History Main / FromCataclysmToMyth

* ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'': Before the age of Man and Machine, the Old Ones created many wonders of steel spires and magic devices, but one day they disappeared. The Nora teach that the Old Ones became proud and turned away from the worship of the All-Mother, leading to her casting them and the Metal Devils down. Other tribes have similar stories. Aloy adventures to discover the truth: [[spoiler:It's less humanity as a whole as it was ''one man''. After a worldwide effort to restore the Earth after environmental catastrophe, Ted Faro, one of the architects of that restoration, pivoted his company to autonomous self-replicating war machines fueled by biomatter. He specifically ordered that they be unhackable, as a selling point. But there was a glitch with one of the swarms, and they stopped accepting orders to stand down. Meaning that there was now an endless, unstoppable tide of machines that would devour everything until the Earth was nothing but a toxic rock. By the time the glitch was discovered, it was already too late to stop. A brilliant scientist, Elisabet Sobeck, created Project Zero Dawn and an artificial intelligence named GAIA to re-terraform the Earth after the swarm ate everything, including creating a new human race educated with all the knowledge of mankind's mistakes. It all worked... except for the part where Ted Faro deleted the subsystem that was supposed to educate the new humans, meaning that they were eventually unleashed upon the new world as young adults with kindergarten education]].

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', the first time the party reaches the End Of Time, they hear about a great, long dead civilization that could wield magic, but fell due to its own arrogance. Then they travel to the Kingdom of Zeal, 12,000 BC, and see it actually happen.

* In ''Film/MadMax2TheRoadWarrior'', the introductory narrative by [[spoiler: the Feral Kid]]. A similar intro-narrative can be found to a lesser extent in ''Film/TheBloodOfHeroes''.

* ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' has two variations: the Sacred Scrolls that told of the downfall of mankind, which Zira and Cornelius had access to but most apes didn't (they were taught that apes evolved from man), and the story of Caesar's rise told by the Lawgiver in ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes''. The two have similarities, and editing tried to make them seem the same, but the original story had Aldo saying "no" first-this could have been some sort of later change in the story over the years, if the 'closed circle' timeline is believed, or it could imply that Caesar changed history somewhat from the original timeline.

* The men of Númenor from Literature/TheSilmarillion definitely count. After a few hundred years of peaceful existence, the Men [[MemeticMutation (and Women and Children)]] became too complacent and that was one of the major contributors to Númenor's downfall

* The reason Tally's [[AssimilationPlot dystopian]] [[TheBeautifulElite world]] is [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans necessary]] in ''Literature/{{Uglies}}'' is because the Rusties did some [[FutureSlang totally bogus and brain-missing]] stuff in the past that culminated in environmental and technological menaces they engineered destroying their society.

A subtrope of AllMythsAreTrue. Cousin to EarthAllAlong, but a premise or a plot twist rather than a TwistEnding. Compare with FutureImperfect, LostCommonKnowledge, LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair, HumanitysWake, AndManGrewProud, and WeHaveBecomeComplacent. See also LostTechnology and PointlessDoomsdayDevice.

A subtrope of AllMythsAreTrue. Cousin to EarthAllAlong, but a premise or a plot twist rather than a TwistEnding. Compare with FutureImperfect, LostCommonKnowledge, LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair, HumanitysWake, and WeHaveBecomeComplacent. See also LostTechnology and PointlessDoomsdayDevice.

* The anime ''Literature/ScrappedPrincess'' makes use of this trope: it is revealed in the end that the medieval world that the characters live in was [[spoiler:an artificial enclave for humanity built on a section of Earth's crust elevated from the rest of the world. Mauser, the deity of the world as well as other mythological characters are actually individuals who lived and fought in the era when humanity was robbed of most of its technology, ostensibly after losing a war against an alien race.]]

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* This happened twice in FanFic/DivineBlood. First was the tanar with the KT event being theorized by the silthine. Then it was the war between silthine and tanar that destroyed civilization a second time. Then humans develop and rename the two races Demons (tanar) and Gods (silthine). Current hopes include avoiding a third civilization ending event.

* [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]] and [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in ''FanFic/PowerRangersGPX''; [[TheGreatOffscreenWar the ancient, 10,000-year-old war]] that helped set the plot in motion is well-known to [[spoiler: elves]], but humans have forgotten it. But it's believed that the myth turned into {{Atlantis}}.

* The cavemen of ''Film/BattlefieldEarth'' have forgotten that aliens invaded Earth and destroyed all human civilization 1000 years ago, instead believing that demons came down from the sky because the gods were angry.

* ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'' has two variations on this: the Sacred Scrolls that told of the downfall of mankind, which Zira and Cornelius had access to but most apes didn't (they were taught that apes evolved from man), and the story of Caesar's rise told by the Lawgiver in ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes''. The two have similarities, and editing tried to make them seem the same, but the original story had Aldo saying "no" first-this could have been some sort of later change in the story over the years, if the 'closed circle' timeline is believed, or it could imply that Caesar changed history somewhat from the original timeline.

