Cosmogony, or the creation or origin of the world or universe (Merriam-Webster Online), is a distinctly universal theme found in mythology from across the globe and throughout time. The study of the concept of cosmogony is important because, as a cornerstone of the mythological beliefs of many cultures, cosmogonies are a way of beginning the explanation of how we came to be. In studying the myths of various cultures, it is important to take note of both individual cosmogony myths as they relate to creation myths and the elements common to all cosmogony and creation myths. The similarities, even in the few examples of different myths that will be presented in the following, are far too many to be listed in their entirety. This report will illustrate the first three general phases of the cosmogonic myth, beginning with the void, followed by creation and finally the handing down of power to the subsequent steward of the Universe or of the Earth.
             In many mythological systems, the first phase of the cosmogony myth begins in some representation of empty space. This is manifest in the Bible in the passage "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Gen. 1.2). In one version of the Aboriginal Australian creation myth, cosmogony begins with the three different birds that live in the Dreamtime (Schellberg 82). Dreamtime is defined by the Indigenous Australia Museum Online as the "time before time, or the time of the creation of all things." Similarly, in Mayan (Popol Vuh) and Greek (Rosenberg 7) creation myths, the world begins as a dark and shapeless region.
             In the second phase of the cosmogonic myth, from the darkness comes the initial intent to create the Universe, the Earth and its inhabitants. In the Mayan cosmogony tale of The Popol Vuh, the "Creators" begin by fashioning the Earth from the darkness where only sea and sky existed previously. "&apo...