Module 1: Creation Myths from around the World

Introduction to Creation
Myths
A creation myth (or cosmogonic myth) is a symbolic narrative of how the
world began and how people first came to inhabit it. While in popular usage the
term myth often refers to false or fanciful stories, members of cultures often
ascribe varying degrees of truth to their creation myths. In the society in which
it is told, a creation myth is usually regarded as conveying profound truths,
metaphorically, symbolically, and sometimes in a historical or literal sense. They
are commonly, although not always, considered cosmogonical myths—that is,
they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or
amorphousness.

Creation myths often share a number of features. They often are

considered sacred accounts and can be found in nearly all known religious
traditions. They are all stories with a plot and characters who are either deities,
human-like figures, or animals, who often speak and transform easily. They are
often set in a dim and nonspecific past that historian of religion Mircea Eliade
termed in illo tempore ('at that time'). Creation myths address questions deeply
meaningful to the society that shares them, revealing their central worldview
and the framework for the self-identity of the culture and individual in a universal
context.
 Creation myths develop in oral traditions and therefore typically have
multiple versions; found throughout human culture, they are the most common
form of myth.
1. Iroquois
Iroquois Creation Myth

Long before the world was created there was an island, floating in the
sky, upon which the Sky People lived. They lived quietly and happily.
No one ever died or was born or experienced sadness. However one
day one of the Sky Women realized she was going to give birth to
twins. She told her husband, who flew into a rage. In the center of the
island there was a tree which gave light to the entire island since the
sun hadn't been created yet. He tore up this tree, creating a huge hole
in the middle of the island. Curiously, the woman peered into the hole.
Far below she could see the waters that covered the earth. At that
moment her husband pushed her. She fell through the hole, tumbling
towards the waters below.

Water animals already existed on the earth, so far below the floating
island two birds saw the Sky Woman fall. Just before she reached the
waters they caught her on their backs and brought her to the other
animals. Determined to help the woman they dove into the water to
get mud from the bottom of the seas. One after another the animals
tried and failed. Finally, Little Toad tried and when he reappeared his
mouth was full of mud. The animals took it and spread it on the back of
Big Turtle. The mud began to grow and grow and grow until it became
the size of North America.
Then the woman stepped onto the land. She sprinkled dust into the air
and created stars. Then she created the moon and sun.

The Sky Woman gave birth to twin sons. She named one Sapling. He
grew to be kind and gentle. She named the other Flint and his heart
was as cold as his name. They grew quickly and began filling the earth
with their creations.

Sapling created what is good. He made animals that are useful to

humans. He made rivers that went two ways and into these, he put fish
without bones. He made plants that people could eat easily. If he was
able to do all the work himself there would be no suffering.

Flint destroyed much of Sapling's work and created all that is bad. He
made the rivers flow only in one direction. He put bones in fish and
thorns on berry bushes. He created winter, but Sapling gave it life so
that it could move to give way to Spring. He created monsters which
his brother drove beneath the Earth.

Eventually, Sapling and Flint decided to fight till one conquered the
other. Neither was able to win at first, but finally, Flint was beaten.
Because he was a god Flint could not die, so he was forced to live on
Big Turtle's back. Occasionally his anger is felt in the form of a
volcano.

The Iroquois people hold great respect for all animals. This is mirrored
in their creation myth by the role the animals play. Without the
animals' help, the Sky Woman may have sunk to the bottom of the sea
and earth may not have been created.
2. Australian Aborigine
Australian Aborigine Creation Myth

There was a time when everything was still. All the spirits of the earth
were asleep - or almost all. The great Father of All Spirits was the only
one awake. Gently he awoke the Sun Mother. As she opened her eyes
a warm ray of light spread out towards the sleeping earth. The Father
of All Spirits said to the Sun Mother,

"Mother, I have work for you. Go down to the Earth and awake the
sleeping spirits. Give them forms."

The Sun Mother glided down to Earth, which was bare at the time and
began to walk in all directions and everywhere she walked plants
grew. After returning to the field where she had begun her work the
Mother rested, well pleased with herself. The Father of All Spirits
came and saw her work, but instructed her to go into the caves and
wake the spirits.

