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Chaos - a Creation Constant

© Wayne Kreger

Finding common themes in mythology helps to legitimize its study. When we come upon ideas that are similar in cultures separated by vast expanses of time and distance, we know we have found something more than a coincidence. These concepts, crossing cultures with little chance of transmission through communication, tell us that some ideas have taken up residence in the deeper caves of human consciousness. Presently we will examine a concept that is found in nearly every cultures' discussion of creation - chaos.

In our last investigation of mythology we saw that the primordial couple Izanami and Izanagi dipped their jeweled spear into the turbulent ocean to create the first islands. The ocean (or simply water) is a popular metaphor for chaos. We find this not only in Japanese tradition, but also in Hebrew tradition. In the first chapter of Genesis we read of God crossing the deep waters. In Babylonian tradition the fierce and fertile goddess Tiamat represented chaos as a deity of the saltwater sea. Hindu mythology tells of Vishnu perched upon a giant snake adrift in the infinite chaotic primordial sea. Water has properties that make it an ideal symbol for chaos - it is fluid and difficult to control or manipulate. At sea it can easily seem endless. Its potential for destruction is well known - a flood can undo any progress a community has made. It stands in contrast to dry land - it represents dangerous unpredictability while the shores indicate safety. In spite of this, water has generative qualities as well - it is necessary for us to survive and flourish.

The recording of ancient mythologies are a testament to the generative powers of chaos. Almost universally, it the only thing that exists before any creator deity creates or first cause occurs. Most myths, like the Kojiki, indicate that the creator deity or deities create order from chaos, rather than creating the world from nothing. The creator is always separate from chaos, yet chaos is just as vital as the creator in the process of creation. Chaos is the material from which our universe is built, but on its own it is not capable of fabricating the universe. It must be made to have order. However, bringing order to chaos is no small task, and sometimes it resists. It is in these traditions we find the theme of the conquering of chaos, such as the slaying of Tiamat in Babylonian myth.

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