( an `` idle god '' ) , although this term is also used more broadly , to refer to any god who does n't interact regularly with humans . In many myths , the Supreme Being withdraws into the heavens after the creation of the world . Baluba mythology features such a story , in which the supreme god withdraws from the earth , leaving man to search for him . Similarly , the mythology of the Hereros tells of a sky god who has abandoned mankind to lesser divinities . In the mythologies of highly complex cultures , the supreme being tends to disappear completely , replaced by a strongly polytheistic belief system .
Many cultures believe in a celestial supreme being who has cut off contact with humanity . Historian Mircea Eliade calls this supreme being a deus otiosus ( an `` idle god '' ) , although this term is also used more broadly , to refer to any god who does n't interact regularly with humans . In many myths , the Supreme Being withdraws into the heavens after the creation of the world . Baluba mythology features such a story , in which the supreme god withdraws from the earth , leaving man to search for him . Similarly , the mythology of the Hereros tells of a sky god who has abandoned mankind to lesser divinities . In the mythologies of highly complex cultures , the supreme being tends to disappear completely , replaced by a strongly polytheistic belief system .