I used to think that only Native Americans had creation stories about figures diving deep down into the sea to get soil, and that soil becomes the Earth.
However, after much research, I would later discover that the Slavic peoples of Eastern Europe also have a creation story like this!
Here's how it goes:
Belobog (the god of light) sent Chernobog (the god of darkness) to get some soil from the primeval sea.
In doing so, Chernobog filled his mouth as well as his hands with the soil.
Belobog used the soil from Chernobog's hands to create the vast lands of Eastern Europe.
In an attempt to speak, Chernobog choked on the soil he had in his mouth!
Chernobog fled in panic, and coughed up this soil...which became the mountains and hills.
Though much of Slavic mythology was recorded after the Slavic nations had accepted Christianity, this creation story carries with it a hint of paganism in how it differs from the Bible's creation narrative:
The Bible starts with "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth"; but this Slavic story has God and the Devil creating the Earth together.
According to Christian theology, Satan was once an angel who rebelled against God and was thrown out of Heaven by the Big Guy Upstairs.
Hence, God created the Devil.
However, in this Eastern European story, the Devil is not only the god of darkness from the beginning; he's also helping God create the world and even gets credit for creating the mountains with the soil he upchucks!
If you're a fan of old Disney movies, you may recognize Chernobog's name as the basis for the name of Chernabog, the big scary demon in Disney's Fantasia.
That's why Chernobog is depicted in the cartoon above as a dark and shadowy demon, just like his Disney counterpart.
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