Derived from two ancient Greek words, Kosmos meaning universe and logos meaning reasoning, the study of any scientific, mythological, or religious theory of the universe, particularly those involving heavenly bodies.
Until about 400 years ago, thinking about the origin and working of the universe was a matter of speculation and religious faith. Creation myths are found in most cultures and are usually centered on the Earth, with the specific creation spot, the umbilicus, located in that part of the world where the myth-creators live. Myths vary in composition and complexity. Nevertheless, there are some basic elements that are similar: Most include the origin of a god or gods and elaborate on his or their role in the creation of Earth and humankind; sometimes the creation comes out of nothing, sometimes from another form of preexisting matter. In many stories, the creation of Earth, sea, plants, animals, and humans came out of a primeval chaos that was not neutral but was believed to have its own constitution that forever opposed being put in order, hence its propensity to break out into violent activities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, and violent storms hence also the destructive practices of humans, as shown in their continuous struggle between good and evil. On the divine level and in the various dualistic systems of religion, the activity of chaos is represented by devils.