What is a cosmogony?
A cosmogony is an account of the origin of the cosmos and its subsequent evolution. All religions possess a cosmogony that can be identified with a process of creation or emanation. Myths and legends make up stories in which the gods become entangled in disputes and conflicts that ultimately conclude in the creation of the universe.
This type of account originates in the earliest civilizations and can be traced in Sumerian and Egyptian mythology, as well as others more recent in chronological terms, such as the Norse or the Amerindian.
Cosmogonies vary from culture to culture; sometimes the world may originate in the spoken word, in the sacred song of a mythical being, or even in the solitary sexual act of a god. Dualistic cosmogonies always give rise to the creation of opposing figures.
The explanation of the world from a scientific perspective is also considered a cosmogony. The history of science has produced different explanations, ultimately arriving at the current Big Bang theory — a point of singularity in space where the universe and time originated.
An ancient cosmogony: The Babylonian poem of creation
Among the cosmogonies of ancient Mesopotamia, the Babylonian poem Enuma Elish (literally “from on high”) survives as one of the greatest literary creations of Mesopotamian culture; it was copied and studied two millennia before the Christian era. It is considered a classic work of religious, scientific, and cryptic poetry.
The poem is composed of seven tablets, and it is estimated that in its original form it comprised some one hundred thousand verses, of which 1,059 have been recovered. Its antecedents are undoubtedly found in the Sumerian tradition, whose complex theogony was shaped by the Babylonian Semites in accordance with their religious and political particularities.
The central figure of the poem is Marduk, to whom, among other things, the creation of the world and of humankind is attributed.
The poem begins with the existence of the primordial divine couple, Apsu and Tiamat, from whom other divine couples will be born — all of this in a time when the world as such did not yet exist. It also describes the struggles of the younger gods against Tiamat and the birth of Marduk, who will later be raised to the throne as king of all the gods.
Marduk will fight against Tiamat, whom he will kill and defeat. He will seize the Tablets of Destiny, symbol of celestial power, and will create the world.
Ea will be the one who creates humankind, following Marduk’s instructions. The first human will be created through a mixture of clay and divine blood (that of the god Kingu, condemned to death). The fundamental purpose of the creation of humankind is to serve the gods through labor and ritual offerings.
Evolutionist cosmogonies
Buddhist cosmogony tends toward evolutionism, as can be read in the texts of the Abhidhamma and the Tipitaka, which describe a long process of formation and destruction of the world over the course of four ages.
The Chinese cosmogony, set forth in the Daodejing attributed to Lao Tzu, is also evolutionist in character.
More Cosmogonies
Kóoch and the creation of the cosmos Cosmogony of Patagonia according to the Mapuche tradition.
The Popol Vuh of the Maya “Popol” is a Maya word meaning gathering, community. And “Vuh” refers to a tree whose bark was used to make paper. By this name we know the sacred text of Maya culture, which gathers significant elements of the biblical tradition.
The cosmic serpent The African serpent upon which the world rests.
The Dreamtime “Altjeringa,” or the time in which the world was created, according to the indigenous Australians.
Pan Gu The creation of the world in the Chinese tradition.
The creation of the Chukchi The creation of the world according to the Eskimo tradition.
The cycles of creation The cyclical cosmogony of the Hindu tradition.