- Helene F.
- Monday, October 11, 2021
We can be who we are, and learn about each other's cultures, past and present through recorded and written words. We can look at ancient myths, and strip them to the minimal truth. Taking a fresh look at things we can see the past and present from different angles. The Romans, or Greeks of the past can be represented by the "Olympians" and the "Titans" of myth.
Parental guidance is suggested for some myths due to subject matter. There are children's articles of search the terms seen above and below found in our free Encyclopedia databases for age appropriate information.
In history the Sea People (Phoenicians) explored to trade with, or take from others. Those who staid on land interacted with people from other distant lands. What one group's stories of myths might use as justification to their actions, another group might use as a warning against becoming like the invaders.
Those in control rewrote the narratives different times and places, (Egyptian, Greek, then Roman and other cultures have similarities, but also differences in their myths) and changed names and abilities of these powerful being so many times that the "Olympians" have multiple personalities by now. Thank you Rick Riordan for showing that wonderfully.
We as humans on this planet Earth can blaze our own trail, calibrating the past with the present to move into the future. The heroes in the myths of today were created by Stan Lee of Marvel and Jack Kirby of DC. Diverse writers are writing for their communities more now than ever. For ecomics you can access Hoopla through your user name and password connected to your library card and pin.
Through history we know that there were Punic wars, and that groups of people have "disappeared". The Spanish and Portuguese rose after the Phoenicians and Romans fell.
When the New World was "found" the Spanish took over what is now Mexico from the Aztec people. Before the Aztec, the Mayans, who lived in Central America, had their own myths. Mexico City shows a blending of the two worlds in her statues, and museums, and the present world around her through the people and new city that built up around the Old Mexico City.
In Hoopla and Kanopy you can watch videos that give voice to people's stories all around the world. In the myths handed down to the Spanish from the Greco Roman culture, sad endings for the humans was the typical ending. In the Mayan culture though, that is not always the case.
In the story called "Popol Vuh" (the English version of Popol Vuh is in Hoopla) Mayan twin brothers are able to get out of many traps that defeated family members before them. Beware of flying knives and vengeful beings the twins have to defeat. (Popol Vuh was told as a story well before the Spaniards found the Aztecs)
Google has a website that shows virtual tours of various exhibits in Museums and Art Galleries around the world. One of those tours is through the British Museum in London. They have a 360 view of a Mayan ball court that was used to tell the story of Popol Vuh.