The ‘cosmic egg’ also known as the ‘world egg’ or ‘mundane egg’ is a mythological concept found in the cosmogonies of many cultures and civilizations. But what exactly is it? Imagine an egg, simple — right? But in these myths, this isn’t just any egg. This egg upon hatching, gives rise to the entire universe or brings forth a primordial being who then creates everything we know. It’s a powerful symbol of Life Creation and the beginning of all things. Many cultures have their own versions of the cosmic egg, but the basic concept is similar in every culture that when the egg cracked open, the Heavens and the Earth were formed.
But why an egg? Well, think about it.
First we start from Chinese mythology. In Chinese mythology the universe began in a state similar to a chicken’s egg. This Cosmic egg held within it the primordial chaos, a mix of Yin and Yang. After 18,000 years, the egg finally opened and the lighter elements rose to form the heavens while the heavier elements sank to become the Earth. But that’s not all. According to a version of this myth from Jang; Province pangu ,the first living being and Creator, found himself trapped within this dark stuffy egg. Feeling discomfort, pangu shattered the egg into pieces. As the shell broke apart, the heavens in the earth began to form. With each day the sky grew 10 ft higher and the Earth 10 ft wider and pangu himself grew 10t taller ensuring the separation of these Realms. After thousands of years, Pangu’s task was complete. With his last breath, he gave life to the world around him, his eyes became the Sun and the Moon, his blood the rivers, his breath the wind, his voice thundered across the skies, his body formed the mountains and valleys, even his hair became the stars that twinkle in the night sky.
Next we have the Doan mythology from Burkina Faso. In Doan mythology the Creator God ‘Amma’ takes the form of an egg. This Cosmic egg is not merely a symbol but a blueprint of the universe itself. Divided into four sections representing the elements of air, fire, water and Earth. These divisions also establish the four cardinal directions mapping out the cosmos. In its entirety, however, the first attempt at creation by Amma was a failure. Not deterred, Amma planted a seed within herself leading to the formation of two centas, each containing a pair of twins. One of these twins ogo grew restless and broke out prematurely, attempting to create his own Universe. He descended to Earth disrupting Amma’s creation. Amma however took a fragment of ogo’s placenta and transformed it into the Earth ogo’s interference. The story didn’t end there, he committed an act of incest with the Earth, further complicating creation. To restore, Amma sacrificed ogo’s twin, scattering parts of his body across the world. These scattered Parts brought a semblance of order to the chaotic Universe. 5 days later Amma reconstituted the twin bringing him back to life. The twin then became the ruler of the universe, creating four spirits who became the ancestors of the Dogan people. Amma sent the twin and these spirits to Earth in an ark to populate the world bringing life and order from chaos. In Doan mythology, this tale is not just a story of creation but also one of conflict sacrifice and restoration. It speaks to the Duality of existence and the perpetual dance between Order and Chaos and the Eternal quest for balance.
Now, let’s Journey to the land of ancient Egypt where multiple creation myths coexisted. Each offering a unique vision of the universe’s birth. One of the most fascinating of these is the ‘hermopolis’ known as ‘khemnu’ or ‘8 town’ holds the key to this myth. The name ‘eight town’ refers to the group of eight primordial Gods. These Gods are divided into four male and four female deities. With the males bearing frog heads and the females serpent heads in the primordial chaotic waters that existed before creation, a cosmic egg was formed while different versions of the myth offer varying accounts of the egg’s origins. The essence Remains the same. This egg was the seed of all creation. From the cosmic egg, emerged a deity who would go on to shape the world, alongside this the first land known as the Primeval Mound, rose from the chaotic waters, upon this mound a Lotus Blossom bloomed heralding the birth of the ‘Sun God.’ With the Sun God’s arrival the formation of the rest of creation could finally proceed.
Now we now turn our gaze towards the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome. Our first stop is with the Roman author ‘Marcus terentius Vero’ who lived in the first century. He likened Heaven and Earth to an eggshell. The air he suggested was represented as the moisture acting as a form of humidity between the shell and yolk. But the story doesn’t end there. Within this egg a creature began to grow until it finally broke open. To reveal a being that was both male and female named ‘fitus’ or ‘fetus’. The emergence brought forth light which in turn gave rise to substance prudence motion and coition. These elements combined to create the heavens and the Earth.
Next we come to the mythology of ancient India. Hindu mythology offers a captivating vision of the universe’s Origins centered around the concept of the cosmic egg. In one vidic myth, the earliest phase of the cosmos involves a boundless primordial ocean. From this cosmic ocean an egg arises floating in the infinite waters. Over the course of 100 Divine years this egg undergos a miraculous transformation. Finally it splits open, forming Heaven from its upper part and Earth from its lower part. Another ancient text says that the primordial ocean gives rise to an egg but this time Hindu tradition speaks of a golden embryo situated on high waters this golden embryo is the source from which all creation develops.
Now we now turn our gaze towards the Nordic lands. Finnish mythology beautifully encapsulated in the cavala offers a captivating tale of the world’s creation from the fragments of a cosmic egg. In this ancient epic the goddess of the air longs for a son to fulfill her desire she and the East Wind unite. And from their Union vinom moin the child of the wind is conceived. However the goddess finds herself unable to give birth. It is then that ‘ackard’ a type of ding duck descends and impregnates her. This divine interaction results in the birth of six golden Cosmic eggs and one iron egg. The protective of these precious eggs sits on them, goddess’s movement the eggs roll into the sea and break apart. From the broken shell’s lower fragment the solid earth is fashioned. the upper fragment rises to form the lofty arch of Heaven the Yolk transforms into the sun’s bright luster, while the white portion becomes the radiant Moon. The modeled parts of the egg turn into the stars that Adorn the night sky and the blackish Parts float in the air as thunderclouds. As William Forel Kirby translated in 1906;
“in the Ooze they were not wasted nor the fragments in the water, but a wondrous change came over them and the fragments all grew lovely from the cracked eggs, lower fragment now the solid earth was fashioned from the cracked eggs upper fragment rose the lofty arch of Heaven, from the the Yolk the upper portion now became the sun’s bright luster from the white the upper portion rose the Moon that shines so brightly, what so in the egg was modeled now became the stars in heaven, what in the egg was blackish in the air as thunder.”
We now turn to the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. In Zoroastrian cosmography the universe is depicted with a fascinating analogy that likens the cosmos to an egg. A concept that surprisingly aligns with various other mythologies. We’ve explored in zoroastrian belief the sky is envisioned as a vast spherical structure with an outer boundary known as a Parkin. This idea is thought to have Origins tracing back to Aristotle’s philosophical musings. Within this spherical Sky lies the Earth also spherical existing harmoniously within the cosmic bounds, the outer shell of the egg represents the spherical Sky encompassing and protecting all within. Meanwhile the Earth is symbolized by the inner round yolk central and vital to the cosmic structure
In conclusion, the concept of the cosmic egg is a fascinating and recurring theme across various mythologies and modern cosmology. It symbolizes the birth of the universe, the origin of life and the interconnectedness of all things. But. is it true? You tell in the comments!
