THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

Popol Vuh (undated)

The Popol Vuh, or Sacred Book, of the Quiche Indians is a creation myth that has been handed down for millennia in an unbroken oral tradition. The Quiche Indians were one of the most powerful tribes in the area that came to be known as Guatemala in Central America.

Chapter 1

This is the account of how all was in suspense, all calm, in silence; all motionless, still, and the expanse of the sky was empty. This is the first account, the first narrative. There was neither man, nor animal, birds, fish-es, crabs, trees, stones, caves, ravines, grasses, nor forests; there was only the sky. The surface of the earth had not appeared. There was only the calm sea and the great expanse of the sky. There was nothing brought together, noth-ing which could make a noise, nor anything which might move, or tremble, or could make noise in the sky. There was nothing standing; only the calm water, the placid sea, alone and tranquil. Nothing existed.

There was only immobility and silence in the darkness, in the night. Only the Creator, the Maker, Tepeu, Gucumatz, the Forefathers, were in the water surrounded with light. They were hidden under green and blue feathers, and were therefore called Gucumatz. By nature they were great sages and great thinkers. In this manner the sky existed and also the Heart of Heaven, which is the name of God and thus He is called.

Then came the word. Tepeu and Gucumatz came together in the darkness, in the night, and Tepeu and Gucumatz talked together. They talked then, discussing and deliberating; they agreed, they united their words and their thoughts.

Then while they mediated, it became clear to them that when dawn would break, man must appear. Then they planned the creation, and the growth of the trees and the thickets and the birth of life and the creation of man. Thus it was arranged in the darkness and in the night by the Heart of Heaven who is called Huracain.

Then Tepeu and Gucumatz came together; then they conferred about life and light, what they would do so that there would be light and dawn, who it would be who would provide food and sustenance.

Thus let it be done! Let the emptiness be filled! Let the water recede and make a void, let the earth appear and become solid; let it be done. Thus they spoke. Let there be light, let there be dawn in the sky and on the earth! There shall be neither glory nor grandeur in our creation and formation until the human being is made, man is formed. So they spoke.

Then the earth was created by them. So it was, in truth, that they created the earth. Earth! they said, and instantly it was made. Like the mist, like a cloud, and like a cloud of dust was the creation, when the mountains appeared from the water; and instantly the mountains grew. Only by a miracle, only by magic art were the mountains and valleys formed; and instantly the groves of cypresses and pines put forth shoots together on the surface of the earth.

And thus Gucumatz was filled with joy, and exclaimed: "Your coming has been fruitful, Heart of Heaven; and you, Huracan, and you, Chipi-Caculha, Raxa-Caculha! "

"Our work, our creation shall be finished," they answered.

First the earth was formed, the mountains and the valleys; the currents of water were divided, the rivulets were running freely between the hills, and the water was separated when the high mountains appeared.

Thus was the earth created, when it was formed by the Heart of Heaven, the Heart of Earth, as they are called who first made it fruitful, when the sky was in suspense, and the earth was submerged in the water.

So it was that they made perfect the work, when they did it after thinking and meditating upon it.

CREATION EPIC (2000 B.C.E.)

Mesopotamian civilization emerged in a land that knew little continuity or order. Faced with a world in which change was often rapid and violent Mesopotamians sought explanation for their world through a belief in the capriciousness of the gods.

Note: Tiamat was the oldest of the gods and the patron of primeval chaos. Marduk was the warrior god who existed to institute order.

Tablet I

When on high, heaven was not named;

Below, dry land was not named.

Apsu, their first begetter,

Mummu (and) Tiamat, the mother of all of them.

Their waters combined together.

Field was not marked off, sprout had not come forth.

When none of the gods had yet come forth

Had not borne a name,

No destinies had been fixed;

Then gods were created in the midst of heaven.

Lakhmu and Lakhamu came forth

Ages increased ...

Anshar and Kishar were created.

After many days had passed by there came forth...

Anu, their son...

Anshar and Anu...

