Re: Last Post Wins
Well, in Christian mythology, it all goes back to the Fall. See, God made the frist two humans, Adam and Eve, and gave them an entire garden of Paradise to live in and care for. However, God didn't want Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of a certain tree in the Garden; this tree would give the two knowledge of Good and Evil, When the two (technically Eve) were deceived by Satan in the form of a serpent into eating the fruit of the Tree, God cursed Adam and Eve and all their descendants, that's the entire human race. The result being that evil now exists in the world where it did not previously.
Of course, there have been many other interpretations of this story throughout history, as well as much discussion of its rather unfortunate implications. I particularly like Pullman's interpertation, that being that the Fall was a good thing for mankind, in that it allowed humanity to begin to grow and learn.
Of course, you have other stories, such as Pandora and the Box. In that story from Roman (Greek?) mythology, Pandora is asked to safeguard a Box containing all the evils and woes of humanity. She is told not to open the Box under any circumstances. Of course, she does, and unleashes all the evils and sadnesses now in the world. Its said that at the very end, Hope is released from the Box, as well. Some would call that the final, cruelest evil.
Notice how its always women who cause the bad things to happen? Stupid women.