Book of Genesis, the Judeo-Christian Tradition

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that
And the earth was without form and void, and darkness it was good. And the evening and the morning were the
was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God fourth day.
moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, “Let the waters bring forth abundantly
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly
And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.” And
the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, God created great whales, and every living creature that
and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after
morning were the first day. their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind. And God
And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be
of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters let fowl multiply in the earth.” And the evening and the
which were under the firmament from the waters which morning were the fifth day.
were above the firmament. And it was so. And God called And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living
the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast
were the second day. of the earth after his kind.” And it was so. And God said,
And God said, “Let the waters under the heaven be “Let us make man in my image, after my likeness. And
gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land let man have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
the gathering together of the waters were called Seas. And earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon
God saw that it was good. the earth.”
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb So God created man in His own image; in the image of
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, God, He created him; male and female, He created them.
whose seed is in itself, upon the earth. And it was so. And And God blessed them, and God said unto them, “Be
the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in it. And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
itself, after his kind. And God saw that it was good. And the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth
the evening and the morning were the third day. upon the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you
And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the
the heaven to divide the day from the night. Let them be earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree
for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years, and let yielding seed; to you, it shall be for meat. And to every
them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every
light upon the earth. And it was so. And God made two thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life,
great lights – the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser I have given every green herb for meat.” And it was so.
light to rule the night. He made the stars, also. And God And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold,
set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon it was very good. And the evening and the morning were
the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and the sixth day.

Adapted from The King James Bible, Project Gutenberg, Public domain
 Blackfoot, Native American Tribe

All alone, Old Man was travelling about, making mountains, he made the antelope out of dirt, and turned
things to beautify the world. He came from the south, it loose, to see how it would go. It ran so fast that it fell
travelling north, making animals and birds as he passed over some rocks and hurt itself. He saw that this would
along. He made the mountains, prairies, timber, and not do, and took the antelope down on the prairie, and
brush first. So he went along, travelling northward, turned it loose; it ran away fast and gracefully, and he
making things as he went, putting rivers here and there, said, “This is what you are suited to.”
with waterfalls on them, putting red paint in the soil here One day, Old Man determined that he would make
and there in the ground, making the world a wondrous a woman and a child, so he formed them both – the
place. woman and the child, her son – of clay. After he had
He made the Milk River (the Teton) and crossed it, moulded the clay in human shape, he said to the clay,
and, being tired, went up on a little hill and lay down to “You must be people,” and then he covered it up and
rest. As he lay on his back, stretched out on the ground, left it, and went away. The next morning he went to the
with arms extended, he marked himself out with stones place and took the covering off, and saw that the clay
– the shape of his body, head, legs, and arms. There you shapes had changed a little. The second morning there
can see those rocks today. After he had rested, he went was still more change, and the third still more. The
on northward, and stumbled over a knoll and fell down fourth morning he went to the place, took the covering
on his knees. Then he said, “You are a bad thing to be off, looked at the images, and told them to rise and walk
stumbling against.” So he raised up two large buttes of – and they did so. They walked down to the river with
water there, and named them the Knees, and they are their Maker, and then he told them that his name was
called so to this day. He went on further north, and with Na´pi, Old Man.
some of the rocks he carried with him he built many As they were standing by the river, the woman said
rolling hills. to him, “How is it? Will we always live, will there be
Old Man covered the plains with grass for the animals. no end to it?” Na´pi said, “I have not thought of that.
He marked off a piece of ground, and in it he made We will have to decide. I will take this buffalo chip and
to grow all kinds of roots and berries. He put trees in throw it in the river. If it floats, when people die, in
the ground. He put all kinds of animals on the ground. four days they will become alive again; they will die
When he made the bighorn ram, he made it out on the for only four days. But if it sinks, there will be an end
prairie. It did not seem to travel easily on the prairie; to them.” He threw the chip into the river, and it floated.
it was awkward and could not go fast. So he took it The woman turned and picked up a stone, and said, “No,
by one of its horns, and led it up into the mountains, I will throw this stone in the river. If it floats, we will
and turned it loose. It skipped about among the rocks, always live. If it sinks, people must die, so that they
and went up fearful places with ease. So he said, “This will be able to feel sorrow for each other.” The woman
is the place that suits you; this is what you are fitted threw the stone into the water, and it sank. “There,” said
for, the rocks and the mountains.” While he was in the Old Man, “you have chosen. There will be an end to
people.”

