For me, the experience of creating a myth was fun and exciting, yet I found myself wanting to give my myth a deeper meaning to make it feel authentic and relatable. This process helped me better understand how and why myths were created–to explain the mysteries of the natural world, convey cultural values, or teach lessons through story. In crafting my own myth, I realized how mythmakers might have woven their beliefs and experiences into their stories to give them purpose and meaning. It also enhanced my appreciation for the imaginative effort behind traditional myths, as I saw firsthand how a simple narrative could reflect deeper truths about human relationships with nature, gods, and each other. Creating a myth has shown me that myths aren’t just stories; they’re a way to make sense of the world, and they often carry wisdom that resonates across generations.
From this experience, I learned that I could assign a similar project for my future students to help them connect with myths, particularly Greek mythology, on a deeper level. This type of assignment could encourage students to see how myths not only explain the world’s mysteries but also reflect human experiences, emotions, and values. Through creating their own myths, students could explore personal insights or find guidance in understanding life’s complexities, which could lead to meaningful discussions about their own lives, growth, and self-discovery. This approach would make learning about mythology more engaging, relevant, and impactful.
ReplyDeleteHi, Samantha!
Jennifer Morrow: I really enjoyed reading your myth, "The Origins of The Whispering Trees"! It was all about books and libraries and book people and book trees, so that was awesome. The end made me sad though!
In your post you wrote about, "how mythmakers might have woven their beliefs and experiences", into their stories, and that is absolutely true! I tend to write Celtic and British Isles myth into my stories, because that is the most of my background. When reading your myth, I saw that you followed a traditional storytelling myth of how the myth happened to the ending when there is a statement about it. I also fell into a traditional myth telling pattern, even though I didn’t plan on it or think about it, I just started writing the story to the idea that I came up with.
You are right in this statement, “they’re a way to make sense of the world, and they often carry wisdom that resonates across generations”. It’s totally true - even if we really don’t believe in these things today, somewhere deep on the inside we do a little, maybe, and having a story to help us understand what people in the past were thinking and feeling is really important culturally.
Hi Samantha! I enjoyed reading your take on how creating your own myth went for you. Your myth was absolutely amazing and I could feel your excitement and how much effort you put into creating it. Me personally, creating my own myth was kind of difficult for me but I like how you connected it back to how you would use this assignment to assign a similar one for your own classroom. I think having them create their own myths would encourage the students to use a more personal approach to the material which will allow them to see how myths are reflected onto the universal human experiences and emotions. It would allow the kids to gain a deeper understanding of myths which can help open doors to their growth in their critical thinking and creativity area of their development.
ReplyDelete- Stella Chun
Hi Samantha!!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your whole discussion regarding your new view of myths following your creation of one. I definitely share your view that myths actually have really important cultural and spiritual context to those who believe in it. I think it's neat that it was a very early way in which our ancestors tried to grapple with reality and make sense of the world. I think that we tend to think of myths as "just stories", as you said, simply because they don't really have much importance to us? Your myth was borne of you so I think you align yourself with it, so you can see the importance that all myths have to certain people now!
In regards to your application of it in the classroom, I totally agree that it would help with self-discovery within students! It's both a creative activity and a fun way to kind of explore what is important to oneself and try to express it to others!
-Jesse Gonzalez (: