Cain and Abel
From Academic Kids
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William_Blake’s_Cain_and_Abel.jpg
William Blake’s The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve
Cain and Abel are mentioned in Genesis 4 [1], both sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is called Kayin in Hebrew and Abel is Hevel. It is Cain who commits the first murder recorded in the Hebrew Bible by killing his brother Abel. Cain’s motivation is not made explicit in the text, but the implication is that he is jealous that God favored his brother’s sacrifice (the best of his flock) rather than his own (the fruits of the earth). (See related article on the role of Korbanot, the Biblical sacrifices.)
Cain is subsequently cursed by God:
“Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. God asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?’ God said, ‘What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is screaming to Me from the ground. Now you are cursed from the ground that opened its mouth to take your brother’s blood from your hand.'” (Genesis 4:8-11).
Cain exclaims that the punishment is too much to bear, which some have interpreted as a sign of penitence. It may also have meant that Cain thought the punishment unjust, as he then expressed his fear that “whoever finds me will slay me.” God promises to protect Cain, and declares that “If any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” God then put a mark on Cain’s forehead, warning others not to harm him.
Similar stories in ancient literature
In Sumerian mythology there is a story which bears strong resemblance to the Cain and Abel tale. Dumuzi and Enkimdu are two gods, the shepherd god and farmer god respectively. They are both competing for the attentions of Inanna, the fertility goddess. Dumuzi wins Inanna, defeating Enkimdu. This parallels the nomadic/agrarian conflict over the use of fertile land which was a large concern at the time.
Similar stories in modern literature
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is a retelling of the Cain and Abel story in the setting of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries and the western migration towards California.
Cain and Abel in popular culture
Cain and Abel were the hosts of the comic books “House of Mysteries” and “House of Secrets”, respectively, published by DC comics in the 1960s. In Alan Moore’s run of the Swamp Thing, these characters were shown to actually be the Biblical characters. Cain is depicted as easily becoming angered and killing Abel, who comes back to life a short while later. When confronted about this, he says, “Don’t talk to me about murder! I invented murder!” He claims that both are being punished for their roles, he for being the first predator, Abel for being the first victim. In Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Cain and Abel became recurring characters, the custodians of the stories, because they had been in the first story. In the Command and Conquer video games, the leader of the evil Brotherhood of Nod, Kane, is believed by his followers to be the biblical Cain.
The story of Cain and Abel appears in the Alanis Morissette song ‘No Avalon’, a song about the value of life.
See also
Abel
Cain
Fratricide
External link
Analysis of Cain and Abel from Reading the Old Testament
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