Blog #3 Mythbuilding
Creating a myth website helped me engage deeply within my myths context and overall meaning. While creating a myth, it allowed me to be more creative and was surely different from typically studying a myth. It differs because when we study myths we essentially look deep into its established stories and cultural traditions, focusing on themes such as religious values and creations. However, when creating a myth of your own, it allows for an abundance of imagination and personal experiences.
By creating my myth and telling the story of Atherona, I created my own archetype that incorporated my own themes of self discovery, embracing differences, and use of power that can be used as an inspiration to others. This ultimately enhanced my ability to study myths as it gave me an idea of how myths can be utilized to portray and even express individuals' ideas and truths about the world. In addition, when creating my myth, I realized that it can provide and inspire individuals with valuable lessons. For instance, the lesson with my myth highlights the important issue of stereotyping, and how it can impact an individual's self esteem and identity.
Moreover, understanding myths is crucial in teaching students about certain issues, whether from the past or even the present. Thus, it utilizes the importance of storytelling and offers the use of creativity and critical thinking skills. With that, it forces them to use their own individual thoughts and abilities when creating their own myths. Therefore, as a teacher, I would encourage students to utilize their storytelling abilities which can ultimately help guide them to explore complex themes about society when creating a myth of their own.
Leah, I really enjoyed reading your reflection! Your experience with creating a myth and developing the story of Atherona sounds incredibly meaningful. I love how you connected your myth to themes of self-discovery, embracing differences, and the power of inspiration—those are such powerful and relevant messages. It’s interesting how you pointed out that myths can reflect personal truths and offer valuable lessons, even about modern issues like stereotyping and identity. I also agree that storytelling is a great way to help students engage with complex ideas. Myths have always been a way for societies to explain the world, and allowing students to create their own encourages them to think critically about the themes that shape human experiences. Your approach as a future teacher is inspiring—helping students see mythology not just as ancient stories but as a tool to express ideas and explore social issues. What inspired you to create Atherona’s story?
ReplyDeleteHey Leah!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar thought process reflecting about writing my own myth, especially the part about how we could focus on more personal experiences. I think one of the things I realized early on was that most of the myths I’ve read and studied focused on religious figures and cultural values, though I ended up finding it difficult to stray far from that type of story. You mentioned that myths can teach valuable lessons or highlight important issues, and I think stories like those tend to be more engaging overall. I think using these kinds of myths as a foundation for students as they create their own is a really smart idea, as it directly connects the myths to their lives and makes the genre seem less abstract as a whole.
Hi Leah, I enjoyed reading your blog post about your experience with creating a myth as opposed to studying it. I also share a similar sentiment. To create a myth, you must have a good understanding of a myth’s function and purpose. Since you need to understand this, it enhances your overall knowledge of mythology. Also, I think it is important to understand the difference between the creative aspect and the consumption. When creating your own myth, you have to be clever with putting ideas together to make a cohesive story with a purpose. The consumption of studying involves dissecting the layers that are on the page already. I think both are necessary for students to engage in so that they have a greater total knowledge of mythology as a whole.
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