Creation Myth and Creativity: A Multi-Disciplinary Study of Cosmogonic Narrative

Abstract

This study investigates if and how creation myths illuminate the creative process. Framing the inquiry is Jan Vansina’s image of a floating gap between mythic times of ancientness and recentness. Ancientness contains magical stories of origins, and recentness contains narrative more closely resembling day-to-day reality. Between the two lies a floating gap, or a mythic time that contains very little story content and serves to separate and connect ancientness and recentness. In order to examine the imagery of creativity in sacred stories of origin, this study travels over many floating gaps to examine creation myths from many cultures. Based on these myths, cosmogonic narrative can indeed contain imagery of the creative process.

By means of contextualization and close readings of mythic texts, this study demonstrates that the particularities of these myths reflect kaleidoscopic variations on creativity. The polyvalent cosmogonic thought of ancient Egypt comfortably holds many creator deities and modes of creation. Creativity in Hindu creation myth displays a free, light, spiritual nature. First Nations cosmogonies in the Americas reveal animistic, shamanistic creativity. Cool, resilient West African creator deities express their creativity through the song and dance of ritual. And the cosmogonic roots of Western civilization show that metaphorically, the creativity of monotheism and polytheism can coexist. Correlations between these cosmogonies and creativity are evident, instructive, and serve as models for individuals who engage in creative work. These case studies of eminent mythological creators also present recurring themes from creativity studies, such as Sarnoff Mednick’s theory of remote associates, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s formulation of the flow of creative work, and the importance of affect and passion for creativity.

Creator deities appear as unique beings who embody different inflections of creativity, and no single god or goddess encapsulates its totality. Therefore, creativity itself remains elusive. In these cosmogonic narratives, creativity flows through creator goddesses and gods to make the cosmos without fully yielding to definition.