List of creation myths

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural, religious or traditional myth which describes the earliest beginnings of the present world. Creation myths are the most common form of myth, usually developing first in oral traditions, and are found throughout human culture. A creation myth is usually regarded by those who subscribe to it as conveying profound truths, though not necessarily in a historical or literal sense. They are commonly, though not always, considered cosmogonical myths, that is, they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or amorphousness.

Basic type[]

Creation from chaos[]

Earth diver[]

Emergence[]

Ex nihilo (out of nothing)[]

World parent[]

Divine twins[]

  • Proto-Indo-European creation myths

Regional[]

Africa[]

Americas[]

Mesoamerica[]

  • Coatlicue (Aztec)
  • Maya creation of the world myth
  • Popol Vuh (Quiché Mayan)

Mid North America[]

  • Anishinaabeg creation stories
  • Cherokee creation myth
  • Choctaw creation myth
  • Creek creation myth
  • Hopi creation myth
  • Kuterastan (Plains Apache)
  • Diné Bahaneʼ (Navajo)
  • Raven in Creation (Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian)
  • Zuni creation myth

South America[]

Asia[]

Central Asia[]

East Asia[]

Indian subcontinent[]

Europe[]

Middle East[]

Pacific Islands/Oceanic[]

In mythopoeia[]

In mythopoeia, an artificial mythology created by writers of prose or other fiction, traditional mythological themes and archetypes are integrated into fiction. Some works of mythopoeia also feature creation myths:

References[]

  • Leeming, David Adams; Leeming, Margaret Adams (1994). Encyclopedia of Creation Myths (2nd ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-87436-739-3.
  • Leeming, David Adams; Leeming, Margaret Adams (2009). A Dictionary of Creation Myths (Oxford Reference Online ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-510275-8.
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