This time she ventured into the dark caves on the mountainsides. The
bright light that radiated from her awoke the spirits and after she left
insects of all kinds flew out of the caves. The Sun Mother sat down
and watched the glorious sight of her insects mingling with her
flowers. However once again the Father urged her on.

The Mother ventured into a very deep cave, spreading her light around
her. Her heat melted the ice and the rivers and streams of the world
were created. Then she created fish and small snakes, lizards and
frogs. Next she awoke the spirits of the birds and animals and they
burst into the sunshine in a glorious array of colors. Seeing this the
Father of All Spirits was pleased with the Sun Mother's work.
She called all her creatures to her and instructed them to enjoy the
wealth of the earth and to live peacefully with one another. Then she
rose into the sky and became the sun.

The living creatures watched the Sun in awe as she crept across the
sky, towards the west. However when she finally sunk beneath the
horizon they were panic-stricken, thinking she had deserted them. All
night they stood frozen in their places, thinking that the end of time
had come. After what seemed to them like a lifetime the Sun Mother
peeked her head above the horizon in the East. The earth's children
learned to expect her coming and going and were no longer afraid.

At first the children lived together peacefully, but eventually envy

crept into their hearts. They began to argue. The Sun Mother was
forced to come down from her home in the sky to mediate their
bickering. She gave each creature the power to change their form to
whatever they chose. However she was not pleased with the end
result. The rats she had made had changed into bats; there were giant
lizards and fish with blue tongues and feet. However the oddest of the
new animals was an animal with a bill like a duck, teeth for chewing, a
tail like a beavers and the ability to lay egg. It was called the platypus.

The Sun Mother looked down upon the Earth and thought to herself
that she must create new creatures less the Father of All Spirits be
angered by what she now saw. She gave birth to two children. The god
was the Morning Star and the goddess was the moon. Two children
were born to them and these she sent to Earth. They became our
ancestors. She made them superior to the animals because they had
part of her mind and would never want to change their shape.
3. African Bushmen
African Bushmen Creation Myth

People did not always live on the surface of the earth. At one time
people and animals lived underneath the earth with Kaang (Käng), the
Great Master and Lord of All Life. In this place people and animals
lived together peacefully. They understood each other. No one ever
wanted for anything and it was always light even though there wasn't
any sun. During this time of bliss Kaang began to plan the wonders he
would put in the world above.

First Kaang created a wondrous tree, with branches stretching over

the entire country. At the base of the tree he dug a hole that reached
all the way down into the world where the people and animals lived.
After he had finished furnishing the world as he pleased he led the first
man up the hole. He sat down on the edge of the hole and soon the
first woman came up out of it. Soon all the people were gathered at
the foot of the tree, awed by the world they had just entered. Next,
Kaang began helping the animals climb out of the hole. In their
eagerness some of the animals found a way to climb up through the
tree's roots and come out of the branches. They continued racing out
of the world beneath until all of the animals were out.

Kaang gathered all the people and animals about him. He instructed
them to live together peacefully. Then he turned to the men and
women and warned them not to build any fires or a great evil would
befall them. They gave their word and Kaang left to where he could
watch his world secretly.

As evening approached the sun began to sink beneath the horizon. The
people and animals stood watching this phenomenon, but when the
sun disappeared fear entered the hearts of the people. They could no
longer see each other as they lacked the eyes of the animals which
were capable of seeing in the dark. They lacked the warm fur of the
animals also and soon grew cold. In desperation one man suggested
that they build a fire to keep warm. Forgetting Kaang's warning they
disobeyed him. They soon grew warm and were once again able to see
each other.

However the fire frightened the animals. They fled to the caves and
mountains and ever since the people broke Kaang's command people
have not been able to communicate with animals. Now fear has
replaced the seat friendship once held between the two groups.

