A
creation myth is a specific type of
myth which tells how the
universe, the
Earth,
life, and/or humanity came into being.
The term
myth is used for a story with deep explanatory or symbolic resonance for a culture.
Many creation myths fall into similar categories: the fractionation of the things of the world from a primordial chaos, the separation of the mother and father god, from an ocean existing before the world, etc.
Traditional creation myths of various cultures:
- The first book of the Bible, common to Judaism and Christianity, contains two versions of creation: one from Genesis 1 and one from Genesis 2. In the first account, in the beginning the world is a great body of water. God then producs over a period of six days the sky, stars, the sun and moon, land, plants, animals. Finally on the sixth day he creates human beings. On the seventh day he rests. The second account concentrates on the creation of human beings; first a man, Adam, is created out of clay, then a woman, Eve, is created from Adam's rib.
- Islam - The account in the Quran has only one creation story. It is based on the Biblical version.
- Egyptian - In the beginning was only ocean. Then a hill became visible rising from the ocean, and at this point the first god awoke (The cosmology of Heliopolis? held that this first god was the sun god Ra, that of Memphis? that it was the earth god Ptah). The first god began to create other gods, who proceeded to create the various aspects of the world.
- Japanese - In the beginning was only ocean. The god Izanagi and goddess Izanami used a spear to form the island of Japan from mud from the ocean's bottom, settled on the land, and their children became the people of Japan.
- Zoroastrianism? - [Ahura Mazda]? created 16 lands, one by one, such that each would be delightful to its people. As he finished each one, [Angra Mainyu]? applied a counter-creation, introducing plague and sin of various kinds.
In the USA, religiously conservative Christians argue that the Big Bang theory and evolution constitute the creation myth of modern Western civilization. Adherents of these scientific theories respond that unlike the creation myths of earlier cultures, they are subject to verification and refinement by the scientific method, rather than believed only on grounds of authority? and faith.
See also: Creation, Creationism
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