SCIENCE Project Plans MYTHS AND LEGENDS

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Aubrey Merritt
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1 SCIENCE Project Plans Science Project 1 Myth versus science (Key Stage 2) Aims of the lesson: To consolidate understanding of myths, by looking at their relationship to real-world science. Activity: Myths deal with the natural world, and through myths ancient civilizations tried to make sense of the world they lived in. This seems silly in the modern world of science, with all our scientific knowledge, but ancient peoples did not have the benefit of our knowledge - knowledge that has been acquired through centuries of discoveries and scientific investigations. Myths are not scientific fact, but they do try to explain natural phenomena. lf we look at one of the ancient Greek creation stories, the world was originally Chaos. The Science Project 1 resources include a version of the myth of Chaos and how the world was created. Did the Greeks think of this as the literal truth? How would they know for sure when they weren't around for it? How different is this allegory from the Big Bang Theory? lnstead of an explosive force originating out of nowhere, but coming from within the 'cosmic soup', the Greeks had a kind of primeval, disorganised and chaotic soup, with the principle of Order suddenly asserting itself. Maybe we should say that myth is like science not knowledge, but theory. That would work for some myths, like the creation of the world out of Chaos, but it won't work when we examine other myths, like the story of a creature Hercules tried to wrestle. Every time Hercules hurled Antaeus to the ground, his adversary became stronger. Clearly this is what we might politely call a tall story. But maybe there is a scientific logic behind it. What if Antaeus had some sort of magnet that made him stronger each time he hit the Earth and weaker when held away from his power source? Or how about Cerberus, the three-headed hound guarding the Underworld? There are two-headed people. We call them Siamese or conjoined twins. Why not three headed beasts? Ask the class to source some Greek myths that deal with scientific principles. There are many Greek myths that deal with forms of energy. For example: sound - Echo light - Narcissus (reflection) heat - Prometheus (fire) growth - Demeter and Persephone electricity - Zeus motion - Hermes The Science Project 1 resource file offers some information on how these Greek gods and goddesses were the origins of different forms of energy. Extension: To further develop this activity, ask the pupils to research some other myths and legends to do with science. The ancient Greeks were not the only ones to have creationist myths. Nordic creation myths have been documented by Snorri Sturluson, an lcelandic historian, poet, and politician who lived around AD. ln these writings can be found the creation myth of the World Ash Tree (Yggdrasil). The Science Project 1 file includes the myth of the World Ash Tree. Yggdrasil is an Ash tree, at the centre of all worlds. lt is the World Tree of life and knowledge, and of time and space. On the highest branches sits an eagle, and twisted round its roots lies a snake, gnawing at the tree. The eagle and the snake hate each other. A squirrel runs up and down the tree, telling each in turn what rude things the other is saying! Under the roots of the tree there is a spring of water called Mimir. lf you drink from the spring, you will get wisdom and understanding. Odin (Nordic God) thought it was so important to be wise that he gave one of his eyes for a drink from the spring. From that time on, he only had one eye, but he was the cleverest of the gods. He invented Runes, the Nordic system of writing. The Science Project 1 resources include information sheets on Greek creation theory and how forms of energy were introduced by some specific gods and goddesses. The file also includes information sheets on Nordic myths about the world s creation.

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6 SCIENCE Project Plans Science Project 2 Mythical astronomy (Key Stage 2) Aims of the lesson: To research the links between the planets in our solar system and ancient Greek/Roman gods. Activity: The planets in our solar system are named after Roman and Greek mythological gods and goddesses, except for the name Earth which is Germanic and Old English in origin. The five planets easily visible with the unaided eye (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) have been observed for all human history as far as we can tell, and they were called different things by different cultures. The Romans named these planets according to their movements and appearance. For example, Venus, the planet that appears the brightest, was named after the Roman goddess of beauty, while the reddish Mars was named after the god of war. These Roman names were adopted by European languages and culture and became standard in science. Begin this activity by asking the pupils how they think the planets got their names. Next tell them that all of the planets in our solar system (except Earth) are named after ancient Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. The Science Project 2 resources file offers a list of the planets and some information on the gods and goddesses they are named after. Using this information ask the pupils to draw a Representation of the solar system, naming the planets and writing a short sentence about the gods and goddesses that the planets are named after. The ancient Greeks and Romans were not the only early civilisations to name the planets after their gods. ln Hindu religion and mythology, the nine planets occupy an important role. The planets are believed to have an impact on the lives of individuals. This is moving into the realms of astrology - something that the pupils will be more familiar with in terms of the Zodiac. The Science Project 2 resources file includes an information sheet on how the planets are named in Vedic astrology (the Hindu science of studying the planets). The Hindu planets are referred to as the Navagraha. There are also mythical names used for constellations of stars. The following is a constellation mentioned or referred to in old Scandinavian poems. Unfortunately, exactly which stars this story refers to is unknown. AURVANDIL S TOE A brave warrior named Aurvandil was going about his travels far to the north. He came to an impassable river called Elivagar. Thor, the god of thunder offered to take him across the river by placing him in a basket. However, one of his toes stuck out and was frozen. Thor broke the toe off and threw it into the sky. This tale is recounted in Snorri's Prose Edda. Since Aurvandil's toe was frozen and this episode takes place in winter, the Norsemen could have been referring to a blue star that appears predominantly in the colder months and didn't appear in any other constellation. lt could refer to the bright star Sirus in Canis Major. Once the pupils have looked at the names we use for the planets, ask them where they think the names of the week come from. ln English, we call our days of the week after Saxon gods, apart from Saturday. The Science Project 2 resources file includes a table showing the names of the weeks in English and Saxon. The table also shows the names of the week used by the ancient Romans, and which gods they named some of the days after. Extension: To develop this project further ask the pupils where they think the names we give the months of the year came from? The Science Project 2 file offers an information sheet detailing the names of the months and the origins of those names. Only a few are named after mythical gods and goddesses. The Science Project 2 resources file includes a range of information sheets on how the planets and the days of the week are named.

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THE SOLAR SYSTEM. Worksheets UNIT 1. Raül Martínez Verdún

THE SOLAR SYSTEM. Worksheets UNIT 1. Raül Martínez Verdún Worksheets UNIT 1 October-December 2009 NAME: DATE: Worksheet 1A Cut out these 9 circles and then order them from the smallest to the biggest. NAME: DATE: Worksheet 1B NAME: DATE: Worksheet 2 Read the