The Bushmen of Africa believe that not only are plants and animals
alive, but also rain, thunder, the wind, spring, etc. They claim:

What we see is only the outside form or body. Inside is a living spirit
that we cannot see. These spirits can fly out of one body into another.
For example, a woman's spirit might sometime fly into a leopard; or a
man's spirit fly into a lion's body. (Fahs and Spoerl 6)

This may be part of the reason that animals play such an important
role in their myth.
4. Hebrew / Christian
Hebrew / Christian

1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon
the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters.
1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light
from the darkness.
1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters.
1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were
under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament:
and it was so.
1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the
morning were the second day.
1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
1:10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of
the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding
seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in
itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his
kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his
kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven
to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for
seasons, and for days, and years:
1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give
light upon the earth: and it was so.
1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light
upon the earth,
1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light
from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving
creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the
open firmament of heaven.
1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that
moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind,
and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill
the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
1:23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his
kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind:
and it was so.
1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle
after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his
kind: and God saw that it was good.
1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl
of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is
the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
1:30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and
to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I
have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was
very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of
them.
2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made;
and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in
it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
2:4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when
they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and
the heavens,
2:5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every
herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to
rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole
face of the ground.
2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living
soul.
2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there
he put the man whom he had formed.
2:9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that
is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
2:10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence
it was parted, and became into four heads.
2:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the
whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
2:12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx
stone.
2:13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that
compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
2:14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth
toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of
Eden to dress it and to keep it.
2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of
the garden thou mayest freely eat:
2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be
alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the
field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see
what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living
creature, that was the name thereof.
2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and
to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help
meet for him.
2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he
slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead
thereof;
2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a
woman, and brought her unto the man.
2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.

3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which
the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of
the trees of the garden:
3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God
hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes
shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that
it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he did eat.
3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves
aprons.
3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art
thou?
3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself.
3:11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten
of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou
hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did
eat.
3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the
field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days
of thy life:
3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel.
3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy
conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire
shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded
thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt
eat the herb of the field;
3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto
the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto
dust shalt thou return.
3:20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the
mother of all living.
3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of
skins, and clothed them.
3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us,
to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take
also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden,
to till the ground from whence he was taken.
3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden
of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to
keep the way of the tree of life.
5. Greek/ Hellenic
Greek/ Hellenic

In the beginning there was an empty darkness. The only thing in this
void was Nyx, a bird with black wings. With the wind she laid a golden
egg and for ages she sat upon this egg. Finally life began to stir in the
egg and out of it rose Eros, the god of love. One half of the shell rose
into the air and became the sky and the other became the Earth. Eros
named the sky Uranus and the Earth he named Gaia. Then Eros made
them fall in love.

Uranus and Gaia had many children together and eventually they had
grandchildren. Some of their children become afraid of the power of
their children. Kronus, in an effort to protect himself, swallowed his
children when they were still infants. However, his wife Rhea hid their
youngest child. She gave him a rock wrapped in swaddling clothes,
which he swallowed, thinking it was his son.

Once the child, Zeus, had reached manhood his mother instructed him
on how to trick his father to give up his brothers and sisters. Once this
was accomplished the children fought a mighty war against their
father. After much fighting the younger generation won. With Zeus as
their leader, they began to furnish Gaia with life and Uranus with stars.

Soon the Earth lacked only two things: man and animals. Zeus
summoned his sons Prometheus (fore-thought) and Epimetheus (after-
thought). He told them to go to Earth and create men and animals and
give them each a gift.

Prometheus set to work forming men in the image of the gods and
Epimetheus worked on the animals. As Epimetheus worked he gave
each animal he created one of the gifts. After Epimetheus had
completed his work Prometheus finally finished making men. However
when he went to see what gift to give man Epimetheus shamefacedly
informed him that he had foolishly used all the gifts.

Distressed, Prometheus decided he had to give man fire, even though

gods were the only ones meant to have access to it. As the sun god
rode out into the world the next morning Prometheus took some of the
fire and brought it back to man. He taught his creation how to take
care of it and then left them.

When Zeus discovered Prometheus' deed he became furious. He

ordered his son to be chained to a mountain and for a vulture to peck
out his liver every day till eternity. Then he began to devise a
punishment for mankind. Another of his sons created a woman of great
beauty, Pandora. Each of the gods gave her a gift. Zeus' present was
curiosity and a box which he ordered her never to open. Then he
presented her to Epimetheus as a wife.

Pandora's life with Epimetheus was happy except for her intense
longing to open the box. She was convinced that because the gods and
goddesses had showered so many glorious gifts upon her that this one
would also be wonderful. One day when Epimetheus was gone she
opened the box.