Adapted from Blackfoot Lodge Tales, by George Bird Grinnell, Project Gutenberg, Public domain
 Ugandan Tale, The Creation of the World

Kabezya-Mpungu, the highest god, had created How do you expect the people whom I created to get
the sky and the earth and two human beings, a man food? When you have warmed the earth for a while,
and a woman, endowed with Reason. However, these give Rain a chance to refresh it and make it grow fruit.
two human beings did not, as yet, possess Mutima, or And you, Darkness, what are your plans?”
Heart. “I intend to rule forever!” was the answer.
Kabezya-Mpungu had four children, the Sun, the “Have pity,” cried the god. “Do you want to condemn
Moon, Darkness, and Rain. He called them all together my creatures, the lions, the tigers, and the serpents, to
and said to them, “I want to withdraw now, so that Man see nothing of the world I made? Listen to me. Give
can no longer see me. I will send down Mutima in my the Moon time to shine on the earth, and when you see
place, but before I take leave I want to know what you, the Moon in its last quarter, then you may again rule.
Rain, are going to do.” But I have lingered too long; now I must go.” And he
“Oh,” replied Rain, “I think I’ll pour down without disappeared.
cease and put everything under water.” Somewhat later, Mutima, or Heart, came along,
“No,” answered the god, “don’t do that! Look at these in a small container no bigger than a hand. Mutima
two,” and he pointed to the man and the woman. “Do was crying, and asked Sun, Moon, Darkness, and Rain,
you think they can live under water? You’d better take “Where is Kabezya-Mpungu, our father?”
turns with the Sun. After you have sufficiently watered “Father is gone,” they said, “and we do not know
the earth, let the Sun go to work and dry it.” where.”
“And how are you going to conduct yourself, Sun?” “Oh, how great is my desire,” replied Mutima, “to
the god asked. commune with him. But since I cannot find him, I will
“I intend to shine hotly and burn everything under enter into Man, and through him I will seek God from
me,” said his second child. generation to generation.”
“No,” replied Kabezya-Mpungu. “That cannot be. And that is what happened. Ever since, all humans
born contain Mutima, a longing for God.

Excerpted from Curriculum Bulletin, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, National Institute of Eduation, Public domain
 P’an Ku, A Chinese Creation Tale

A long, long time ago, the Earth and Sky were to rest and peacefully died. In time, the elements of
one tightly joined object, just a tumble of elements in his body were absorbed into the Earth, making it even
an egg-shaped cloud called Chaos. There was no order more beautiful. His breath became the wind and clouds;
and no life, only the constantly moving swirl of Earth his blood became the rushing rivers. His voice floated
and Sky, endlessly rolling on, around, and over one to the sky and became the sound of rolling thunder. His
another. two eyes turned into the sun and moon, so that they
Deep within the swirling cloud, P’an Ku was forming. might always keep a watch over the world. His hairs
For 18,000 years, he slept in the center of the vortex until became the grass and trees and his sweat became the
one day we awakened. Like a newborn chick emerging morning dew. Every part of P’an Ku became useful to
from his shell, P’an Ku slowly – very slowly – became the Earth. Even his bones and teeth sank deep into the
aware of the world. When he finally opened his eyes, he soil, eventually becoming pockets of precious metals.
was dismayed by the dark, chaotic whirl that surrounded In time, gods and goddesses from the heavens came
him. Reaching out with his massive arm, the giant P’an to visit the Earth, impressed with the flourishing natural
Ku struck out at Chaos, and his thunderous blow caused world that P’an Ku’s efforts had created.
the elements to shake. One goddess in particular, Nu-kua, was especially
Things that were heavy fell and things that were taken with the Earth and enjoyed exploring all of its
light rose. The heavy things settled into Earth and the different habitats. She fretted, though, thinking that the
luminous, light elements became the Sky. With his Earth was missing something. More life was needed
mighty blow, P’an Ku had created the Earth and the here, she thought, and she set about to make a new
Sky as two distinct entities. He rested the Sky on his creature to inhabit the earth.
shoulders and he walked upon the Earth, ensuring the Nu-kua, a goddess with the body of a dragon and
two elements would stay separated. As each day passed, the face of an angel, took a mound of clay and sculpted
the Earth grew 10 feet thicker and the sky grew 10 feet a face very much like her own. The body, though, was
higher. P’an Ku, already a giant, also grew 10 more feet a different shape, something with two arms and two
each day, able to always keep the Earth and Sky from legs that could more easily navigate all of the different
touching. He lived like his for 18,000 more years, all terrains of the Earth. She set her creation upon the
three growing larger each day. ground and was delighted when the clay form came to
At the end of those years, P’an Ku had achieved his life. The little human sang and danced and made joyful
work, ensuring the Earth and Sky were secure in their sounds. Nu-kua, delighted by her handiwork, made
realms and so far apart that they would never again many more of the human creatures and joined them in
collapse into Chaos. Finally, he laid down on the Earth their celebration.

Adapted from Myths and Legends of China, by E.T.C. Werner, Project Gutenberg, Public domain