Cosmic Creation Myths

Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures

Kristy Huff

HUM/105 World Mythology

December 12, 2011

Marvin Frohock

Cosmic Creation Myths across Cultures

Myths were created to explain humans place in the world. Myths are a tool to answer questions about the creation of earth and its inhabitants. Cultures have different version of the creation of earth and life. Egyptian culture and Inca cultures have similar but different ideals of who created the world.

Creation myths usually are made up with gods of nature, the earth, the sky, the sun, the moon, and the stars. Egyptians speak about these gods represented by the elements in their stories to their children. Egyptians tell the story of Nu the dark, swirling chaos before the beginning of time (Big Myth, 2011). Out of Nu came Atum who was alone in the world. Atum joined with the shadows and had Shu god of Air and Tefnut goddess of moisture and mist. Shu and Tefnut produced Geb, the Earth and Nut, the Sky. Nut produced the rain which Geb could grow things on earth. Nut also gave birth to the sun which followed a course over the earth. Inca creation myth begins with Pachacamac the Sun whom rose slowly from Lake Titicaca. The moon Pachamama became his wife whom he created because of his loneliness. They ruled heaven and earth. They had a son and daughter. Pachacamac fashioned humans out of stone from an enormous mountain rock which were considered pitiful creatures. Pachacamac and his wife sent their son and daughter to earth to help the humans. The worlds described are the Sky, Earth, and Water. The Sun created the necessities to go to Earth and water formed the Egyptian creator.

The Egyptian creator was neither male nor female. Atum’s non-gender introduced the ideal that men and women were as one. According to Big Myth, Atum joined with the shadows and gave birth in a sense to their children which in actuality Atum took on the female gender during this process. This is significant because as with other cultures females...