How the Water Beetle Created the Earth
The Cherokee creation stories describe the Earth as a great floating island surrounded by seawater.
It hangs from the sky by cords attached at the four cardinal points. The story tells that the first
earth came to be when Dâyuni'sï, the little Water beetle came from Gälûñ'lätï, the sky realm. The
Water Beetle was not affected by the natural laws of cause and effect, existing outside of the
causality and went to see what was below the water. He scurried over the surface of the water, but
found no solid place to rest. He dived to the bottom of the water and brought up some soft mud.
This mud expanded in every direction and became the earth, according to the account recorded in
1900 by the Bureau of American Ethnology.
The other animals in Gälûñ'lätï were eager to come down to the new earth, and first birds were sent
to see if the mud was dry. Buzzard was sent ahead to make preparations for the others, but the
earth was still soft. When he grew tired, his wings dipped very low and brushed the soft mud,
gouging mountains and valleys in the smooth surface, and the animals were forced to wait again.
When it was finally dry they all came down. It was dark, so they took the sun and set it in a track to
run east to west, at first setting it too low and the red crawfish was scorched. They elevated the sun
several times in order to reduce its heat.
The story also tells how plants and animals acquired certain characteristics, and is related to one of
their medicine rituals. They all were told to stay awake for seven nights, but only a few animals,
such as owl and panther, succeeded and they were given the power to see and prey upon the others
at night. Only a few trees succeeded as well, namely cedar, pine, spruce and laurel, so the rest were
forced to shed their leaves in the winter.
The first people were a brother and sister. Once, the brother hit his sister with a fish and told her to
multiply. Following this, she gave birth to a child every seven days and soon there were too many
people, so women were forced to have just one child every year.[2]
Heliopolis (Egyptian)
In Heliopolis, the creation was attributed to Atum, a deity closely associated with Ra, who was said
to have existed in the waters of Nu as an inert potential being. Atum was a self-engendered god, the
source of all the elements and forces in the world, and the Heliopolitan myth described the process
by which he "evolved" from a single being into this multiplicity of elements.[14][15] The process began
when Atum appeared on the mound and gave rise to the air god Shu and his sister Tefnut,[16] whose
existence represented the emergence of an empty space amid the waters.[17] To explain how Atum
did this, the myth uses the metaphor of masturbation, with the hand he used in this act
representing the female principle inherent within him.[18] He is also said to have "sneezed" and
"spat" to produce Shu and Tefnut, a metaphor that arose from puns on their names.[19] Next, Shu
and Tefnut coupled to produce the earth god Geb and the sky goddess Nut, who defined the limits of
the world.[20] Geb and Nut in turn gave rise to four children, who represented the forces of
life: Osiris, god of fertility and regeneration; Isis, goddess of motherhood; Set, the god of chaos;
and Nephthys, the female complement of Set. The myth thus represented the process by which life
was made possible. These nine gods were grouped together theologically as the Ennead, but the
eight lesser gods, and all other things in the world, were ultimately seen as extensions of Atum.
Mesoamerican creation myths
Mesoamerican creation myths are the collection of creation myths attributed to, or documented for,
the various cultures and civilizations of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and Mesoamerican literature.
The Maya gods included Kukulkán (also known by the K'iche' name Gukumatz and the Aztec
name Quetzalcoatl) and Tepeu. The two were referred to as the Creators, the Forefathers or the
Makers. According to the story, the two gods decided to preserve their legacy by creating an Earthbound species looking like them. The first attempt was man made from mud, but Tepeu and
Kukulkán found that the mud crumbled. The two gods summoned the other gods, and together they
decided to make man from wood. However, since these men had no soul and soon lost loyalty to the
creators, the gods destroyed them by rain. Finally, man was constructed from maize, the Mayans
staple and sacred food. The deity Itzamna is credited as being the creator of the calendar along with
creating writing.
