ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -A creation myth is a supernatural mytho-religious story or explanation that describes the beginnings of humanity, earth, life, and the universe (cosmogony), usually as a deliberate act of “creation” by one or more deities.

Detailed explanation-2: -A creation myth acts as a cornerstone for distinguishing primary reality from relative reality, the origin and nature of being from non-being. In this sense cosmogonic myths serve as a philosophy of life – but one expressed and conveyed through symbol rather than through systematic reason.

Detailed explanation-3: -In the beginning there was a period of Chaos, when air, water, and matter were combined in a formless mixture. On this floated a Cosmic Egg, from which arose Gaea (Earth) and Uranus (Sky). These deities created the earth and its creatures and the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Thus the Greeks accounted for creation.

Detailed explanation-4: -2) Encyclopedia Britannica classifies creation myth into six types: cre-ation by creator, creation through emergence, creation by world parents, creation from the cosmic egg, creation by Earth divers, creation by corpse transformation.

Detailed explanation-5: -A natural aetiological myth explains an aspect of nature. For example, you could explain lightning and thunder by saying that Zeus is angry. An etymological aetiological myth explains the origin of a word. (Etymology is the study of word origins.)