Nudimmud whom his father, his mother,...

Of large intelligence, knowing (wise),

Exceeding strong ...

Without a rival ...

Then were established....

Then Apsu, the begetter of the great gods,

Cried out, to Mummu, to his messenger, he spoke:

"Oh Mummu, joy of my liver,

Come, unto Tiamat let us go."

They went, and before Tiamat they crouched,

Hatching a plan with regard to the gods ...

Apsu opened his mouth and spoke,

Unto Tiamat, the splendid one addressed a word:

"... their course against me

By day I have no rest, at night I cannot lie down, I wish to destroy their course,

So that clamor cease and we may again lie down to sleep."

When Tiamat (heard) this,

She raged and shrieked for (revenge?),

She herself became furiously enraged.

Evil she conceived in her heart.

"All that we have made let us destroy,

That their course may be full of misery so that we may have release."

Mummu answered and counseled Apsu,

Hostile was the counsel of Mummu.

"Come, their course is strong, destroy it!

Then by day thou wilt have rest,

At night thou wilt lie down."

Apsu (hearkened), and his face shone;

Evil he planned against the gods, his sons....

They uttered curses and at the side of Tiamat advanced.

In fury and rage they devised plans ceaselessly night and day.

They rushed to the conflict, raging and furi-ous.

They grouped themselves and ranged the battle array.

Ummu-Khubar, creator of all things,

Gathering invincible weapons, she brought forth huge monsters,

Sharp of tooth and merciless of fang.

With poison instead of blood she filled their bodies.

She clothed with terror the terrible dragons,

Decking them with brilliancy, giving them a lofty stature,

So that whoever beheld them would be overcome with terror.

With their bodies reared up, none could withstand their attack.

She brought forth great serpents, dragons and the Lakhami,

Hurricanes, raging dogs and scorpion men,

Mighty tempests, fish men, and rams,

Bearing cruel weapons, fearless in combat,

Mighty in command, irresistible.

In all eleven monsters of this kind she made.

Tablet IV

After he (i.e., Marduk) had bound and cast down his enemies,

Had battered down the arrogant foe,

Had completely gained the victory of Anshar over the enemy.

He strengthened his hold over the captive gods.

To Tiamat, whom he had bound, he came back,

And the lord (Marduk) trampled under foot the founda-tion of Tiamat.

With his merciless weapon he smashed her skull,

He cut the channels of her blood,

And made the north wind carry them to secret places.

His fathers beheld and rejoiced exceeding glad,

Presents and gifts they brought to him.

Then the lord rested and looked at the carcass.

He divided the flesh of the monster, and cre-ated marvellous things.

He split her like a fish flattened into two halves;

One half he took and made it a covering for heaven.

He drew a bolt, he stationed a watchman,

Enjoining that the waters be not permitted to flow out.

He passed over the heavens, inspecting the regions (thereof),

And over against the Apsu, he set the dwelling of Nudimmud.

The lord measured the structure of the Deep.

He established E-sharra as a palace corrspond-ing to it.

The palace E-sharra which he created as heaven,

He caused Anu, (heaven) Enlil (air) and Ea (water) to inhabit their districts.

Tablet VI

Upon (Marduk's) hearing the word of the gods,

His heart led him to create (marvelous things)

He opened his mouth and (spoke) to Ea

(What) he had conceived in his heart he imparted to him;

"My blood I will take and bone I will (form).

I will set up man that man ...

I will create man to inhabit (the earth),

That the worship of the gods be fixed, that they may have shrines.

But I will alter the ways of the gods, I will change...

They shall be joined in concert".

THE BOOK OF GENESIS

The Bok of Genesis is the first book of the Old Testament as wellas the first book of the Hebrew Torah. It was most likely composed between the 10th and 6th century B.C.E. Genesis tells the Judeo-Christian story of creation and reputed to be the work of a single deity.

Chapter 1

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.

And the evening and the morning were the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the. evening and the morning were the third day.

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.