Introduction

It is probably safe to suggest that origin stories, or creation stories, have been around as long as humans have existed. These stories address one of the most fundamental concerns humans have had historically, how things came to be the way they are. Along with attempting to address this concern, origin stories have also influenced people’s world views and their relationship to the surroundings around them. Interestingly enough, if one compares all origin stories what immediately comes to mind is the many elements they share, this even though they are produced by different cultures spanning vast distances. Consider the following questions when reading the selections below:

• How do these creation stories from different parts of the world explain the origin of nature and human existence?
• Do they share any philosophical/theological elements in explaining these origins?
• How does one explain the diversity of creation stories throughout the world?

Complete the Primary Source Analysis Form when finished.

Source origin: “The Samoan Story of Creation,” Journal of the Polynesian Society, Vol. 1 (1892), Jewish Publication Society. JPS TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures: The New JPS Translation according to the Traditional Hebrew Text. The Jewish Publication Society. León-Portilla, Miguel. Aztec Thought and Culture: A Study of the Ancient Nahuatl Mind (The Civilization of the American Indian Series) University of Oklahoma Press.

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Samoan Story of Creation

The god Tangaloa dwelt in the Expanse; he made all things; he alone was [there]; not any sky, not any country; he only went to and fro in the Expanse; there was also no sea, and no earth; but, at the place where he stood there grew up a rock. Tangaloa-fa‘a-tutupu-nu‘u was his name; all things were about to be
made, by him, for all things were not yet made; the sky was not made nor anything else; but there grew up a Rock on which he stood.

Then Tangaloa said to the Rock, ‘Be thou split up.’ Then was brought forth Papa-taoto; after that, Papa-sosolo; then Papa-lau-a‘au; then Papa-‘ano-‘ano; then Papa-‘ele; then Papa-tu; then Papa-‘amu-‘amu and his children.

But Tangaloa stood facing the west, and spoke to the Rock. Then Tangaloa struck the Rock with his right
hand, and it split open towards the right side. Then the Earth was brought forth (that is the parent of all
the people in the world), and the Sea was brought forth. Then the Sea covered the Papa-sosolo; and Papa-nofo [that is, Papa-taoto] said to Papa-sosolo, ‘Blessed are you in [the possession of] your sea.’ Then said Papa-sosolo ‘Don’t bless me; the sea will soon reach you too.’ All the rocks in like manner called him
blessed.

Then Tangaloa turned to the right side, and the Fresh-water sprang up. Then Tangaloa spake again to the Rock, and the Sky was produced. He spake again to the Rock and Tui-te‘e-langi was brought forth; then came forth Ilu, ‘Immensity,’ and Mamao, ‘Space,’ came (that was a woman); then came Niuao.

Tangaloa spake again to the Rock; then Lua‘o, a boy, came forth. Tangaloa spake again to the Rock, and
Lua-vai, a girl, came forth. Tangaloa appointed these two to the Sā-tua-langi.

Then Tangaloa spoke again, and Aoa-lālā, a boy was born, and [next] Ngao-ngao-le-tai, a girl; then came
Man; then came the Spirit; then the Heart; then the Will; then Thought.

That is the end of Tangaloa’s creations which were produced from the Rock; they were only floating
about on the sea*; there was was no fixedness there.

Then Tangaloa made an ordinance to the rock and said:

Let the Spirit and the Heart and Will and Thought go on and join together inside the Man; and
they joined together there and man became intelligent. And this was joined to the earth (‘ele-ele’),
and it was called Fatu-ma-le-‘Ele-‘ele, as a couple,† Fatu the man, and ‘Ele-‘ele, the woman.
Then he said to Immensity and Space, ‘Come now; you two be united up above in the sky with
your boy Niuao, then they went up; there was only a void, nothing for the sight to rest upon.
Then he said to Lua-‘o and Lua-vai, ‘Come now, you two, that the region of fresh-water may be
peopled. But he ordains Aoa-lālā and Ngao-ngao-le-tai to the sea, that they two may people the sea.
And he ordains Le-Fatu and Le-‘Ele-‘ele, that they people this side; he points them to the lefthand side, opposite to Tua-langi.

