What is Cosmogony:
Cosmogony is a mythological narrative on which it is intended to establish the origin of the world, the human being and the universe.
Cosmogony also refers to the science and theories that try to explain the origin and evolution of the universe.
Cosmogony is a word that derives from the Greek κοσμογονία kosmogonyformed by cosmos which means “world” and gignomai which means “to be born.”
Cosmogony offers, through a story, an explanation about the creation and development of the world, the universe and the first human beings and animals, with the intention to be able to establish a reality conceived under a physical, symbolic and religious order.
Generally, these stories describe a beginning of the cosmos with great disorder, which is overcome thanks to the linking of various supernatural elements that slowly shape the cosmos and are dominated by the forces exerted by the gods.
Cosmogony is part of a large number of cultures. These stories have been transmitted throughout the generations as a cultural heritage of man, thanks to the need that human beings have to know the origin of everything that surrounds them and of themselves.
For this reason, they are stories from very ancient dates, which means that they were created by the first great civilizations such as, for example, the Greek, Egyptian, Sumerian, Nordic and Amerindian civilizations.
For example, for Christians, the book of Genesis, in the Bible, is a cosmogonic story that describes how the universe was created under the power and word of God.
See also Mythology.
Mayan cosmogony
He Popol Vuh It is the book that tells the cosmogony according to the Mayans and was one of the few stories rescued during the Spanish colonization in Mayan territory.
In it Popol Vuh The Mayans tell, through various metaphors, what the beginning of the universe was like, how the world was built and what the creation of man was like after several failures, until they reached the man made of corn, a grain that was considered a sacred food. .
See also Mayan culture.
Aztec cosmogony
The Aztec cosmogony is made up of various stories about the creation of the universe and man.
However, the best-known version tells that the supreme god Ometeotl, god of fire, was the creator of four other gods that represented water, air, earth and fire, as well as thousands of other divinities. This was possible because Ometeotl was an androgynous god, that is, he had masculine and feminine duality.
The four gods mentioned were responsible for maintaining the balance of the world so that the Sun could exist. However, if the balance was lost, both the world, men and the Sun would disappear.
See also Aztecs.
Greek cosmogony
Greek cosmogony states that the origin of the world was in chaos and disorder until the strong and violent divine forces of the gods acted. Part of this vision is set out in the Theogony of Hesiod.
According to Greek stories, from chaos Gaea (the Earth) was born, and from her Uranus (the sky) was born. Then, from Gaea and Uranus, the titans were born, including Rhea, Cronus, Themis, Thetis, among others.
See also Greek literature.