Origin Stories

The origin stories of humankind remain shrouded in mystery, as much the realm of myth as traditional historiography. Delve into creation stories from around the world with your students to learn how humans have sought to know themselves, and the common threads that bind us to those at the dawn of history will be revealed.

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Origin Stories
Lesson 1.2
Big History Project
What Is Big History?
Origin Stories
Every culture that’s ever existed has had a story that answers the most basic question: Where did we come from? Whether spoken, sung, written, or drawn, origin stories—including the modern scientific version, which continues to evolve—are how we explain the Universe.
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Featured Materials

Introduction to Origin Stories
Introduction to Origin Stories
Article

Introduction to Origin Stories

For thousands of years people have been telling stories about how our Universe and humans came into being.
Origin Stories Article Collection
Activity

Origin Stories Article Collection

What's your origin story? Define yourself in the context of your personal, family, and cultural history.
Origin Story: Chinese
Origin Story: Chinese
Article

Origin Story: Chinese

This origin story comes from Chinese culture—the tale of Pan Gu and the egg of the world.
Origin Story: Iroquois
Origin Story: Iroquois
Article

Origin Story: Iroquois

The Iroquois people in North America tell this tale of the great turtle.
Origin Story: Greek
Origin Story: Greek
Article

Origin Story: Greek

The ancient Greeks told an origin story of the Titans and the gods of Olympus.
Origin Story: Efik
Origin Story: Efik
Article

Origin Story: Efik

In this origin story of the Nigerian Efik people, the first humans defy the gods to achieve greater power and wisdom.
Cosmology and Faith
Cosmology and Faith
Article

Cosmology and Faith

A contemporary theologian examines the relationship between cosmology and faith.
Revealing the Dark: Vera Rubin – Graphic Biography
Cartoon illustration of Vera Rubin
Article

Revealing the Dark: Vera Rubin – Graphic Biography

Vera Rubin’s observations revealed that our Universe is largely composed of matter we cannot see. Her work was met with skepticism, but she transformed astronomy.

Standing on the Shoulders of Invisible Giants
Illustration of Nicolaus Copernicus standing the shoulders of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Article

Standing on the Shoulders of Invisible Giants

The history of science is a history of our collective learning. Historians piece together different conversations to tell a story that crosses centuries and continents.

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