Heroes & Monsters

Ms. Carla Kurt

You will work in small groups to research and present foundational myths from a wide array of world cultures. Your objective will be to discover the "how" and "why" of the commonalities these various myths share and the universal archetypes they present. Each group will choose one culture and explore its various foundational myths. Choose from:

Norse	Japanese	Native American
Celtic	Chinese	Aztec, Myan, Incan
Egyptian	Hindu	Polynesian

After choosing either Option One or Option Two, research various foundational myths from your group’s culture, taking complete notes using the questions below as a guide. You don't, however, need to limit your scope to these guidelines! Be sure to provide the URL (Web address) for each reference or image you include.

Research ancient world mythology online and in print resources.  Below are some good online starting points:

• Encyclopedia Mythica - http://www.pantheon.org/ - an encyclopedia on mythology, folklore and legend
• World Myths & Legends in Art - http://www.artsmia.org/world-myths/ - this site from the Minneapolis Institute of Art shoes how art adds to the understanding of myths and legends
• Myths and Folktales - http://www.arhs.net/Arts/Literature/MythsandFolktales/Myths/ - a directory that's very comprehensive, but requires some navigation
• Mythology - http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/mythology.html%26edu=high¬† - visually attractive pages contain links to myths categorized by sun, earth, moon, etc.
  
  

Guidelines

· Summarize the myth.

· Name the culture and time period associated with the myth.

· Identify the figures and objects included in the myth. In what ways do they represent archetypal models?

· What purposes does this myth serve?

· What questions about life does this myth address?

· What does this myth tell about human nature (what lesson does this myth tell)?

· What do the events in the story imply about how the storyteller perceives the way the world works?

· Find examples of art related to the myth.

Option One

Overview: You are a member of a project development team that is about to market an educational software package about world mythology. Several of the classic myths have already been chosen, but your boss wants to include other kinds of lesser-known myths from various cultures. Your team has done its research and has five PowerPoint slides to present five important myths from one culture for inclusion.

Goal: to find worthy myths to be accepted for the software package; to earn a bonus

Role: members of a project development team

Audience: your boss and other development teams

Scenario: you must convince your boss that your myths are worthy of inclusion based on their themes, characters and representations of typical or atypical patterns

Purpose: to persuade; to "sell" your project

Standards: professional looking presentation of a five significant cultural myths

Option Two

Overview: Your group is designing a calendar with a mythological theme. Your task is to find twelve myths from one culture and create a professional looking calendar using publishing software.

Goal: to create a calendar with a mythology theme that includes informative captions

Role: members of a design team

Audience: a calendar publisher

Scenario: each month must depict a different myth from your assigned culture using both images and informative captions (see guidelines above); bonus for seasonal topics

Purpose: to "sell" your project

Standards: professional looking calendar with accurate captions