Such is the basic outline of the mythopoeic theme of
creation as
expressed in the Snake-Bird motif, versions of which can be found in
literally hundreds of myths from around the world. The opening
lines of the Finnish epic Kalevala, for instance, contain hints of this
motif, although an apparent reduplication has left us with two
versions, in which the goddess is both an air-spirit and a
goldeneye.6 Similarly,
the first creation story in the Jewish
scriptures mentions the spirit (or Dove?) of Elohim hovering over the
Waters, as if searching for the as yet uncreated land.7
And
finally, a Greek myth tells the whole story. It has been
reconstructed as follows:
In the beginning, Eurynome, the Goddess of All Things, rose naked from
Chaos, but found nothing substantial for her feet to rest upon, and
therefore divided the sea from the sky, dancing lonely upon its
waves. She danced towards the south, and the wind set in motion
behind her seemed something new and apart with which to begin a work of
creation. Wheeling about, she caught hold of this North Wind, rubbed it
between her hands, and behold! the great serpent Ophion. Eurynome
danced to warm herself, wildly and more wildly, until Ophion, grown
lustful, coiled about those divine limbs and was moved to couple with
her. Now, the North Wind, who is also called Boreas, fertilizes; which
is why mares often turn their hind-quarters to the wind and breed foals
without aid of a stallion. So Eurynome was likewise got with child.
Next, she assumed the form of a dove, brooding on
the waves and, in due
process of time, laid the Universal Egg. At her bidding, Ophion coiled
seven times about this egg, until it hatched and split in two. Out
tumbled all things that exist, her children: sun, moon, planets, stars,
the earth with its mountains and rivers, its trees, herbs, and living
creatures.8
Admittedly, these few examples―though intriguing, and even telling―come
relatively late in the history of myth; earlier examples of this motif
would establish the antiquity of our theme. Forutnately, many
earlier examples, some much earlier, abound. One such example,
perhaps one that contributed to the Jewish version mentioned above, can
be found in the mythic complex of the Egyptian goddess Ma‘at.
The Snake-Bird Creation Myth