Home » Creation stories from around the world

CREATION STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

"How did things begin?" "Where do we come from?"
These are questions that we as humans ask ourselves. It's what separates us from the animals. These pages document our best efforts as a species to explain the origins of the universe and of life.

BEGINNINGS: THE VIEW FROM SCIENCE

The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation picture.

Wait. If you'd like to know more about the scientific view on how we got here, please head over to this page.

CREATION STORIES FROM AFRICA

ANCIENT EGYPT

ESNA AND SAÏS HELIOPOLIS HERMOPOLIS KHNUM THE POTTER MEMPHIS PA ATEN THEBES

CENTRAL AFRICA

BALUBA BASONGE BOSHONGO BULU EFÉ FANG (FÃN, PAHOUIN) KUBA NGOMBE (BANGALA)

EAST AFRICA

ACHOLI BAGANDA BUNYORO DINKA (MUONYJANG) DOROBO/NANDI HADZA KIKUYU/KAMBA LUGBARA
MAASAI MALAGASAY NUER NYAMWEZI PANGWA SHILLUK SWAHILI

SOUTHERN AFRICA

HERERO KHOEKHOE LOZI SAN (ǀXAM) SHONA XHOSA YAO ZULU

WEST AFRICA

AKAN ASHANTE BAMBARA DAHOMEY DOGON EFIK EKOI FON FULANI
IGBO IJAW KONO KRACHI MANDÉ NRI NUP SERER YORUBA

CREATION STORIES FROM THE AMERICAS

ARCTIC AND SUBARCTIC AMERICA

ALUTIIQ (SUGPIAQ) INUIT IÑUPIAT (NOATAK RIVER) NETSILIK INUIT OQOMIUT YINNUWOK

CALIFORNIA

ACHOMAWI CAHTO CHUMASH KUMEYAAY (TIPAL-IPAY) KUUPANQAXWICHEN (CUPEÑO) MAIDU MIWOK NISENAN (SOUTHERN MAIDU) PAYÓMKAWICHUM (LUISEÑO)
PERICÚ POHONICHI POMO SALINAN SHASTA WIYOT YANA YOKUTS YUKI

CENTRAL AMERICA

AZTEC (MEXICA) MAYA MAYANGNA (SUMO) MIXTEC (ÑUÙ SAVI) TOLTEC ZAPOTEC

THE EASTERN WOODLANDS OF NORTH AMERICA

ABENAKI ALGONQUIN (OMÀMIWININIWAK) ANISHINAABE-OJIBWE CALUSA CHEROKEE CHOCTAW-CHICKASAW CREEK (MVSKOKE) IROQUOIS LENAPE MENOMINEE
MI'KMAQ MOHAWK ONEIDA ONONDAGA PENOBSCOT SENECA (ONÖDOWÁGA') WINNEBAGO (HO-CHUNK) WYANDOT (HURON) YUCHI

THE GREAT PLAINS AND GREAT BASIN

ARAPAHO ARIKARA ASSINIBOINE BLACKFOOT CHEYENNE COMANCHE CROW (APSÁALOOKE) KÁÍNAWA (KAINAI)
KIOWA APACHE LAKOTA MANDAN OMAHA OSAGE PAWNEE UTE

THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND GREAT PLATEAU

CHELAN CHINOOK HAIDA INTERIOR SALISH KLAMATH KOOTENAY MODOC NEZ PERCE (NIMIPU) NLAKA'PAMUX
NUU-CHAH-NULTH (NOOTKA) SKAGIT SNOHOMISH (SDOHOBICH) SQUAMISH SYLIX (OKANAGAN) TLINGIT TSIMSHIAN TUTUTNI YAKAMA

SOUTH AMERICA

APAPOCÚVA APURINÃ AYMARA GUARANÍ GUARAYO INCA (TAWANTINSUYU) KAWÉSQAR KOGI (KÁGABA) MAPUCHE MOSETÉN MUNDURUC
MUYSCA SELK'NAM SHUAR (JIVARO) TEHUELCHE WARAO WAYÚU (GUAJIRO) WITOTO YAGHAN YANOMAMI YARURO (PUMÉ) YURUCARE

SOUTHWESTERN NORTH AMERICA

ACOMA AKIMEL O'ODHAM (PIMA) CHIRICAHUA APACHE HOPI JICARILLA APACHE KAWAIK KWTSAAN (YUMA) LIPAN APACHE
MESCALERO APACHE MOJAVE NAVAJO (DINÉ) TEWA TOHONO O'ODHAM ZIA ZUNI

CREATION STORIES FROM EURASIA

THE ABRAHAMIC FAITHS

GENESIS 1 GENESIS 2 CHAOSKAMPF JEWISH MYTHOLOGY PREADAMITES WISDOM PHILO CHRISTIAN (JOHN 1) JEWISH GNOSTIC SIMONIAN BASILIDEAN VALENTINIAN SETHIAN
MANICHAEAN MANDAEAN KABBALAH ISLĀM MUGHĪRIYYA TAṢAWWUF DRUZE ALAWITE BAHÁ'Í YAZIDISM YARSANISM ALEVISM MORMONISM

EUROPE AND NORTHERN ASIA

BURYAT CELTIC CHUKCHI (LUORAWETLAT) FINNISH GREEK KHANTY-MANSI (OB UGRIC) MAGYAR (HUNGARIAN) MONGOLIC NENETS NORSE ROMANIAN SAMI SIBERIAN SLAVONIC TUNGUSIC TURKIC VAINAKH YUPIK

CENTRAL AND WESTERN ASIA

HURRIAN-HITTITE MESOPOTAMIA PHOENICIAN ZOROASTRIAN

EAST AND SOUTHEAST ASIA

AINU BÖN CHINESE JAPANESE KOREAN LAOTIAN VIETNAMESE

THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT

PURUSHA ANDAMANESE BIRHOR DHAMMAI (MIJI) GARO (ACHIK) GOND MINYONG

CREATION STORIES FROM OCEANIA

AUSTRALIA

ARRERNTE BUNDJALUNG GAAGUDJU (KAKADU) GAMILARAAY KARAJARRI (KARADJERI) KAURNA KOKOWARRA KULIN NGARRINDJERI NOONGAR PALAWA (TASMANIA) PITJANTJATJARA PALAWA (TASMANIA) YOLŊU

POLYNESIA AND MICRONESIA

HACHAMORI HAWAI'I I-KIRIBATI (GILBERTESE) MĀORI MARSHALL ISLANDS NAURU SAMOA TONGA TRUK TUAMOTU

WESTERN OCEANIA

BANKS ISLANDS BISAYA BUGIS CERAM DAYAK FIJI IBAN (SEA-DAYAK) LUMAD (BAGÓBO) MEE (EKARI) NEW BRITAIN NGAJU ORANG ASLI PAPUA NEW GUINEA SAN CRISTOBAL TAGALOG TOBA BATAK VANUATU YAMI (TAO)
CLICK HERE FOR AN INDEX OF NAMED FIGURES IN WORLD CREATION MYTHS
Sir Graham