Mythology Drill: 1. Think about some of the stories family members have shared with you. 2. Write a brief summary of one of these stories in the drill section of your binder. 3. Why did your family member tell you that story? Write your answer in the drill section of your binder.

MYTHOLOGY Take a binder divider from the stool in front of the room; insert it into your binder. Write a definition of MYTHOLOGY in that section.

Why do Myths exist?

1. To Explain a Natural Phenomena  To answer the questions we all ask at one time or another  Examples:  Why do crops die every winter?  Where does the sun go at night?

2. To Control Natural Forces In order to control nature, people had to try to gain the gods’ favor. They did this by: –making sacrifices, –offering prayers, or –performing rituals.  Once the gods were on their side, the people tried to influence the gods.  Examples: ask them to cure a disease or make the rain fall when needed

3. To Bind a Clan, Tribe, or Nation Together  Myths create strong social connections.  They keep empires together.  They generate a kind of “family” or “team” spirit.

4. To Record Historical Events  Events in a tribe or nation are recorded as legends/myths  Example: –In Mesopotamia, the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers were prone to flooding –Judeo-Christian Noah story and Babylonian flood myth are believed to be tales of a disastrous flood of that area

5. To Give a Verbal Geography Lesson  Before maps, myths gave the only description of landmarks.  People knew where other lands and peoples were based on the stories that travelers told.

6. To Set Examples for People’s Behavior  Myths of the gods and of heroes showed people HOW to act, and how NOT to act.

7. To Justify a Social Structure  Arrangement of mythological heavens reflected the social arrangement of the culture.  Society should be arranged a certain way to reflect the gods’ order of things.  The Romans claimed their emperors were descendants of gods, so their word was law.

8. To Control People  Depending on the myth, you can: –control with authority (from the gods) and fear –threaten with punishments during life and after death

Can you think of any additional reasons why myths exist?

Closure  Why do myths exist?  How are myths passed down over time?  Why are some myths still present today?