Then Tangaloa said to Tui-te‘e-langi, ‘Come here now; that you may prop up the sky.’ Then it was
propped up; it reached up on high. But it fell down because he was not able for it. Then Tui-te‘e-langi
went to Masoa and Teve; he brought them and used them as props; then he was able. (The masoa and the
teve were the first plants that grew, and other plants came afterwards). Then the sky remained up above,
but there was nothing for the sight to rest upon. There was only the far-receding sky, reaching to
Immensity and Space.

Hebrew Creation Story

When God began to create a heaven and earth— the earth being un-formed and void, with darkness
over the surface of the deep and a wind from God sweeping over the water— God said, “Let there be
light”; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the
darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there
was morning, a first day.

God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water.” God
made the expanse, and it separated the water which was below the expanse from the water which was
above the expanse. And it was so. God called the expanse Sky. And there was evening and there was
morning, a second day.

God said, “Let the water below the sky be gathered into one area, that the dry land may appear.” And it
was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of waters He called Seas. And God saw that this
was good. And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: seed-bearing plants, fruit trees of every kind on
earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: seed-bearing
plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that this was
good. And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate day from night; they shall serve as
signs for the set times— the days and the years; and they shall serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to
shine upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights, the greater light to dominate the day
and the lesser light to dominate the night, and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth, to dominate the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw
that this was good. And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and birds that fly above the earth across
the expanse of the sky.” God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that
creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms, and all the winged birds of every kind. And God saw
that this was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fertile and increase, fill the waters in the seas, and let
the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

God said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of living creature: cattle, creeping things, and wild beasts
of every kind.” And it was so. God made wild beasts of every kind and cattle of every kind, and all kinds
of creeping things of the earth. And God saw that this was good. And God said, “Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole
earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” And God created man in His image, in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, “Be
fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the
living things that creep on earth.”

God said, “See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food. And to all the animals on land, to all the birds of the sky, and to
everything that creeps on earth, in which there is the breath of life, [I give] all the green plants for food.”
And it was so. And God saw all that He had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and
there was morning, the sixth day.

The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. On the seventh day God finished the work that
He had been doing, and He ceased on the seventh day from all the work that He had done. And God
blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it God ceased from all the work of creation that
He had done. 4Such is the story of heaven and earth when they were created.
When the LORD God made earth and heaven—when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no
grasses of the field had yet sprouted, because the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth and there
was no man to till the soil, but a flow would well up from the ground and water the whole surface of the
earth— the LORD God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and man became a living being.

The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed.
And from the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good
for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and bad.
A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches. The name of
the first is Pishon, the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. The gold of

that land is good; bdellium is there, and lapis lazuli. The name of the second river is Gihon, the one that
winds through the whole land of Cush. The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of
Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden, to till it and tend it. And the LORD
God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat; but as for the tree of
knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat of it; for as soon as you eat of it, you shall die.”
The LORD God said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting helper for him.” And the
LORD God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the
man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its
name. And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but
for Adam no fitting helper was found. So the LORD God cast a deep sleep upon the man; and, while he
slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. And the LORD God fashioned the rib
that He had taken from the man into a woman; and He brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This one at last Is bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called Woman, For
from man was she taken.”

Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.

Mexica Creation Story

Creation of the Suns

Here is the oral account of what is known of how the earth was founded long ago. One by one,
here are its various foundations [ages]. How it began, how the first Sun had its beginning 2513
years ago—thus it is known today, the 22 of May, 1558. This Sun, 4-Tiger, lasted 676 years.
Those who lived in this first Sun were eaten by ocelots. It was the time of the Sun 4-Tiger. And
what they used to eat was our nourishment, and they lived 676 years. And they were eaten in the
year 13. Thus they perished and all ended. At this time the Sun was destroyed. It was on the
year 1-Reed. They began to be devoured on a day [called] 4-Tiger. And so with this everything
ended and all of them perished.

