Common Themes in Creation Stories

1. Common Themes in Creation Stories Myth/Sci Fi TVHS Mrs. Solt

2. Birth • Creation begins with a birth • Usually birth of the earth or universe • OR the creation of the place above or below where we live now. • World existed before there was life on earth in which gods or people lived peacefully • Diver myths=earth covered in water and earth brought to surface • Some myths have earth as an egg • Usually similar to the birth of a child

3. Mother and Father • Mother and Father figure(s) exist in the creation. • They do not always do the creating. • Often it is their children who do the creating or filling the world with life. • Mother is usually Earth; Father is usually Sky

4. Formation from Formless with a Timeless Story • Distinct places and things are formed out of what was once formless. • Sky and earth are separated, for example. • This may be a physical act (think of Atlas holding Gaea and Uranus apart) • Happens at some point in the nonspecific past

5. Supreme Being • A supreme being appears • This triggers creation. • Not always in a clear form • Many methods for supreme being’s creation: order it, molded it themselves by hand, order a less powerful god to do it • Sometimes two beings: one passive, one active

6. Imperfection • The creator planned a perfect world, but something went awry. • All was happy and peaceful until humans sinned • This causes a split between humans and animals who were formally equals. • This causes a split between humans and god(s). • Darkness=fear  fear=sin  sin=fire

7. Suffering • The consequence of sin = • Pain • Hunger • Disease • Evil • Hardship and suffering • In some myths, a god is the reason for the “fall” • Sometimes creation and destruction are repeated multiple times

8. Tension Between Forces • Opposing forces square off • Conflict or war ensues • Example: war of the Titans

9. Sacrifice • Life is born out of death • This is sometimes the birth of the universe or earth itself, sometimes this relates to the creation of other gods or humans • Blood is shed, sometime dies, or a creature is killed in order to create something else