Traditional Cosmology (3); The Global Mythology of Cosmic Creation and Destruction; volume: Differentiation

This work, in 6 volumes, is a compendium of traditional cosmologies worldwide. The material includes the global mythology of creation and destruction, but also comprises information drawn from other areas of traditional knowledge, ritual, iconography, shamanism, costume, and dance. Relying on original sources, universal points of agreement are identified, often on counter-intuitive ideas. These suggest a single template, a blueprint for a universal mythology of origins. In volume 3, the nascent cosmos is seen to fragment in a variety of ways. Concentric rings or windings, cardinal directions, and layered heavens and underworlds develop around the cosmic axis. The column or its extremities split into two or three. And holes are formed at the intersection of the column and the framework of the cosmos.