Out of the box flew all of the horrors which plague the world today -
pain, sickness, envy, greed. Upon hearing Pandora's screams
Epimetheus rushed home and fastened the lid shut, but all of the evils
had already escaped.

Later that night they heard a voice coming from the box saying,

"Let me out. I am hope."

Pandora and Epimetheus released her and she flew out into the world
to give hope to humankind.
6. Japanese
Japanese

Long ago all the elements were mixed together with one germ of life.
This germ began to mix things around and around until the heavier part
sank and the lighter part rose. A muddy sea that covered the entire
earth was created. From this ocean grew a green shoot. It grew and
grew until it reached the clouds and there it was tranformed into a
god. Soon this god grew lonely and it began to create other gods. The
last two gods it made, Izanagi and Izanami, were the most remarkable.

One day as they were walking along they looked down on the ocean
and wondered what was beneath it. Izanagi thrust his staff into the
waters and as he pulled it back up some clumps of mud fell back into
the sea. They began to harden and grow until they became the islands
of Japan.

The two descended to these islands and began to explore, each going
in different directions. They created all kinds of plants. When they met
again they decided to marry and have children to inhabit the land. The
first child Izanami bore was a girl of radiant beauty. The gods decided
she was too beautiful to live in Japan, so they put her up in the sky
and she became the sun. Their second daughter, Tsuki-yami, became
the moon and their third and unruly son, Sosano-wo, was sentenced to
the sea, where he creates storms.

Later, their first child, Amaterasu, bore a son who became the emperor
of Japan and all the emperors since then have claimed descent from
him.
7. Chinese
Chinese

Long, long ago—not in a land before time, but a time before land—there
was nothing in the universe except an enormous egg-shaped entity.

Inside the “egg,” the opposite forces of yin and yang were all
scrambled; it was a complete mess. But over time, the interactions
between various substances and energies eventually conceived a
being—a shaggy, horned giant named Pan Gu.

For 18,000 years, Pan Gu (pan goo) slept and grew. One day, he
suddenly awoke. He opened his eyes, but saw only pitch-blackness. He
strained his ears, but heard only unnerving silence. Pan Gu found his
dreary surroundings highly disturbing.

The Egregious Egg

Flustered, Pan Gu conjured a magical ax and landed upon the egg a
mighty chop. The egg split into two with a thunderous crack. Slowly,
yin and yang began to separate. Everything dark and heavy sank down
to form the Earth. And the rest, light and clear, drifted up to form the
heavens.

But Pan Gu was anxious that the halves would close up again, and so
he stood between the two halves to keep them apart. With each
passing day, the sky rose 10 feet further above him, the Earth
thickened 10 feet below him, and Pan Gu himself grew 10 feet just to
keep up with the growing expanse and hold on.

It was a lonely and strenuous job. This toil, the conscientious giant
endured for another six million five hundred and seventy thousand
days, or another 18,000 years, until he was certain that the realms
were finally stabilized. Then with a great crash, Pan Gu lay down and
died.

An Ultimate Sacrifice
As the weary Pan Gu collapsed, a miraculous transformation took
place: his final breath turned into winds and clouds; his voice into
rumbling thunder; his left eye blazed into the sun and right eye
gleamed into the moon; his hair and beard became stars of the Milky
Way; his limbs and hands and feet transformed into great mountains
and the blood running through his veins into flowing rivers; his flesh
converted into fertile farmlands, his bones turned to precious gems
and minerals; his teeth and nails became lustrous metals; the hairs on
his skin burgeoned into lush vegetation; and the sweat from his
extended labors fell as rainwater for the mortal world.

Some say that Pan Gu’s spirit never ceased but turned into humans,
which accounts for the ancient Chinese belief that humans are the
soul of all matter.

Pan Gu sacrificed his life to create the world and his body to enrich
and beautify it. Now the skies are graced with luminous celestial
bodies, the Earth, contoured by great mountains and rivers and flora
and fauna galore. And Pan Gu, the giant-god who came out of an egg,
is nowhere, yet everywhere to be found.

Ancient China was a land where gods and mortals lived in tandem and
created a divinely inspired culture. And so it became that early
Chinese history and mythology are wholly intertwined.