Understanding the Nature of Myth and Legend Creation Myths Understanding the Nature of Myth and Legend

Objectives This lesson leads students to consider the uses of myth and legend to gain an understanding of the world around us. Students analyze an Iroquois creation story, “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, both individually and in small group discussions. The final assessment employs an assignment in which students create their own legends to demonstrate their understanding of the nature of myth and legend.

Questions Use a Word Document to type definitions these questions. Use an ONLINE Dictionary. Save in Google Drive as Myths and Legends What is a myth? What is a legend? What are some characteristics of each?

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What is a myth? A traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

What is a legend? A nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical.

Any Shared Characteristics? A legend is presumed to have some basis in historical fact and tends to mention real people or events. Historical fact morphs into a legend when the truth has been exaggerated to the point that real people or events have taken on a romanticized, "larger than life" quality. In contrast, a myth is a type of symbolic storytelling that was never based on fact. Throughout time, myths have sought to explain difficult concepts (e.g., the origin of the universe) with the help of common story devices, such as personification and allegories.

The World on the Turtle’s Back