Chaos (cosmogony)

Chaos (cosmogony)

Chaos (Greek χάος, khaos) refers to the formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, more specifically the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth.

The motif of Chaoskampf (German for "struggle against chaos") is ubiquitous in such myths, depicting a battle of a culture hero deity with a chaos monster, often in the shape of a serpent or dragon. The same term has also been extended to parallel concepts in the religions of the Ancient Near East.

Read more about Chaos (cosmogony):  Terminology, Chaoskampf, Greco-Roman Tradition, Alchemy

Famous quotes containing the word chaos:

    Before the land rose out of the ocean, and became dry land, chaos reigned; and between high and low water mark, where she is partially disrobed and rising, a sort of chaos reigns still, which only anomalous creatures can inhabit.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)