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The Igbo Creation Story

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Story:

Me: Could you tell me about the Igbo beliefs on the creation of the world?

PA: Ah, my child, in our Igbo way, we know that the world was made by Chukwu, the supreme god. Chukwu is the source of all things before anything existed, there was Chukwu. He created the heavens, the earth, the seas, the sky… everything you see and even what you cannot see.

Me: So Chukwu created not just the world but also the people?

PA: Yes, yes. He made the land and placed people on it to live, to care for it. But he did not leave the world empty, he also created the Alusi, the gods, to oversee different parts of life. Each one has their own role.

Me: Can you tell me more about these gods?

PA: There is Igwe, the god of the sky and the sun. Ala, the earth goddess, she is the one who gives life and watches over fertility. Then Amadioha, the god of thunder and justice. These are just a few. They serve Chukwu’s will, making sure the world stays in order.

Me: Was Chukwu worshiped directly?

PA: Hmm, not in the way people worship today. Chukwu is beyond us, too great, too vast for human understanding. He is in the sun, in the earth, in the breath we take. The people honored him by respecting the balance of the world, by making offerings to the gods he placed in charge. That was our way, before the white man came with his own beliefs.

Me: So before colonization, these beliefs were very strong?

PA: Oh yes. People knew that to live well, you must respect the forces that Chukwu put in place. There were shrines, prayers, sacrifices. Not for fear, but to keep harmony. It was how we lived, how we understood the world. Chukwu made all things, and so all things belong to him. That is what we believed.

Context:

This belief system was shared with me by a local elder from the Igbo community, who recalled the creation story passed down through generations. The elder explained that this creation story was part of the pre-colonial Igbo worldview, before the introduction of European influences and Christianity, which altered many indigenous beliefs. The informant shared that, in their youth, this story was commonly told in family settings, especially during ceremonies and celebrations, to help young members understand the origins of life and their place in the universe.

The informant described this creation story is integral to the Igbo community’s understanding of spirituality, nature, and morality. They emphasized that Chukwu’s creation of the world was seen as a model of harmony and balance. The elders in their community used this creation story to teach values such as respect for nature, harmony with other deities, and the importance of maintaining balance in one’s life.

My Interpretation:

The myth of Chukwu and the creation of the world is central to the Igbo worldview. It explains the origins of existence and highlights Chukwu as the supreme creator who maintains balance and order. This story not only describes the beginning of humanity but also reinforces the Igbo people’s deep spiritual connection to the earth and the cosmos. It reflects their belief that the physical and spiritual worlds are closely linked, with humans, ancestors, and spirits influencing one another.

Chukwu represents divinity in all aspects of life including creation, fertility, and governance. The emergence of other deities from Chukwu shows a structured spiritual system. Though Christianity and colonization changed many religious practices, the core ideas in this myth which are respect for a supreme god and the connection between the natural and spiritual worlds, still shape Igbo spirituality today.

Malakas and Maganda – Filipino Creation Story

Age: 19
  1. Text: Filipino Creation Story – Malakas and Maganda

Context: “The creation story that I was told is pretty long and in-depth, but I’ll give you a general summary of it. I have been taught this same creation story since before I can remember. Although I was sent to a Catholic school where we learned about Adam and Eve, my parents engrained this version in my mind, because it is what is believed in Filipino culture.

Basically, to summarize, our god, Bathala, watched over the world, before there was any life. One day, Bathala sent a bird to fly over the water. The bird wanted to find somewhere to land, but everything around it was sea. The bird was angry, so it started to flap its wings, which caused waves to crash. In response, lightning was formed which crashed at the sea, and that’s what caused the first island to be created, the Philippines. Then, Bathala grew a bamboo stalk on the new island. The bird pecked at it and when it opened, a man and woman emerged, Malakas and Maganda. They were the first Tagalog people, created from nature, and our ancestors came from them. They started our world, and we are all the children of them. We express this as, “anak nina Malakas at Maganda” (a child of the first man and woman).

