Fifth World (Native American mythology)
For Fifth World nations, see micronation.The
Fifth World is either the present world, or the next world, in several Native American beliefs which center around a cyclical understanding of time. According to both
Native American Hopi mythology and
Maya mythology, the current world we inhabit is the "
Fourth World." In both belief systems, time is cyclical, and the end of one world is the beginning of the next. For the Hopi, the end of the fourth world is marked by the arrival of
Pahana, or the lost "White Brother." The
Maya calendar charts out this progression through
astrology, concluding that the current, fourth world will end sometime near the
winter solstice in
2012 (dates vary based on interpretation).
The
Aztecs held similar beliefs, but they believed we are
currently in the fifth world, and that it is the
sixth that is to arrive next.
*
Pahana and the Hopi Prophecy*
The How and Why of the Mayan End Date in 2012 AD
