List of Creation Myths.

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The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo

A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural, traditional or religious 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, although not necessarily in a historical or literal sense. They are commonly, although not always, considered cosmogonical myths—that is they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or amorphousness.
The following are common categories used to catalog or compare the various creation myths found throughout the world:

Contents [hide] 1 Basic type 1.1 Creation from chaos 1.2 Earth diver 1.3 Emergence 1.4 Ex nihilo (out of nothing) 1.5 World Parent 2 Regional 2.1 African 2.2 American 2.2.1 Arctic American 2.2.2 Mesoamerican 2.2.3 Mid North American 2.2.4 South American 2.3 Asian 2.3.1 Central Asian 2.3.2 East Asian 2.3.3 South Asian 2.3.4 Southeast Asian 2.4 European 2.5 Middle Eastern 2.6 Pacific Islander/Oceanic 3 References

[edit] Basic type

[edit] Creation from chaos

• Enûma Eliš (Babylonian creation myth)
• Genesis creation narrative (original Iron Age version)
• Greek cosmogonical myth
• Jamshid creation account
• Kumulipo
• Mandé creation myth
• Pangu
• Raven in Creation
• Serer creation myth
• Sumerian creation myth
• Tungusic creation myth
• Unkulunkulu
• Väinämöinen
• Viracocha

[edit] Earth diver

• Ainu creation myth
• Cherokee creation myth
• Väinämöinen
• Yoruba creation myth

[edit] Emergence

• Hopi creation
• Maya creation of the world myth
• Diné Bahaneʼ (Navajo)
• Zuni creation myth

[edit] Ex nihilo (out of nothing)

• Debate between sheep and grain
• Barton cylinder
• Ancient Egyptian creation myths
• Genesis creation narrative (as interpreted in Christianity and Judaism)
• Islam
• Kabezya-Mpungu
• Māori myths
• Mbombo
• Ngai
• Popol Vuh
• Rangi and Papa

[edit] World Parent

• Coatlicue
• Enûma Eliš
• Greek cosmogonical myth
• Heliopolis creation myth
• Hiranyagarbha creation
• Kumulipo
• Rangi and Papa
• Völuspá

[edit] Regional

[edit] African

• Ancient Egyptian creation myths
• Fon creation myth
• Kaang creation story (Bushmen)
• Kintu myth (Bugandan)
• Mandé creation myth
• Mbombo (Kuba, Bakuba or Bushongo/Boshongo)
• Ngai (Kamba, Kikuyu and Maasai )
• Serer creation myth (cosmogony of the Serer people of Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania)
• Unkulunkulu (Zulu)
• Yoruba creation

[edit] American

[edit] Arctic American

[edit] Mesoamerican

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

[edit] Mid North American

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

[edit] South American

• Legend of Trentren Vilu and Caicai Vilu (Chilean)
• Viracocha (Incan)

[edit] Asian

[edit] Central Asian

• Mongolian creation myth
• Tungusic creation myth

[edit] East Asian

• Ainu creation myth (Japan)
• Au Co (Vietnamese)
• Chinese creation myth
• Dangun creation myth (Korean)
• Japanese creation myth
• Nüwa (Chinese)
• Pangu (Chinese)
• Samseonghyeol legend (Korean)

[edit] South Asian

• Hiranyagarbha creation (India)

[edit] Southeast Asian

[edit] European

• Greek cosmogonical myth
• Pelasgian creation myth (Greek)
• Väinämöinen (Finnish)
• Völuspá (Norse)

[edit] Middle Eastern

• Debate between sheep and grain
• Enûma Eliš (Babylonian)
• Genesis creation narrative (Hebrew)
• Islamic creation belief (Arabic)
• Mashya and Mashyana (Persian)
• Sumerian creation myth

[edit] Pacific Islander/Oceanic

• Kumulipo (Hawaiian)
• Māori myths
• Rangi and Papa (Māori)
• Sureq Galigo (Buginese)

[edit] 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 0-19-510275-4.