After I heard this story, I started to say “anak nina Malakas at Maganda” and realized how my friends whose parents were also born in the Philippines said this too. I remember that this connection made me feel a strong attachment to my culture. Even if I didn’t remember every detail of the story, I knew the importance of my origins. I always resonated with the bamboo stalk after this, as I thought it was inspiring how life could be created from something as simple as bamboo. To this day, it is a symbol that represents strength and flexibility.”

Analysis: The creation story of Malakas and Maganda is an example of a myth. It explains the beginning of the world and humanity. It also has a sacred value to it; it has a non-literary truth. Myths are fundamental to cultures and they address big questions. Science doesn’t have a clear answer for how our world began, but creation stories can offer one. This Filipino creation story has ties to nature mythology and solar mythology, as theorized by Max Muller. It shows how nature, specifically the sea and sky, as well as the Sun, produces the land, and how life also emerges from nature, specifically bamboos.

This myth has very deep cultural values. Malakas, the male counterpart of the bamboo stalk, represents strength and Maganda, the female counterpart, represents beauty. This reflects the balance of power and grace, which are often associated with male and female genders, respectively. These principles work together to balance the earth. As a result, this story functions as a foundational narrative: it sets up cultural expectations about gender, society, and origin. This can influence how people think about things like marriage, gender roles, and morality.

The bamboo stalk itself is a sacred object. This connects to the idea of naturalizing culture, where the environment becomes sacred and fundamental to who people are. As the interviewee mentioned, to be “anak nina Malakas at Maganda” is not just a poetic phrase but rather a folk phrase of identity.

Her version of the story also expresses the idea of oral tradition. She says that the full story is long and in-depth meaning there are many versions. Myths like this don’t change rapidly, but are adapted in small ways to meet the values of each generation. This reflects how folklore is not canonized, and instead, slight adaptations can be made over time. There are also different oicotypes and variations of this story that exist in different cultures. For example, Adam and Eve are the male and female versions in Christianity. The idea of a man and woman emerging together shows the universal value of balance in creation stories.

This story also has a very strong folk concept of identity. People believe in this myth because it ties people’s identities to their ancestry, land, and place in the world. This shows how ethnonationalist ideas form, as these narratives give people a sense of ethnic identity.

Apollo and the Island of Rhodes

Informant Info:

  • Nationality: Greek
  • Occupation: Professor
  • Residence: Connecticut 
  • Primary language: Greek

Text and context:

I.T chose to inform me on one of the most well known myths from Rhodes, the island in Greece where he is originally from. The myth surrounds the island of Rhodes and involves Helios, which is the sun in Greek. The myth begins with the day the Greek Gods met to decide who would be the patron god for each island/ region. Zeus gifted a beautiful island that was beginning to emerge from the ocean to Apollo. This island is Rhodos, and this is why the patron god of Rhodos is Apollo. I.T informed me that Rhodes has more days with Sun than any other place, even while other places are more South and should be receiving more sunlight than Rhodes. The god sun is Apollo, and I.T says Apollo was carrying the sun behind his horses as he rode across the universe. Apollo rode with his horses and the Sun, and he would stop more times in Rhodos, hence why Rhodes has more sun. 

Analysis:

I recently went to Greece for the first time, specifically in the islands of Rhodes and Athens. I spent the majority of the time in Rhodes, where I.T is from. I.T introduced me and my fellow USC peers to the history of Rhodes, which is his true home. As I walked the streets of Rhodes, I saw symbols of Apollo carved into buildings. At the center of all the symbols, Apollo’s head was always located. I.E informed us that in the head of Apollo is the symbol for Rhodes. Through this myth, I was able to see how the Greek people also use creation stories to explain how parts of Greece came to be. Some Greeks also believe that Rhodes is the most sunny place on Earth because of their Patron God, and they use Apollo to explain this. In Rhodes, people greatly praise Apollo, and they carefully cherish the Acropolis of Rhodes, where the remains of the temple of Apollo is also located.

