Among some Siberians (See Siberians, Siberian entries), an earth-diver creation (See Earth-Diver Creation) prevails (See Central Asian Creation, Altaic Mythology). For most, the egg-like universe is made up of three earths: upper, middle, and lower. An axis tree with an earth goddess at its roots in the lower earth rises up through the navel of the middle earth to the pole star. The Sun and the Moon sit at the top of the tree and the souls of the unborn live in its branches. The Sun is worshipped as a sustainer of life, the Moon brings the unborn to human mothers. The Turko-Mongols (See Turko-Mongol Mythology) and Finno-Ugrians, in particular, see creation as a work of a spirit (for example, Num or Ulgan) and a competing devil-like figure (for example, Nga or Erlik).