* The exact nature of "The Tribulation" in ''Literature/TheChrysalids'' is never specified, but it's implied to be a nuclear disaster of some kind and believed by the characters to have been a punishment from God.

* The people of [[Literature/DragonridersOfPern Pern]] were amazed to discover that [[spoiler:their ancestors had arrived from another planet.]]
** Though by that time, it wasn't even a myth, it was completely forgotten.
* The myths that grow up around Ardneh from ''Literature/EmpireOfTheEast'' by the time of the ''First Book of Swords'' would certainly qualify. Interestingly, Ardneh brought about the proverbial "end" by making nuclear war impossible.
* In Creator/PhilipJoseFarmer's novel ''Flesh'', the heroes return to an AfterTheEnd Earth from an interstellar expedition, and figure out that the cataclysm described in the local mythology is probably the failure of the free energy project which was being considered when they left (tapping into the magma layer plus transmission through the atmosphere translated into massive volcanic activity plus ozone layer damage).
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/FoundationAndEarth'': The ultimate fate of Earth, largely abandoned after massive irradiation 20,000 years earlier, is the subject of dozens of myths in various parts of the galaxy. The protagonists use old myths about Earth to discern where it [[EarthThatWas is/was]]. Many of the legends are distortions of events from ''Literature/RobotsAndEmpire''.

* ''Manga/NausicaaOfTheValleyOfTheWind'' opens with a vaguely medieval tapestry showing the hubris and fall of man.
** But later on implies that their records of of the industrial past are basically intact, if a bit threadbare (heh). After all, the society still has advanced technology, even if its resources are stretched so thin it can't afford to use it much.
* The anime ''LightNovel/ScrappedPrincess'' makes use of this trope: it is revealed in the end that the medieval world that the characters live in was [[spoiler:an artificial enclave for humanity built on a section of Earth's crust elevated from the rest of the world. Mauser, the deity of the world as well as other mythological characters are actually individuals who lived and fought in the era when humanity was robbed of most of its technology, ostensibly after losing a war against an alien race.]]
* In ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'' the ancient civilization was nearly destroyed in an apocalyptic war with [[spoiler:the Dragons, resulting in the world's energy being stolen and the System created]]. The Goddess Religion has the most accurate retelling of those events, but even that has been warped.

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_nuclear_waste_warning_messages Attempts have been made]] to do this for future generations after knowledge of how radioactivity works.

* In Music/{{Rush}}'s RockOpera ''Music/TwentyOneTwelve'', the [[CulturePolice Priests of Syrinx]] cite the pride and frivolity of "the elder race", as exemplified by rock music, as the cause of its destruction. In contrast, the protagonist ([[AuthorTract and by extension Neil Peart]]) argues that human pride is to be ''celebrated'', and envisions the eventual triumphant return of the elder race to free mankind from a life of enforced mundanity.

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[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1650029440085848900 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

This has actually happened, on a smaller scale, with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mazama Mount Mazama]] (nowadays called Crater Lake) in North America, and the capital of the wealthy Minoan civilization, which they built on a convenient horseshoe shaped island in the Mediterranean. [[{{Atlantis}} Which turned out to be the crater atop a (temporarily) dormant volcano]].[[note]] Technically, Thera (on the volcano) was a minor town; the capital was inland in Crete. Still, between the tidal wave and the ash-cloud, trade and agriculture in the eastern Med. took a while to recover, and the civilization never did.[[/note]] Some researchers suspect the same of Estonian folktales and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaali_crater prehistoric meteorite.]] It's theorized this inspired the legend of {{Atlantis}}.

* ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'' takes place several millennia after humanity went extinct as a result of global warming, rising sea levels, and a few world wars. Various sea creatures evolving following the death of mankind and other mammals to inhabiting the remaining landmasses and rebuilding various human cities, with some even living in the underground infrastructures created in an attempt to survive. Everyone knows that humans were a previous dominant species that went extinct, but the details about how that all went down are a bit hazy due to the lack of surviving records. Well, [[AliensStealCable records of a non-pop culture nature]], anyway.

* ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}'' has a world inhabited by a large variety of humanoid sea creatures, mostly invertebrates. The last batch of [[CollectionSidequest Sunken Scrolls]] found during the single player campaign reveal how this world came to be: ''Splatoon'' takes place over 12,000 years after humanity goes extinct as a result of global warming and rising sea levels. Various sea creatures evolve following the death of mankind and most surface species, inhabiting the remaining landmass and rebuilding various human cities. The game's hub world of Inkopolis is most likely a renovated Toyko, more specifically the ward of Shibuya. The character Judd the Cat is one of the last remnants of human society, having been cryogenically frozen by his owner and thawed out about 2,000 years before the beginning of the game.

