Ganesha's Creation Story

The beautiful goddess Parvati was lonely. Her husband, the great god Shiva, Lord of Dissolution, had left their home to wander on the mountain and sit in the caves, where he sat to meditate and perform his yogic rituals and austerities. He had been away for a very long time, and Parvati longed for his company.
 
She thought about this as she bathed her body, one morning, and as she contemplated her loneliness, she suddenly began to laugh. In her solitude, she had forgotten her own power. As Parvati, she was a creative force, and even if Shiva were away, she could create a child to keep herself company. She rubbed her skin, and from the oils of her skin and her laughter, she created a son.  
 
When this son grew a little older, Parvati began to give him responsibilities, so one day she placed him at the threshold of their home, as she wished to rest in the afternoon heat. He was to deter all people from entering. Several people stopped by, hoping to speak to the great goddess, but he politely turned them away.
 
However… this was the day that Shiva decided to return from his mountaintop. He too, longed for his beloved, and was singularly focused on seeing her.  Shiva stepped out of the forest, ash-smeared, naked except for a tiger skin around his hips, dreadlocks swirling around him as he walked. He approached the threshold and told the small boy guarding it to get out of his way.
 
In turn, Parvati’s son replied that, no, he could not enter. Shiva was enraged. He told his group of friends, called the Ganas, who had come down from the mountain with him, to attack the boy. One by one they came at him, and Parvati’s son defeated each of Shiva’s Ganas. Shiva wondered who this powerful boy could be, but used all of his force to attack him, finally beheading him with his trident.
 
Parvati, hearing the commotion, rushed out of their home, and was distraught and furious at Shiva’s actions. Shiva, realising that the child was his own son, was equally distressed, and asked what he could do to fix the situation. Parvati sent Shiva into the forest with her brother Vishnu, Lord of Maintenance, and the boys’ Uncles - Brahma, Lord of Creation, and Indra, the great ancient Vedic King of the Gods, to find the child a new head.
 
As these four gods moved through the forest, they encountered an elephant, who, recognising that he was in the company of the greatest Gods in the Universe, offered them his head. The Gods brought the head back, attached it to the boy, and Ganesh, Ganesha, or Ganapati, Lord of the Ganas, as we now know him, came into being.
 
In his new form, Ganesha maintained the powers of a God, but also gained the powers of an elephant. He became even more steadfast. He acquired a great memory. He could hear things more acutely, and he gained, of course, his trunk which both is force and dexterity and a sign of his inner power as well.
 
Through the greatest pain and challenge of his young life, he gained his power.

*Please note that this is a popularly agreed-upon version of Ganesha's Creation. There are other accounts as well - some differing greatly and others just differing subtly in the details.