What Is Cosmogony?
Cosmogony comes from the Greek words:
- κόσμος (kosmos) – world, order, universe
- γένεσις (genesis) – origin, birth
➤ Cosmogony = a story or theory about the origin of the universe.
It seeks to answer the ultimate question:
“How did everything begin?”
Types of Cosmogonies
Mythological Cosmogonies
These are traditional stories found in ancient cultures—often involving gods, chaos, monsters, and primordial elements.
- Greek (Hesiod’s Theogony): Begins with Chaos, followed by Gaia (Earth), Tartarus, and Eros. The world unfolds through divine births and conflicts.
- Babylonian (Enuma Elish): Begins with mingling waters of Apsu and Tiamat; creation follows a battle between gods.
- Genesis (Hebrew Bible): “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
- Egyptian: Emerges from a primordial ocean (Nun); various creator gods like Atum or Ptah bring order.
These cosmogonies use symbolism and narrative to explain not just how the world began, but why it is the way it is, morally, socially, and cosmically.
Philosophical Cosmogonies
Pre-Socratic philosophers began offering rational explanations for the origin of the cosmos.
- Thales: Everything comes from water.
- Anaximander: All things arise from the apeiron (the indefinite or boundless).
- Anaximenes: The world is formed from air, condensed and rarefied.
- Heraclitus: The cosmos is a living fire, ever-changing, never created or destroyed.
These thinkers moved from myth to natural principles—the beginning of cosmology.
Cosmogony vs. Cosmology
| Cosmogony | Cosmology |
|---|---|
| How the universe originated | How the universe is structured |
| Often mythic or metaphysical | Often scientific or philosophical |
| Deals with beginnings | Deals with systems and laws |
Why Cosmogony Matters
- Shapes how people see the world.
A culture’s cosmogony informs its values, religion, politics, and purpose. - Connects myth, philosophy, and science.
From Hesiod to the Big Bang theory, we’ve always longed to know:”Where did we come from? What came before us?”
Let me know if you want to explore a specific cosmogony—Greek, Hindu, scientific, or even one you’re imagining yourself.