Etiological or Explanation Mythsand LegendsWEB QUEST FOR MRS. HERRING’S WORLD MYTHOLOGY

PART ONELearn and Listen

are also known as “Explanation Myths or Porquoi stories.”

Etiological Myths

Etiological Myths

• Explain how a natural phenomenon came to exist

• Explain why a natural phenomenon – animal, plant, astrological, etc. – possesses a particular trait

Click on the picture above toListen to an African storyteller tell the story about Anansi the Spider and the pot of beans

Click on the picture to listen to a Native American Cherokee Storyteller explain how Rabbit lost his tail

PART TWODistinguish an etiological myth from other types of myths

Rainbow myths around the world

Click on the rainbow and find one etiological myth about rainbows. Not all the stories are explanation myths. Find one and note the culture and explanation.

Part ThreeCompare three different myths

3 Cultures/3 Myths• Read 3 etiological myths

from 3 different culturesanswer the questions on the next slide about each.

• Use the links at right to get started. *not all stories on links are etiological.

• You are free to look at other sites and cultures

Aboriginal DreamtimeAustralian Aborigine MythsAfrican Folk Stories from NigeriaGreek - ArachneGreek – Echo & NarcissusGreek – The Laurel TreeNative American LegendsNative American Myths

Questions to answer:

• Phenomenon explained:• Approximate date myth began to be told (if you can’t find

this, find out the earliest date for the culture itself):• Deities involved:• Was the origin of the phenomenon a gift, a punishment, a

trick, a consequence or motivated by some event or need?• How would you describe the tone of the story (funny, sad,

cautionary, frightening).• What conclusions can you draw from this myth about the

culture’s attitude toward deities/nature/mankind and their relationship toward one another?

• How does this myth compare and contrast with the other two?

Part FourWrite your own explanation myth

Write your own mythPick out the natural phenomenon you want to write about.It helps to know a thing well before trying to make up a story about it. The old myths were created by poets and storytellers who were well-acquainted with nature. Do some observation and research.What are the smells, sights, and sounds connected to this natural phenomenon? What social, psychological, and religious associations do people already have concerning this phenomenon?Imagine being a person with no scientific frame of reference viewing the phenomenon.Now write an explanation myth for this phenomenon. You can choose an existing mythology and use characters from that mythology or you can make up our own – be sure and identify the roles of the deities you use in your story. Email your story with your name and title at the top to mherring@hp-schools.org

Part FiveBe a storyteller

Share an etiological myths

Storytelling

Should be oral

Should not involve any electronics or props an ancient storytellerwould not have used

Should be one of the three myths you read and compared or the one you wrote