Mythology and Mapmaking

Most of us have seen some adaptation of ancient myths in movies, shows, comic books, and music. But where do all these stories come from? How were they created, and why? In this class, we will explore mythologies from around the world and throughout time. Using this as our background, we will discover how the myths have influenced authors, screen writers, and video game creators today. We will build some worlds of our own, inspired by stories of the past, and of course we will need maps to find our way!

Homework/Things to Know:

We have been working on creation myths in class. We covered myths from the Egyptians, Norse, Greeks, etc. The last couple weeks, the students have been writing their own creation myths for their fantasy worlds, which we will later make maps for. We have now completed our in-class time working on creation myths, so the students who are not finished will need to complete them outside of class. Below is the checklist we went over in class. Completed creation myths need to be turned in by the week of Nov. 3. 

-come up with main characters for story (creator, deities, etc.)

-come up with a main theme for your story (balance, harmony, nature, warfare, power struggle, etc.)

-map out your story: have a beginning, middle and end thought through *they need to finish this step before they begin writing

-begin writing: finished product should be two long paragraphs (6-8 sentences for MS, 8-12 sentences for HS)

**students may type if helpful, but typing is not required

"Myths are early science, the result of men's first trying to explain what they saw around them." - Edith Hamilton