** While they were already in decline before Karsus' Folly, the Netheril Empire of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' considered themselves the greatest magical imperium of all time, and they may have been right (excluding the [[{{Precursors}} Sarrukh]]), building feats of magic unheard of in later eras, creating spells of near-divine power like Proctiv's Move Mountain and Iolaum's Longevity. But the pride of their greatest Archmage, Karsus, "Hubris in the Blood", became their literal downfall -- in attempting to claim the mantle of the goddess of magic for his own, he briefly cut off all Faerun from the source of magic -- causing whole empires to fall in moments, quite literally in the case of Netheril and its [[FloatingContinent flying cities]].

* In ''Literature/EnchantedPonyAcademy'', humans used to have magic, but all the contradictory spells flying around (if one guy casts a spell for rain and another guy casts a spell for clear skies, what happens?), as well as the massive amounts of power used to fight off [[ExtremeOmnivore the dragons]], kind of...shorted out the BackgroundMagicField. Now they're dependent on BondCreatures to get anything magical done, and even then the animals have only a fraction of the power they did before.

History isn't always recorded accurately, especially events of apocalyptic proportions. Due to time, poor record-keeping, or even lack of interest, some past event that [[ApocalypseHow completely changed civilization]] has been turned into a mythical story that parents tell their children. In many cases the cataclysm is seen as some sort of LaserGuidedKarma for some sort of misbehaviour by the victims, but this is not a necessary component.

The people who tell legends about the disaster don't even have to be the survivors. The myths of {{Atlantis}} come from rival civilizations that were relatively unaffected by the destruction which inspired the later stories. Because the disaster tends to erode/eliminate resources, people can [[LostCommonKnowledge lose their science]] and [[LostTechnology manufacturing]].

Hundreds of years AfterTheEnd, the apocalyptic event that caused the current state of the region/world/universe has become myth and integrated into local beliefs. The surviving version of the tale can be [[FutureImperfect twisted and fragmented]], but [[LegendFadesToMyth remains comprehensible to the viewer (or the time-traveler)]] who knows of the events when they are recited by the WastelandElder. More often than not, [[HumanitysWake the time that ended was ours]]. If done badly, it often [[{{Anvilicious}} hits the audience over the head]] with the premise. If done well, it can be one of the coolest things ever.

This has actually happened, on a smaller scale, with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Mazama Mount Mazama]] (nowadays called Crater Lake) in North America, and the capital of the wealthy Minoan civilization, which they built on a convenient horseshoe shaped island in the Mediterranean. [[{{Atlantis}} Which turned out to be the crater atop a (temporarily) dormant volcano]].[[note]] Technically, Thera (on the volcano) was a minor town; the capital was inland in Crete. Still, between the tidal wave and the ash-cloud, trade and agriculture in the eastern Med. took a while to recover, and the civilization never did.[[/note]] Some researchers suspect the same of Estonian folktales and a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaali_crater prehistoric meteorite.]] It's theorized this inspired the legend of {{Atlantis}}.

A subtrope of AllMythsAreTrue. Cousin to EarthAllAlong, but a premise or a plot twist rather than a TwistEnding. Compare with FutureImperfect, LostCommonKnowledge, LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair, HumanitysWake, and WeHaveBecomeComplacent. See also LostTechnology and PointlessDoomsdayDevice.

* The human populace of ''VideoGame/StellaGlow'' was cursed to no longer be able to sing as punishment for defying their god, leaving both songs and magic in the hands of Witches only.
* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': The modern Arakkoa are descended from the Apexis civilization which once dominated Draenor but they don't know why it disappeared. ''Chronicles'' reveals a civil war broke out between the Light and Void wielding factions. It culminated in the accidental detonation of a FantasticNuke which wiped out the majority of their population and created the Spires of Arak.

* Averted in ''Webcomic/{{Nodwick}}''. Some schmuck developed a time travel device to see how advanced society would come a few centuries later and inadvertently wound up destroying his high tech society. Only one person [[spoiler: one of the villains, who pulled a FaceHeelTurn after the blast]] survived. Averted because no stories are told nor does anyone particularly care.
* Played with in [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070611 these]] [[http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=070612 two]] ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' strips.

A subtrope of AllMythsAreTrue. Cousin to EarthAllAlong, but a premise or a plot twist rather than a TwistEnding. Despite [[NonIndicativeName the name]], does not require anyone to succumb to excess {{pride}}. In many cases, the cataclysm happens completely on its own; of course, back in those times, most people would see such a horrendous event as LaserGuidedKarma of some sort on the poor recipients.

Compare with FutureImperfect, LostCommonKnowledge, LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair, HumanitysWake, and WeHaveBecomeComplacent. See also LostTechnology and PointlessDoomsdayDevice.

[[redirect:AndManGrewProud]]