Egyptian Creation Myth
Hieroglyphic writing dating back thousands of years offers insights into the creation myths of the Egyptians. While there were some differences among them, the main changes were the gods involved in the creation and not the story itself. The creation myth detailed here is the one found in the famous Book of the Dead.
In the beginning the world was nothing but an endless of expanse of dark and chaotic waters known as Nun, represented as being four pairs of male and female gods. Each couple was one of the four principles that characterized Nun. It was from Nun that Atum created himself by sheer effort of his own will or by saying his own name. Atum was alone in the nothingness and therefore created the god Shu and goddess Tefnut by masturbating with the female element within him. Other interpretations state that he had sex with his shadow.
Shu and Tefnut were curious about the waters around them and went to explore. When they never returned, Atum fearful of being lonely once more sent the Eye of Ra to find them. He cried upon their return and his tears became the very first humans. Another interpretation suggests that Shu and Tefnut left to chase the Eye of Ra and catch it. The Eye resisted the twins and in the struggle shed tears which then became humans.
Tefnut and Shu had their own children, Geb (dry land) and Nut (the sky). Now that there was earth, there was a place for the sun god Ra to rest. Geb and Nut gave birth to more gods. There was Seth, Osiris, Nepthys and Isis. When Ra grew old he found that the other deities and humans tried to take advantage of him. The humans fell from grace and Ra retreated from the human world into the heavens with the other gods soon following. That was how the earth became separated from the heavens and the gods.