Sometimes they can be depicted with words. The creation story of the Kanienkehaka is full of symbolism. The words are put together in order to say something in an indirect way. For example, when Mohawk people say that the earth lies on a turtle's back, this is a symbol for the continent of North America, a continent that was at one time inhabited solely by native people. There are other things in the creation story that are symbolic of deeper truths.
Some people take creation stories literally.
They believe that everything in them is the factual truth. When creation stories are taken literally, a great conflict of ideas and images are expressed between the stories of different peoples. When creation stories are taken symbolically, it is clear to see that there is a lot of similarity between people, from nation to nation. A Good Historian Must Distinguish Between Literal And Symbolic Truths. A good historian is able to distinguish when something should be taken literally and when it should be taken symbolically.