每一种文化都曾努力用神话故事来诠释宇宙是怎样形成的。对大多数人来说，这些神话传说不仅是一些对事件的文字描述， 而且它们有着更深的象征涵义。

虽然世界上绝大多数创世神话的起源早已不得而知，但它们都有一个共同的主题，都会提到一场毁灭世界的滔天洪水。“洪水”象征着一个全新的开始。此外，还有些创始神话称这个世界是诸神、半神乃至动物创造出来的，这些传说中的神或生物都代表着不同的象征涵义。

宇宙与巨蛋

　 在各种创世神话中，通常围绕着“出生"这一主题一-这些故事中常有父亲和母亲的形象。例如，古希腊神话描写了在混沌中最早出现的大地女神盖亚和天空之神优利纳斯神。这天神和地神象征着宇宙。他们的结合，生下许多孩子，后来他们的孩子又创造了植物、动物等世间万物。

还有一种说法，认为最初的宇宙原本像-只巨大的蛋。中国人有“盘古开天”的传说。传说天地之初本是一只巨蛋天为蛋清，地为蛋黄;蛋清为阳、蛋核为明阴阳相交孕育日月水、陆及盘古。盘古在巨蛋中长大，他日长丈，撑开天地。他死后，身体便化作自然万物。斐济神话中说，有-只名叫图如卡瓦的鹰，它产下两枚蛋，蛋中分别孵出一一个男孩和一个女孩。后来蛇神教会这两个孩子说话，如何用火，如何煮饭，并给他们创造出很多的食物，这对男孩女孩便是斐济人的祖先。

混沌秩序

　许多创世神话都曾描绘过混沌世界的故事:它被股巨大的力量劈开面变成和谐的世界。在巴比伦的神话中混沌天地原是提阿马特女神,她是众神之母，也是地下之水的化身，众神那在水中孕育。阿马特女神为自己的儿子玛杜克神所杀。她的上半身化作了天，而下半身则化为了地。她的两行眼泪则分别化作流消的底格里斯河与幼发拉底河。

　　 印度教则有多个版本的创世神话，其中的-个版本描绘了一毗湿 奴安详地斜靠在多头巨蛇河南塔的身上，而大蛇阿南塔则漂浮在一片广阔的海洋中，象征着永生一的故事。 每当宇宙循环的周期一“劫”之始，从他的肚脐里长出的朵莲花中诞生的婆罗门就开始创造世界，而一劫之末湿婆神又毁灭世界。世界毁灭后，毗湿奴又会苏醒，在毗湿奴的沉睡与苏醒问，宇宙不断循环更新。

神创世界

大多数宗教都坚信并宣称:是位万能的神，从无到有，创造了整个世界。《圣经旧约》中提到上帝仪用了六天时间便创造了世界，象征上帝是万能之主。犹太教则将每周的第七天即星期天作为休息日，象征上帝在这天休息。这一天要停止劳作，被称为安息日。印度锡克教徒、穆斯林以及玛雅人的创世神话也说是位或多位万能之神或生物创造了宇宙。在此之前，宇宙处于混沌状态，什么都不存在。

Creation Myth

Every culture has tried to explain how the universe came into being with myths and stories. For most people, these myths and legends are not only some written descriptions of events, but also have deeper symbolic meanings.

Although the origins of most of the world's creation myths are unknown, they all share a common theme, and they all refer to a catastrophic flood that destroys the world. "Flood" symbolizes a new beginning. In addition, some founding myths claim that the world was created by gods, demigods and even animals. These legendary gods or creatures all represent different symbolic meanings.

Universe and Big Egg

In all kinds of creation myths, the theme of "birth" usually revolves around the image of father and mother in these stories. For example, ancient Greek mythology describes Gaia, the earliest goddess of the earth, and Julinas, the goddess of the sky. The gods of heaven and earth symbolize the universe. Their Union gave birth to many children, and later their children created plants, animals and other worldly things.

Another theory is that the original universe was like a giant egg. The Chinese people have the legend of "Pangu Begins Heaven". Legend has it that at the beginning of heaven and earth, a giant egg was egg white in the sky and egg yolk in the earth; egg white was Yang and egg nucleus was the intersection of Ming, Yin and Yang to breed Riyueshui, Lu and Pangu. Pangu grew up in a giant egg. He grew up day by day and opened up the world. After his death, his body turned into nature. Fijian mythology says that there is an eagle named Turukawa, which lays two eggs, one boy and one girl. Later, the serpent god taught the two children how to talk, how to use fire, how to cook, and how to create a lot of food for them. The boys and girls were the ancestors of Fijians.

Chaotic Order

Many creation myths have depicted the story of the chaotic world: it was split by a huge force into a harmonious world. In Babylonian mythology, the chaotic heaven and earth was originally the goddess Tiamat. She was the mother of the gods and the incarnation of the underground water. The gods were bred in the water. Amat was killed by her son Maduk. Her upper body was transformed into heaven, while her lower body was transformed into earth. Her two lines of tears turned into the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Hinduism has several versions of creation myths, one of which depicts Vishnu leaning serenely against the Henan Pagoda of the giant multi-headed snake, while the Anan Pagoda of the serpent floats in a vast ocean, symbolizing the story of immortality. Whenever the cycle of the cosmic cycle begins with a "robbery", the Brahman born from a lotus flower growing from his belly button begins to create the world, and at the end of the cycle, Shiva destroys the world. After the world is destroyed, Vishnu will wake up again. In the question of Vishnu's sleeping and awakening, the universe is constantly renewing.

God created the world

Most religions believe in and claim that they are omnipotent gods who have created the world from scratch. The Old Testament of the Bible mentions that it took six days for God to create the world, symbolizing that God is the Almighty Lord. Judaism regards Sunday, the seventh day of the week, as a day of rest, symbolizing God's rest on that day. It is called the Sabbath to stop working on this day. The creation myths of Sikhs, Muslims and Mayans in India also say that one or more omnipotent gods or creatures created the universe. Before that, the universe was chaotic and nothing existed.

▲盖亚　Gaia

盖亚是古希腊神话中的大地女神许多作品都将地描植成一位率裸的少妇，或是以自然事物环烧，或是出现在大地上。

　　Gaia is the goddess of the earth in ancient Greek mythology. Many works portray the earth as a naked young woman, burn it with natural things, or appear on the earth.

▲盘古　A plate of ancient times

传说盘古在宇宙区蛋中日长一丈，在孵化了一万八千年后，终于撑开巨蛋。盘古何造宇宙之后，他便死去。他的身体形成了世间万物。

Legend has it that Pangu grew a foot in the eggs of the universe. After hatching for 18000 years, Pangu finally opened up the giant eggs. After Pangu created the universe, he died. His body formed everything in the world.

▲阿马特女神　Goddess Amath

上图表现了巴比伦人的创世传说中玛杜克神与母亲阿马特女神打斗的场面。象征一场胜利打破了宇宙混沌的格局，天地从此产生。

The picture above shows the Babylonian creation legend of Madukh fighting with his mother, the goddess Amath. Symbolizing a victory broke the pattern of chaos in the universe, heaven and earth came into being.