What+are+Myths?

What are Myths?
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Added by Laurie: ** What is a Myth? ** Among the many types of traditional literature, Myths are some of the best-known. Like all traditional literature, myths have their roots as stories that have been passed down orally. They usually contain supernatural elements or elements of fantasy and often contain incidents that try to explain elements of nature. Many tell about the gods and demons of early cultures and describe their cultural beliefs and values. Some of the most popular myths come from Greek and Norse traditions. //King Midas//, //Persephone// and //The Death of Balder// are examples of these. But myths come from all cultures and are a valuable tool in teaching students about the wide variety of world cultures.

Norton, Donna E. //Through the Eyes of a Child: An Introduction to Children’s Literature 7th Edition//. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson/‌Merrill Prentice Hall, 2007. Print.

Pilling, Ann. //The Kingfisher Treasury of Myths and Legends//. Illustrated by Kady Mac Donald Denton. Boston: Kingfisher, 2003. Print.

Added by Mary: **What are Myths?** Most people when they think of Myths think of stories that are false, made up, not true. But in reality Myths are important, fundamental, sacred stories that are true for people in that culture. Myths are a way of explaining the natural world and things we don’t understand. One of the most important and interesting differences between humans and other animals is that we are not just satisfied by the basics of life (food, shelter, reproduction). We are intensely curious. For instance, when we look up in the sky and see the sun moving across the sky, what comes into our mind? A question --- How does that happen? We try our best to come up with an answer --- A god on a chariot must pull it. Myths are important because they show the curiosity of human beings and they show that we want to know about the world around us. Even though it is easy for us to dismiss these myths as cute stories or the people as not as smart as us, the important thing about myths is not the answer (the sun is pulled by gods in the sky), but the fact that they asked the question and tried to figure out an answer. We have the benefits of their questions and hundred and thousands of years of science and math and other ways of finding out the correct answers.