Notes by JanM, November 2000 General Vedic traces:

1. universe originally dark and empty except for water,then a god creates earth, sun, stars, animals and peopl[cf. Brahma]
2. earth and sky originally as one, later separated[cf. Dyaus & Prthvi]
3. in the beginning there is often no sun, moon, stars or water; sometimes they are held captured by some envious beings. They must be tricked, usually by the Raven [cf. Rg Veda story of Indra fighting Vrtra demon]
4. natural phenomena have personal forms (e.g. Lightning and Thunder man)
5. devas on higher planets, personifying the planets, sometimes relating to humans, teaching them
6. existence of underworld [cf. Bila-svarga],
7. human origin there according to Apache lore
8. shapeshifting of men and animals
9. animals originally man-like (talking etc.), later they changed into their present forms instructed to build a kind of makeshift watercraft or to escape on mountains or other safe places, they also took onboard various animals and plants and later became ancestors of present humans [cf. Manu]