Great Works Of Literature

A cosmogony is a story about how the world began.

Where does the world come from, what is it made of? Does it have an order, a pattern, a purpose? Was it created by some god, or gods, or entity? How did human beings come into existence?

The Greek word cosmos implies order and beauty, as well as universe. To compose a cosmogony therefore is to describe how the world came to be a beautiful and well-ordered place.

Some key features of cosmogonies:

• they help people define their place in the universe; specifics of a culture in a broader cosmic pattern
• they provide mythical stories rather than scientific answers
• ancient cosmogonies do not usually begin with creation out of nothing, but with some primeval matter from which the world took shape, i.e.: water, sun, air, etc.
• they often have a political dimension, some great ruler who is connected to the creator god or gods, and is praised by them
• they show the struggles between different generations
• they tend to classify the world in a hierarchical structure: upper world, lower world, middle earth.