Writing a Myth

A myth has been defined as “a story embodying and declaring a pattern of relationship between humanity, other forms of life, and the environment” (R. J. Stewart). As such, myths and creation accounts and stories help to provide a unifying framework for the people who believe, either literally or figuratively, in this shared account. It is not a falsehood or an unscientific lie; rather, it is a poetic and shared vision.

Some of these mythic elements that derive from the Oral Tradition are: 1) The use of repetition for emphasis and ease of recall; 2) The use of poetic devices such as alliteration, personification, metaphor and simile, and symbolism; 3) A concern with numbers, often times repeated; 4) The power of “The Word” (Logos) and the subsequent use of concrete nouns to label important elements (both human and non-human).

This week you will be writing your own Creation Myths! This is intended to be a fun and creative assignment, so use your imagination!

Think of a natural phenomena that you would like to explain. Pick one natural phenomena and create a myth that explains how this phenomena was created or why it acts the way it does. Remember, most myths have two functions:

• Explain how something was created or why it is the way it is.
• Teach us a life lesson (Have a theme).

Think back to the myths we have read in class as an example of what a good myth does.Write an original creation myth following the writing process. Be sure to include all the elements of a myth: characters, setting, conflict, plot, resolution, and possibly metamorphosis.

Some ideas for you if you are really stuck:

• how cats got their tails
• how the sun came into being
• why the moon disappears once a month
• why giraffes have long necks
• why there is dew on the grass in the summer
• why dogs bark instead of chirp
• why penguins can’t fly
• why trees grow vertically instead of horizontally
• why people have language and animals do not