ABSTRACT
Stories of creation are perhaps the quintessential metaphorical narratives defining concepts of space. Creation is by definition concerned with space, and it seems justified to say that it is in fact the spatial representation of an idea, or the definition of space through an idea. After all, stories of creation do not only relate how spaces came into existence, they also suggest that the created spaces contain the ordering of a Divine plan, or a Divine spirit. All matter, moulded into spatial form, encloses an idea, a secret, which is the reason for its existence. Stories of creation may partly explain this reason, but they typically leave questions unanswered, which it is the task of man to solve. Stories of creation consciously ‘speak’ in symbols, in superhuman categories, in abstract realms which reflect the inner fears, hopes and desires of mankind, giving them a place in the incomprehensible physical world. As a rule, the initial ordering of space structurally pervades all matter and is preserved in spite of many obvious changes and transformations; it is above time, it cannot be affected by the human will. Spaces, and the transformation of spaces, are linked to a broader process of transformation which encompasses human beings and which deeply affects, perhaps even determines, their fate.
