Changes

For the creation myths that relate to chaos, or the world emerging from chaos, the oceans are often seen as the initially created entity that a god or spirit then allows the Earth or even the heavens to emerge from this primordial sea. Chaos, war, and conflict are also common in the Old World. In the New World, birth is a common theme, where the spirits or gods beget other gods. Sometimes the gods are impregnated in a divine miracle. Themes of war also appear, such as in the Hopi creation epic, which recounts the wickedness and promiscuity of humans that leads to conflict and downfall. Emergence out of a pre-human world, including the emergence of key elements that allow life to happen, are also common in the New and Old Worlds. In the Navajo tradition, spiritual aspects were created first before the world and other beings were created. The spiritual characteristics of life enable the physical world, including humans, to exist.