Âu Cơ (Vietnam)
Âu Cơ was a young, beautiful fairy who lived high in the mountains. She traveled to help those who
suffered from sicknesses since she was very skillful in medicine and had a sympathetic heart. One
day, a monster suddenly appeared before her while she was on her traveling, it then frightened her,
so she tried to escape by transforming into a crane to fly away. Lạc Long Quân, the dragon king from
the sea, passed by and saw the beautiful lady in danger, so he grabbed a rock from nearby and killed
the monster. When Âu Cơ stopped flying to see the very person that saved her, she turned back into
a fairy and instantly fell in love with her benefactor. She soon bore an egg sac, from which hatched a
hundred children. However, despite their love for each other, Âu Cơ had always desired to be in the
mountains again and Lạc Long Quân, too, yearned for the sea. They separated, each taking 50
children. Âu Cơ settled in mountainous northern Vietnam where she raised fifty young, intelligent,
strong leaders, later known as the Hùng Vương, Hùng kings.[3][4]
Ainu creation myths
The Ainu creation myths are the traditional creation accounts of the Ainu peoples of Japan. Their
stories share common characteristics with Japanese creation myths and earth diver creation stories
commonly found in Central Asian and Native American cultures.[1] Ainu mythology divides time into
three tenses: "Mosir sikah ohta" ("when the universe was born"), "mosir noskekehe" ("centre of the
world"), and "mosir kes" ("end of the world" , from which there no detailled concepts known from
Ainu mythology)[2]. In one version, the creator deity sends down a water wagtail to create habitable
land in the watery world below. The little bird fluttered over the waters, splashing water aside, and
then he packed patches of the earth firm by stomping them with his feet and beating them with his
tail. In this way, islands where the Ainu were later to live were raised to float upon the ocean.[1][3]
Because Ainu tend to be somewhat hirsute, at least in comparison to other East Asian populations,
many Ainu stories maintain that their first ancestor was a bear. However, an alternative version
tells of Kamuy sending a heavenly couple to earth called Okikurumi and Turesh. This couple had a
son, whom some consider the first Ainu, and he is believed to have given the people the necessary
skills to survive.[1]
English missionary John Batchelor related a myth the Ainu told him wherein before the first kamuy
created the world, there was only a vast swamp in which lived a large trout, and the creator placed
the world upon the trout, so that the fish sucks in and spits out water from the sea, causing
the tides.[4]
Maori people of the Pacific
Dawn of the universe
In one generalised telling of the universe's creation: in the beginning there was Te Kore (The
Nothing; Void) which became Te Korematua (The Parentless Void) in its search for
procreation.[8] From it came Te Pō (The Night), becoming Te Pōroa (The Long Night), and then
becoming Te Pōnui (The Great Night). Gradually Te Ao (The Light) glimmered into existence,
stretching to all corners of the universe to become Te Aotūroa (The Long-Standing Light).[9] Next
came Te Ata (The Dawn), from which came Te Mākū (The Moisture), and Mahoranuiatea (Cloud of
the Dawn). Te Mākū and Mahoranuiatea wed to form Rangi.[10]:56
Earth's creation
Generally, Rangi's wife is Papa, though they are known throughout Polynesia, even when they're
not considered spouses.[12]:892 The pair laid in a tight embrace which blocked light from touching the
world.[9] From them came the children Haumia, Rongo, Tāwhiri, Tangaroa, Tū, and Tāne. Some
traditions may list some of these children alongside Rehua, Urutengangana, Aituā, Tiki, Whiro,
or Ruaumoko, among others. Often, a war or skirmish between the siblings ends with them
becoming the ancestors of certain concepts, habitats, mannerisms, animals, tools, or plants that
they each represent. For instance Tāne became Tāne Mahuta, the father of birds and the
forest,[9] and Tū became Tūmatauenga, the father of humanity and its activities, such as war.
Sometimes, Tāne Mahuta ascends to the sky after Ranginui to dress him with stars, who mourns for
his wife every time it rains. Similarly, Papatūānuku strains in an effort to reach the sky, causing
earthquakes, and the mist comes from her sighing.
