Myths about the CREATION of the world

Since the dawn of time, human beings have tried understand the creation of the world with numerous stories about how everything could be born and emerging from these many mythologies and beliefs in which their gods and characters were related to the creation of the world. To know many of these stories that help us understand creation, in this lesson from a teacher we must talk about myths about the creation of the world.

Index

1. Myths about the creation of the world in Ancient Greece and Rome
2. Creation of the world according to the Nordic countries
3. Creation of the world according to the Celts
4. Slavic myths of the creation of the world
5. Creation myths in Ancient Egypt
6. Creation of the world according to the Mayans
7. The origin of the world according to the Aztecs
8. The origin of the world according to the Incas
9. Creation of the universe according to ancient China

Western culture is born from classical European cultures, so when talking about the creation of the world it is interesting to talk about the

Greco-Roman

In the Greek and Roman beliefs it is said that, at the beginning of everything, there was only Chaos, located in the void and in which there was nothing material. After that, other primal powers were born such as Gaea, Earth, Tartarus, the underworld, and Eros such as love or desire.

The combination of these three gods and their children is what shaped the world, all of them being representations of the basic elements on which the world sustained. The creation of humans was not until a time later, when everything was already formed and the pantheon of the gods was much broader, occupying all aspects of life.

We continue to know the different myths about the creation of the world to talk about the norse mythology and the poem known as Voluspa.

It is said that, at the origin of the whole, there was only heat and cold and it was the friction between the two that ended up making the sea, land and waters form. From these drops of water the first giant was born, Ymir, of whom the rest of the giants were born in an unknown way.

It is said that from Ymir's sweat he was born Buri, the first of the gods, that she was capable of having children without a partner, giving birth to the couple Bor and Bestla, from whose union Odin was born. After growing up, Odin murdered Ymir, using his body to form the universe and thereby giving birth to the known world.

The origin of the world according to celts appears in the known as Invasion Books, being mostly stories about Ireland and the main areas in which the Celts had great power. At the origin of the world there was only the sea, the land and a mare known as Eiocha, which gave birth to the god Cernunnos, with whom he begat many more gods.

The gods were alone in the world and, therefore, they took wood from the trees and created the men, women and all animals to populate the world, from that moment on being their faithful servants.

We will now talk about the myths about the creation of the world from the slavic culture. At the beginning of it all, there was just chaos and that's when the god Rod descended to earth and created light and darkness, bringing with them the Sun and the Moon. So the ancient god Rod descended to earth in a golden egg and went to work.

Behind this, Rod created the water and the earth, being inhabited by trees and animals that protect the world. He then he created the waters around the world, both rivers and seas, and after that the vast land arose, where humans would live and die.

Rod was happy with his work, but he felt that there were still things to be done, so with a big breath he did the wind crackled and the goddess Lada was born from it, being his wife and therefore the most important female deity of the Slavs.

Rod divided the world into three kingdoms, heaven, earth, and the underworld. The first being the home of the gods, the second the home of men and the third where the dead must take refuge, being the three levels in which all life happened. At this point everything was created and Rod just had to rest.

To continue with this lesson on myths about the creation of the world we must list some of the most important myths of the world, thus encompassing numerous elements centered on creationism, and serving to see how many of them are similar to each other.

Myths about the creation of the world are not something only existing in Europe, but we have numerous examples around the world, practically every mythology in the world possessing a story about how it arose everything.

Ancient Egypt

In the ancient egypt mythology It is said that, at first, in the world there was only sea and that was when the sun appeared that the darkness was dispelled, being the god Ra the one in charge of this. From the breath of the first god the wind and the humidity arose and he asked them to stay away from the rest of the world.

Behind this, the god Ra created the earth In order to rest, being this land called Egypt and so that it could be nourished, it was good enough to create the water of the Nile. While Ra created the vegetation and living beings, heaven and earth fell in love with each other, but the father of the earth became angry and made them part for all eternity.

So that, Ra created human beings through his tears, ending the creation of the world.

In the creation of the world according to the Mayans People say that the sky and the sea existed, but in them they only lived two gods, the feathered serpents. The two gods agreed to create the world, they said the word Earth and with it this was born and with them the mountains and the trees.

To protect their creations, the gods made the animals of the mountains, such as deer, pumas or snakes that would protect the Earth. After this, the mayan gods created men:

1. First, they tried to create them with mud but they lasted a short time with life since the rains made the mud lose its shape.
2. After that, they tried to make them with wood, but they had no memory and they forgot the gods so if they were not his faithful it was better that they did not exist. The gods brought a great flood and killed them.
3. Finally, the gods created men out of corn so that they were perfect, since in this way they did not have the facility to die, they could think, and they also remembered the gods for what they paid tribute to.

In the Aztec culture it is said that Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcóatl felt empty since there is no one apart from them. Therefore, they decide to create the earth, since there was only a huge sea, where the monster of the earth lived. To defeat the monster, the god Tezcatlipoca was used as bait, and when he left, the two gods caught him and formed the Earth with his body.

Of the pain caused by the monster of the earth the gods wept and from their tears the rivers and seas arose; from his pain the vegetation appeared all over the world. A short time later, the gods created humans not to be alone, since they considered their power to be nothing if they were not blessed with the prayers and sacrifices of human beings.

In the Inca tradition we do not find legends that speak of the origin of the world itself, being really stories and myths about it. origin of certain peoples.

It is said that, after an immense flood that devastated the world for years, four brothers known as the Ayar with his wives, forming a family similar to that of Noah in biblical accounts. It is said that the family was looking for fertile and safe land where they could prosper.

The path took him to Mount Huanacauri, where they found a stone symbol to which they paid tribute, until they were turned into stone by a curse and had to escape. Along the way, many died leaving only Atar Manco who came to the city of Cusco and there he found good lands, founding the capital of the Inca Empire.

In the Ancient chinaIt is said that the origin of everything existed a big black egg in which the sky and the Earth were united. The Chinese god P’an-Ku he was asleep inside the big egg, waiting for it to break so he could create everything, having to break the egg with an ax.

The pieces of the egg formed heaven and earth, serving P'an-Ku as a pillar to divide both parts, and thereby causing them not to come together again. Elements began to emerge from the god:

• From his breath the wind and the clouds of heaven were born
• The thunder appeared with his voice
• His eyes were the moon and the Sun
• From his blood came the water of rivers and oceans
• From his arms and legs mountains that cross China.

So the whole world arose from P'an-Kun, thus being a creator god.

If you want to read more articles similar to Myths about the creation of the world, we recommend that you enter our category of History.

• Carvajal, Y. TO. MYTHS OF CREATION IN THE ANCIENT WORLD i.
• Web, P. TO. T. Creation myths: The origins of the world.
• Hart, G. (1994). Egyptian myths (Vol. 3). AKAL editions.