2.  Myths attempted to explain the creation of the world and its inhabitants.  No clear distinction between real and unreal.

3.  Things being made, built, or arranged  Things being born or growing

4.  Explain how the world came into being  Explain the order in which creation occurred (creative process)  Establish a hierarchy among people (who are in power, which religion is “correct”)

5.  Explain how/why bad things happen and who is to blame  Provide a pattern for human/divine interaction (sacrifices, prayers, ceremonies)  Establish a model of ethics (rules)  Establish a source of evil (person/being responsible for temptation)

6.  Birth : sometimes in the form of an egg and other times a mother giving birth to children  A mother (earth) and father (sky) exists in the creation of the world.  Sometimes creation doesn’t exist until generations after the first god came into being.

7.  A supreme being exists in almost every creation myth.  Not all cultures imagine life starting on earth. Some believe it started above or below where we live now. Some myths claim that earth was once covered by water and brought to the surface. (Diver Myths)

8.  Humans and animals were equal and co-existed peacefully in some cultures.  Many creation myths include an instruction, a sin, and a consequence.