Origin or Creation Myths
Definition: An origin myth is a myth that purports to describe the origin of some feature of the
natural or social world. One type of origin myth is the cosmogonic myth, which describes the
creation of the world. However, many cultures have stories set after the cosmogonic myth, which
describe the origin of natural phenomena and human institutions within a preexisting universe.
(See https://www.definitions.net/definition/origin+myth)
Encyclopedia Britannica: The study by today’s astrophysicists of the origin and evolution of the
universe is called cosmology. Ancient stories about the world’s origin are called cosmogonic
myths, or myths about the birth of the cosmos. As such they deal not only with the appearance of
Earth and the heavens but also with the beginning of everything else—plants, animals, family, work,
sickness, death, evil, and, in some cases, of the gods themselves. The myths and their recitation
became part of the religious ritual of daily life, as they were related to all common and repeated
occurrences—the seasons of the year, the planting and harvesting of crops, the birth of a child, or
the death of an adult. Among Tibetans the solemn recitation of the cosmogonic myth was
considered sufficient to cure diseases or imperfections. By remembering origins, they believed
there was a hope of rebirth or revitalization.
Polynesian myth tells how the supreme god, Io, created the world. In the beginning there were only
waters and darkness. By his word and thought Io separated the waters and created Earth and sky.
He said: “Let the waters be separated, let the heavens be formed, let the Earth be.” These creative
words, the Polynesians believed, were charged with sacred power and therefore were recited on
significant occasions to guarantee the success of an undertaking.
Similarly Australian aboriginal peoples annually reenacted their myth of origin because they
believed that the world, unless periodically renewed, would perish. This theme was also common
among the Karok, Hupa, and Yurok Indian tribes of California. Their ceremony was called a repair,
or fixing, of the world.
Creation myths varied a good deal among ancient peoples. A story from India written down in
about 700 BC says that the universe began as the Self in the shape of a man. The Self was lonely, so
it was divided into two parts—one male and the other female. From their marriage came the human
race. The original two also took the shapes of animals, and from these first pairs all other animals
have descended.
Britannica School, s.v. "Mythology," accessed August 23, 2020,
https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/mythology/276009.
Origin or Creation Myths
Example: According to a North American [Native Peoples] myth, before the earth was fully formed
there were two realms—that of the sky and the lower world that contained only water and water
creatures. When a woman, known as the “Sky Woman,” fell from the cloud world, two swans came
to her rescue. The swans were not strong enough to support Sky Woman and a creature known as
“Great Turtle” offered to hold her. Other water creatures brought earth from the bottom of the sea
to place on the back of Great Turtle, forming the Earth we know today. Some [Native Peoples] still
refer to North America as “Turtle Island.”
Joseph Brucha. Images of Creation from Stone Giants and Flying Heads: Adventure Stories of the
Iroquois. Trumansburg, New York: Crossing Press, 1979. General Collections, Library of Congress.
Q: Can you describe the “Origin Myth” captured in the painting below?
Untitled painting, Sophia Donovan, c. 1997.
