What is the first myth that you remember hearing either as a young child or maybe in school? The one I remember being told most clearly was the myth of Achilles and his heel.
Thesseus and the Minotaur. We had to do a play when I was in junior school. Now I think of it.. That was a pretty macabre thing for a bunch of ten year olds to be doing....
I think probably it was something to do with the ancient Egyptians and their myths. I remember doing a series of worksheets about ancient Egyptians in elementary school, as well as some fun activities like making a sugar cube pyramid.
uhmm, i think mine would be about the 12 olympians when our elementary teacher told us to research and provide an illustration for each. that's the time I begun to be fascinated by mythologies.
The beginnings in Greek mythology, when Gaia had Uranus, the sky, and then from their union the Titans, Cyclopes, and one-hundred headed giants. Then the Titans had the first gods -- Demeter, Hera, Hades, Hestia, Poseidon, and Zeus.
When I was a really little tyke (preschool), my mom would always read me a story at bedtime from a big book full of traditional folk tales like The Pied Piper, Three Billy Goats Gruff and such. (It was quite an advantage to be an only child, having literate parents, in the age before television ) One of the stories was about Pandora's Box, which I remember quite well. Of course, the story was turned into a moral tale and left out the background material about Prometheus, but even so it made a profound impression. There were probably other mythological tales in that book, but my memory has been dimmed by the passage of time.
My first exposure to myths was through fairy tales as well. I don't specifically remember which one was first, but I used to know an audiobook version of Sleeping Beauty, according to my mom.
When I was about five a huge backhoe was doing work on the street. At night it was surrounded by flares.
It looked like a great black dragon against the night sky, with worshippers bearing torches.
To this day my favorite type of mythical motif is dragonslaying.
My father told me some of the legend of the Monkey King when I was five, I love it and read up on other myths. He always made me laugh at the part where Monkey pees on Buddha's hand.
My father told me some of the legend of the Monkey King when I was five, I love it and read up on other myths. He always made me laugh at the part where Monkey pees on Buddha's hand.