Curiosity Killed the Cat....but Satisfaction Brought Him Back

I suppose the allure of studying myths is their mystery-factor. They are stories accounting for things that are not quite understood or accounted for, and the very fact that they have not been—and often cannot be—historically or scientifically proven, makes them so much more attractive to those who study them. This, at least, is the reason why I enjoy them so thoroughly.

I believe that a common driving force amongst all humans in general is curiosity; therefore, I’ve always considered myths a product of our curiosity. I think this is why the activity of creating our own myths was so enjoyable. It gave me the chance to think about things I’ve always been curious about. I particularly liked the process of coming up with ways to link seemingly unconnected elements with the goal of creating one common goal: creating and satisfying my personal wonder, and at the same time, come up with a plausible explanation for seemingly unexplained phenomena.

I would hope to offer this experience to students in a classroom setting. I would first introduce them to a few common myths in order to draw parallels between their storylines and structures. I would also introduce ways in which the discussed myths could be told differently in order to further clarify their structures. I would then (like we did in class) ask the students to create a myth in order to internalize the structure and purpose of myths in general. I would emphasize the importance of audience awareness and encourage the students to consider creating myths that could satisfy their curiosity about a certain phenomenon. I might consider doing this project in groups to promote collaborative skills as well as students' creativity.