The present book is a compilation of studies on narratives of mythical origins in different cultures written by outstanding specialists. It aims to provide a broad view on creation-myths from different times and areas of the world with a particular focus on how these texts contributed to the conception of the past as universal history, as a common origin of mankind or as the great opening, the theatrum mundi. On the other hand, the purpose of this book is to study the phenomenon from a typological point of view, analyzing the specific characteristics of this particular type of texts, rather than finding influences between the different cultures in the genesis of these narratives.

Autorentext

Prof. Dr. Alberto Bernabé Pajares is Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid.Dr. Raquel Martín Hernández is Lecturer at the Faculty of Philology at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Inhalt
Introductory Remarks.- Cosmogony in Progress. The Creation Myths from Rgvedic to Brhmanic Texts.- Explaining the Emergence of Social Institutions in Ancient Mesopotamia: The Sumerian Myth Enki and the World Order.- The Facets of the Diamond. Notes on Ancient Egyptian Cosmogonies.- Of Gods and Men: Bridging the Gap between Cosmogony and the Heroic Age in Early Greek Legendary History.- Evil in Genesis and Other Ancient Near Eastern Creation Stories.- The Emergence of the World in Early Greek Theogonies from Hesiod to Acusilaus.- The Myth of the Supreme Creator in Arabian Lands.- Völuspá, the Uncertainty of Norse Creation Myths and some Babylonian Parallels.- The Creation of the World according to Lakota Sioux Belief, Friedrich Pöhl.- Concluding Remarks.