In a version involving Urutengangana, Whiro, Tāwhiri, Tangaroa, Tuamatua, Tumatakaka, Tū, Paia,
and Tāne; Tāwhiri "finally" agreed to the separation, while Whiro was against it. Tāne instructed
Tumatakaka and Tū to fetch axes with which to cut Rangi's arms off, and the blood that dripped
from him down onto Papatūānuku is said to be where the red sunset now comes from, as well as
the origin of the colours red and blue in painting: red oxide and blue phosphate of iron.[citation
needed] This is very different to the telling in which Tāne discards Tū's suggestions to slaughter the
parents to ensure their separation, where Tāwhiri is the brother most upset by the idea to separate
the parents at all.
Enuma Elish (Babylonian)
Before anything else exists, two primeval gods, Apsu and Tiamat, dwell together. In time, more gods
are begotten out of the mixing of the two gods’ waters—notably Lahmu and Lahamu, Anshar, Anu,
and Nudimmud, or Ea.
When the younger gods get together, their noisy clamor disturbs Apsu and Tiamat. Apsu proposes
that the gods be destroyed so that he and Tiamat can get some sleep, but Tiamat is furious at this
idea, wanting to indulge their offspring. However, behind Tiamat’s back, Apsu’s
vizier Mummu wickedly urges him to destroy the gods anyway.
Ea, the wisest of the gods, finds out Apsu’s plan, lulls him with a spell, and slays him in his sleep. He
builds a dwelling atop Apsu’s remains and, with his lover, Damkina, begets Marduk there. From his
birth, Marduk is the most awesome of all the gods.
When Marduk plays with the winds, Tiamat’s waters become restless, and none of the older gods
can sleep. They beseech Tiamat to avenge Apsu’s slaying and enable them to sleep. Tiamat is
pleased by this suggestion, agreeing that Ea and those younger gods who dwell with him deserve
evil in their turn. Tiamat begins creating fearful creatures, such as deadly snakes, dragons, and
demons, to join her battle-force. She also appoints her lover, Qingu, as king and commander of her
army.
Ea finds out about Tiamat’s battle preparations and reports to his father, Anshar, who sends him to
settle the conflict; however, Ea is intimidated by Tiamat and quickly admits defeat. Before the gods
can despair, Marduk steps forward, offering to confront the fearsome goddess. Anshar agrees, but
first, Marduk asks that the other gods recognize him in a special council.
Accordingly, the gods gather at a celebratory banquet, where they champion Marduk as their
sovereign. They equip Marduk with an array of powerful weapons and send him off to subdue and
conquer the chaotic Tiamat. Marduk quickly shakes off Tiamat’s spell of deception and challenges
her to single combat. Enraging Tiamat with accusations, Marduk quickly nets her, fills her with
fierce whirlwinds, and slays her.
After triumphing over Tiamat, Marduk uses her remains to build the earth, making the Tigris and
Euphrates rivers from the water that flows from her eyes. All the gods pay homage to Marduk as
their King. Then he announces that he will build Babylon to be the home for the gods and the center
of religion.
Marduk and Ea create humanity from the blood of Qingu and impose the labors of the gods—such
as preserving order amongst creation—upon humanity. Then the gods get to work constructing
shrines for themselves in Babylon. When their work is done, they all gather at a final banquet,
where they solemnly recite the fifty titles and attributes of Marduk.
Creek Nation Creation Myth
The Creek believed that the world was originally entirely underwater. The only land was a hill
called Nunne Chaha on which is the home of Hesaketvmese (meaning "master of breath";
pronounced Hisakita imisi), a solar deity also called Ibofanga ("the one who is sitting above (us)").
He created humanity from the clay on the hill.
In the underworld, there was only chaos and odd creatures. Master of Breath created Brother Moon
and Sister Sun, as well as the four directions to hold up the world. The Creek also venerated the
Horned Serpent Sint Holo, who appeared to suitably wise young men. The first people were the
offspring of Sister Sun and the Horned Serpent. These first two Creeks were Lucky Hunter and Corn
Woman, denoting their respective roles in Creek Society.