Daoyuan (Tao)

Creation Myth

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About this myth

Daoyuan (Tao) is a Creation myth originating from the Taoism belief system. The main deity depicted in this myth is likely Tao.

In a nutshell

Myth summary

The namess, formless, and most great entity named Tao created the universe and humans from a misty vapor.

Attested: Unknown
Created: Unknown
Myth type: Creation
Main deity: Tao
Belief system: Taoism
Origin: Asia › Eastern Asia › China

Belief system

Taoism Folk religion

Monotheistic

Taoism is an ancient belief system and folk religion that originated in China. It is based on a natural order of the universe.

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Belief system

Tao

Main deity

Tao is a name given to the natural order of the universe according to Taoism.

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Main deity

More information

The Daoyuan (Tao) creation myth comes China and is one of world's oldest creation narratives and was only recently discovered in the form of an artifact in 1973.

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Texts related to this myth

See full texts of this myth via related artifacts. Where available, a translation is included.

All texts

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How did we get this date?

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How did we get this date?

We're not quite sure about the creation date for this myth.

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Cite this page

MLA Modern Language Association (8th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Daoyuan (Tao)." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 06 May. 2019, omnika.org/stable/139. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.

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APA American Psychological Association (6th ed.)

OMNIKA (2019, May 06). Daoyuan (Tao). Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/139

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CMS Chicago Manual of Style (16th ed.)

OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Daoyuan (Tao)." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created May 06, 2019. Accessed January 22, 2026. https://omnika.org/stable/139.

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Bibliography

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Fast facts

Myth
Taoism Belief system
Tao Main deity
Origin
location_city China Eastern Asia

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