it is common for the recitation of an origin myth to be preceded by the recitation of a cosmogonic myth.

Within academic circles, the term myth is often used specifically to refer to origin and cosmogonic myths. Folklorists, for example, reserve the term myth for stories that describe creation. Stories that do not primarily focus on origins are categorized as legend or folk tale, which are distinct from myths according to folklorists. Mircea Eliade, a historian, argues that in many traditional cultures,