This Sun is known as 4-Wind. Those who lived under this second Sun were carried away by the
wind. It was under the Sun 4-Wind that they all disappeared. They were carried away by the
wind. They became monkeys. Their homes, their trees—everything was taken away by the wind.

And this Sun itself was also swept away by the wind. And what they used to eat was our
nourishment. [The date was] 12-Serpent. They lived [under this Sun] 364 years. Thus they
perished. In a single day they were carried off by the wind. They perished on a day 4-Wind. The
year [of this Sun] was 1-Flint.

This Sun, 4-Rain, was the third. Those who lived under this third Sun, 4-Rain, also perished. It
rained fire upon them. They became turkeys. This Sun was consumed by fire. All their homes
burned. They lived under this Sun 312 years. They perished when it rained fire for a whole day.
And what they used to eat was our nourishment. [The date was] 7-Flint. The year was 1-Flint and
the day 4-Rain. They who perished were those who had become turkeys. The offspring of
turkeys are now called pípil-pípil.
This Sun is called 4-Water; for 52 years the water lasted. And those who lived under this fourth
Sun, they existed in the time of the Sun 4-Water. It lasted 676 years. Thus they perished: they
were swallowed by the waters and they became fish. The heavens collapsed upon them and in a
single day they perished. And what they used to eat was our nourishment. [The date was] 4-
Flower. The year was 1-House and the day 4-Water. They perished, all the mountains perished.
The water lasted 52 years and with this ended their years.

This Sun, called 4-Movement, this is our Sun, the one in which we now live. And here is its sign,
how the Sun fell into the fire, into the divine hearth, there at Teotihuacán. It was also the Sun of
our Lord Quetzalcóatl in Tula. The fifth Sun, its sign 4-Movement is called the Sun of
Movement because it moves and follows its path. 42. And as the elders continue to say, under
this sun there will be earthquakes and hunger, and then our end shall come.

Creation of Humans

And then Quetzalcóatl went to Mictlan. He approached Mictlantecuhtli and Mictlancíhuatl [Lord
and Lady of the region of the dead]; at once he spoke to them: “I come in search of the precious
bones in your possession. I have come for them.” And Mictlantecuhtli asked of him, “What shall
you do with them, Quetzalcóatl?” And once again Quetzalcóatl said, “The gods are anxious that
someone should inhabit the earth.” And Mictlantecuhtli replied, “Very well, sound my shell horn
and go around my circular realm four times.” But his shell horn had no holes. Quetzalcóatl
therefore called the worms, who made the holes. And then the bees went inside the horn and it
sounded. Upon hearing it sound, Mictlantecuhtli said anew, “Very well, take them.” But
Mictlantecuhtli said to those in his service, “People of Mictlan! Gods, tell Quetzalcóatl that he
must leave the bones.” Quetzalcóatl replied, “Indeed not; I shall take possession of them once

and for all.” And he said to his nahualli [double], “Go and tell them that I shall leave them.”
And the nahualli said in a loud voice, “I shall leave them.” But then he went and took the
precious bones. Next to the bones of man were the bones of woman; Quetzalcóatl took them.
And again Mictlantecuhtli said to those in his service, “Gods, is Quetzalcóatl really carrying
away the precious bones? Gods, go and make a pit.” The pit having been made, Quetzalcóatl fell
in it; he stumbled and was frightened by the quail. He fell dead and the precious bones were
scattered. The quail chewed and gnawed on them. Then Quetzalcóatl came back to life; he was
grieved and he asked of his nahualli, “What shall I do now . . . ?” And the nahualli answered,
“Since things have turned out badly, let them turn out as they may.” And he gathered them . . .
and then he took them to Tamoanchan. And as soon as he arrived, the woman called Quilaztli,
who is Cihuacóatl, took them to grind and put them in a precious vessel of clay. Upon them
Quetzalcóatl bled his member. The other gods and Quetzalcóatl himself did penance. And they
said, “People have been born, oh gods, the macehuales [those given life or “deserved” into life
through penance].” Because, for our sake, the gods did penance!