Myth – Hindu Cosmology

Nationality: Indian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student

Text: 

“One of the biggest beliefs in Hinduism is the belief of reincarnation and that kind of stems from how the universe started. For Hindus, the universe was created by Lord Brahma who was the creator who made the universe out of himself. There are different beliefs on how he created the universe. One of the beliefs was that after he created the universe, the power of Lord Vishnu, which is part of the power that the universe carried, turned into a kind of you could say the responsibility of life and death and the cycle. It’s more specifically described as karma; the more good you do the better your next life will be until you achieve a kind of enlightenment stage. The third part is Lord Shiva who is responsible for the destruction of the universe; we believe that at some point that’s going to happen. As for how the universe came into origin specifically, one of the theories was that Lord Brahma divided himself into two parts one man and one female to start life. Another theory is that after he created the universe, Lord Vishnu grew a lotus flower and that flower was divided into three parts: the sky, the earth, and the heavens, which brought life.”

Context:

This story was told by my roommate who is from India. Her religion is Hinduism so she hears this creation story from a young age. She always remembered this story as it is a part of her religion as well as a part of her identity. When she explains this story to people it is not just a belief that’s written somewhere, it is her belief as well.

Analysis: 

I think for each religion there are differing beliefs in the creation of the universe. In Hinduism, there are three main gods with powers that are divided between the three; one represents destruction, one represents destiny, and the other represents the cycle of life and death. Even though the three gods are separated all three are needed in the creation of the universe symbolizing this idea of completion and divinity. Also, the god that represents the cycle of life emphasizes karma; the better you do in this life your destiny for the next life will be better.

Aztec Creation Story of the Sun

Background: The informant is a 19 year old girl who is currently a college student in Chicago, Illinois. She was also born and raised in the city. Her father is Mexican-American and she also grew up with aunts and uncles to pass on traditions.

Context: The informant mentioned hearing about it when she was younger, but she relearned the myth in detail when she took a Latin American Studies class  at her college last year.

Text:

“So, from what I remember, this is the Aztec creation story of the Fifth Sun. So, with the Aztec, there’s a bunch of different gods and, like, their story involves different suns – like in the sky, not a boy. Their suns are the five different births of the world, so to speak. There’s birth, death, and that’s all I can remember as of right now but anyways, –all the gods were kinda standing around the fire that created the light of Earth, and they were trying to keep going. And this fire was dying out. These gods were like ‘what can we do?’

“And, I believe the different gods offered little things they were associated with. Like, one was associated with nature and would offer flowers. It didn’t really work in terms of the fire. They were like ‘hm, okay, this is a bit of a problem.’ Eventually, there were two gods. I forgot their names, but what’s important is what they represented. One was associated with frail and sickness. And the other was associated with richness and wealth. He was abundance and gold and luxury. 

“And, so these two very different gods were like… ‘I’m gonna go and sacrifice myself into the fire.’ For about a week of time, they prepared themselves for the fire. But, what happened was, when preparing themselves, they were thinking, well only one of them can do it.

“Then, When it came down to it to throw themselves in the fire, the god associated with luxury was like “Yeah! I’ll go” and then when he ran towards the fire, he went “Psyche!” and didn’t go into the fire. So, the other one, who was running right after him to go second, went into the fire, but there was no change in the fire. But, his courage and bravery was applauded by all the other gods who were watching. So, then, all the other gods sacrifice themselves into the fire. Which is how the sun was able to keep going.”

Analysis:

Informant: She finds the information particularly interesting because the Aztecs hail from Latin America, and are commonly disregarded as a great civilization. She has retained the myth in her head since taking the class, and has shared it with others, revealing how she thinks the information is worth sharing and knowing.

Mine: It’s always exciting when creation stories are retold through modern lenses because it gives a new perspective on it. Hearing the gods talk in casual terms, or the one deity yells “psych!” would never be something heard in the past, but perfectly conveys the same meaning – that the god was trying to trick the other one into sacrificing first. Finding other examples of the story online, another variation of the myth is how it created the sun and moon from the two gods who jumped in. They both deal very similarly, until the last message of how something was created, and they both have slightly indifferent tones to them. In the one performed by the informant, it holds a tragic, yet content, element in how all the Gods sacrificed themselves to keep the sun and life alive. In the second one, it seems like more a lighthearted story, where God wasn’t trying to trick the other but simply hesitated in fright. As Chicago is very far away from the Mexican border, it may reflect how the myth has changed over time to reflect a new telling.