List of creation myths

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A creation myth (or creation story) is a cultural, religious or traditional 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, though not necessarily in a historical or literal sense. They are commonly, though not always, considered cosmogonical myths, that is, they describe the ordering of the cosmos from a state of chaos or amorphousness.

Contents

Basic type

Creation from chaos

Earth diver

Emergence

Ex nihilo (out of nothing)

Raven Tales

World parent

Divine twins

Regional

Africa

Americas

Caribbean

Mesoamerica

Mid North America

South America

Asia

Central Asia

East Asia

Indian subcontinent

Europe

Middle East

Pacific Islands/Oceanic

In mythopoeia

In mythopoeia, an artificial mythology created by writers of prose or other fiction, traditional mythological themes and archetypes are integrated into fiction. Some works of mythopoeia also feature creation myths:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proto-Indo-European mythology</span> Myths attributed to the Proto-Indo-Europeans

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*Manu and *Yemo were a duo in Proto-Indo-European mythology. In the creation myth, Manu kills Yemo as a foundational part of the origin of the universe. Yemo is sometimes also interpreted as a primordial hermaphrodite.

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