Image 1 Caption: A deluge (c.1517--c.1518) by Leonardo da Vinci (1452--1519).

Is this the creation from cosmongonic chaos?

Mythical Cosmology and Creation Myth

1. All early human societies, yours truly supposes, had their own mythical cosmologies.

2. Most of these mythical cosmologies, yours truly supposes---yours truly hasn't done an actual count---have anthropomorphic gods that create the universe by ordering it up or, often it seems, by biological generation---sexual reproduction or from the body parts of primordial gods or monsters.

3. But it still seems necessary for an origin in time with earliest uncreated primordial gods who just were.

4. However, it also seems in societies of some level of sophistication that philosophy speculation about the origin of universe leads to the idea of origin from primordial matter or entities without much personality. This is true in Greek mythology according to Hesiod's (fl. 700 BCE) Theogony (Origin of the Gods) (see Hesiod's Theogony translated by Hugh G. Evelyn-White 1914 and also The Structure of Hesiod's Theogony: Joe Farrell, University of Pennsylvania). See, e.g., the discussion in Cor-193,198--201,202--203.

5. To expand a bit on Theogony:
   1. First, Hesiod wrote Theogony---it is NOT a pure oral tradition such as modern anthropology has been able to collect in the recent past though probably NOT for much longer if still possible at all.

      Nevertheless, Hesiod was probably close to the pure oral tradition---but recall, there were probably many pure oral traditions and Hesiod selected and ordered those he liked to create a literary product.

   2. Theogony gives the origin of the Greek gods starting from the Greek primordial gods who were also the constituents of the world/universe.

      

   3. Image 2 Caption: "Chaos" (c.1875) by George Frederic Watts (1817--1904) and assistants.

      One can read "Chaos" as a juxtaposition of creation, the origin of consciousness, and consciousness contemplating universe.

   4. The Greek primordial gods:
      1. Chaos is the Ur-god or Ur-universe. The word Chaos in this context probably means nothingness or void. But to the ancient Greeks, it could also mean abyss, chasm, or yawn????. Chaos is only anthropomorphized to the extent that he/she gives birth to other slightly more anthropomorphized gods.
      2. Tartarus (the Abyss) (virtually the same as the Greek underworld and sometimes approximately Hell). Child of Chaos.
      3. Gaia (the Earth), the Greek mythology version of the Earth Goddess. Child of Chaos.
      4. Eros, who in Theogony is a child of Chaos.
      5. Uranus (the Sky). Child of Gaia.
      6. Then other useful Greek primordial gods followed from procreation (e.g., Erebus (Gloom), Nyx (Night), etc.) and then other Greek gods from procreation.

   5. The Greek primordial gods are initially just giant physical bodies or forces. Later on in Theogony some acquire personality at times while still being giant physical bodies or forces at times too. The later generations of Greek gods have a lot more personality---e.g., Zeus, Psamanthe, etc. For more on the geneology of the Greek gods, see Ancient Astronomy file: theogony.html.

      

   6. Image 3 Caption: "First [proton (p+)]-[lead (Pb) ion] particle collision at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)." (Somewhat edited.)

      An image which serves as a symbol of creation as understood in modern physics.

   7. At first glance, Theogony posits creation as procreation starting from nothingness (i.e., Chaos). In other words, cosmology is seen as a kind of biology.

      However, the early stages of procreation in Theogony can also be interpreted as a physics-like evolution. We can see Theogony as a step toward the philosophical physics and cosmology of the Presocratic philosophers. See, e.g., the discussion in Cor-198--201.

Images:

1. Credit/Permission: Leonardo da Vinci (1452--1519), c.1517--c.1518, (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by User:DcoetzeeBot, 2012) / Public domain.
   Image link: Wikimedia Commons: File:Leonardo da Vinci - A deluge - Google Art Project.jpg.
   
2. Credit/Permission: George Frederic Watts (1817--1904) and assistants, circa 1875 (uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by User:DcoetzeeBot, 2011) / Public domain.
   Image link: Wikimedia Commons: File:Assistants and George Frederic Watts - Chaos - Google Art Project.jpg.
   
3. Credit/Permission: © Peter Jenni (1948--) (see also Peter Jenni (1948--) (AKA User:Pcharito), 2014 / CC BY-SA 3.0.
   Image link: Wikimedia Commons: File:Ev059HR 3D.png.