The Zulu and Egyptian myths of creation are the two chosen for analysis in this text. The Egyptian myth states that the origin of creation is from the dark swirling waters known as Nu. From Nu emerged Datum through the sheer force of his will and thoughts. Shush, the son, and Defeat, the daughter of Datum, created the earth and everything in it. Under their father’s instruction, they divided the chaos into principles of life for all time.
This order is known as Mat, which was produced by these two. The first thing that happened was that they became tangled together as one, the earth Gibe and the sky Nut. God of the air Shush pushed Nut up into the heavens and separated them. This separation was done so that the Mat could fulfill its full function in the new world. In the Egyptian world, all the elements were represented in the form of gods. Gods such as Isis, the queen of the gods, Hatter, the goddess of love and beauty, Souris, the god of wisdom and justice, Seth, the god of vile, Tooth, the god of wisdom, and Nepenthe, the god who protects the dead were all made as parts of the elements.
According to the Zulu creation myth, life begins in darkness with the emergence of a seed called Atlanta. This seed falls to earth and grows into a reed, from which the first man is formed. This man discovers that other men and women are also being grown in the same manner. Unfortunately, he is the one who decides to separate them, creating divisions among people based on gender and roles. Additionally, he distributes the first cattle, fish, birds, and fierce creatures.
All the elements in the Zulu creation myth are identical. The seed gave rise to the reeds, which in turn brought forth everything. This is how water, earth, fish, and fowl were given to man and woman in the Zulu myth. On the other hand, the Egyptian creation story originated from dark waters known as the water of chaos (Nu), which gave birth to Datum. Datum was neither male nor female. In contrast to the Zulu myth, there is no significance placed on gender in this myth as Datum created the first man and woman.
This was achieved by spitting out his son (Shush) and vomiting up his daughter (Defeat). These two were the ones who began the process of creation and were given the responsibility to separate the chaotic waters into principles that govern the earth. This act was referred to as Mat. After this initial creation, the earth and the heavens were formed, creating the need to divide darkness from light. In Egyptian mythology, Nu represents darkness, which is considered to be an evil or negative force in the world. In this myth, Nu is portrayed as dark swirling waters.
In the Zulu story of creation, darkness existed and a seed fell to earth, initiating the creation. This seed gave rise to a reed called Atlantis, which served as the origin of all things. It was from this reed that the first man was created. Additionally, there is a destroyer mentioned in this myth, represented by two animals. The first animal is the languid chameleon, who ventured into the world with the belief that his people will be immortal.
