The Beginning of the World

Shilluk Mythology

Juok, the creator, moulded all men out of earth and while he was creating them he wandered about the world. In the land of the whites he found earth that was pure white or sand, and he shaped white men out of it. Next he came to the land of Egypt and out of the mud of the Nile River he made red and brown men. Finally, Juok came to the land of the Shilluks, and finding black earth there he created black men. He molded men in this way: he took a lump of earth and said to himself, "I will make man, but he must be able to walk and run and go out into the fields, so I will give him two long legs, like the flamingo." After doing so, he said to himself again, "Man must be able to cultivate his millet, so I will give him two arms; one to hold the hoe and one to tear up the weeds." So Juok gave man two arms. Then he said to himself, "Man must be able to see his millet, so I will give him two eyes." So Juok gave man two eyes. Next he said to himself, "Man must be able to eat his millet, so I will give him a mouth." And so he gave man a mouth. Next he said to himself, "Man must be able to dance and speak and sing and shout, so I will give him a tongue." And so Juok gave man a tongue. Finally Juok said to himself, "Man must be able to hear the noise of the dance and the speech of the great men, so I will give him two ears." So Juok gave man two ears, and sent him out into the world a perfect man.

The Dawn and Dusk of Man is a Thinkquest Mythology Project by Sheila, Min, Ana and Tencia of Montgomery Blair High School.