Topic Brainstorm
While reading the project overview, I initially was drawn more to the concept of a portfolio project than a storybook project, just because I'd like to revise and improve stories I've already written. However, I think creating a themed website for the storybook project would be really interesting and fun as well, so it's very possible I'll change my mind. As far as topics for my project, I've come up with four possible topics that I'm interested in and that I think would be fun to research further and write about.
1. Japanese mythology
I am not very familiar with Japanese mythology, but from what I know of Japanese culture I think their mythology will be very interesting! Also, I have briefly learned about Japanese art in some of my art history classes, so learning more about the mythology behind their symbols and artwork would be fun. I read through some short descriptions of Japanese mythology here. I particularly am interested in the story about the Japanese gods that represent the sun, moon, and wind, and the sun goddess Amaterasu and how she was drawn out of the cave by a flower dance! I'm sure there are beautiful depictions of the last story in both artwork and theater. Here's one below!
2. Constellations/Outerspace
This was one of the topics that initially jumped out at me when I was looking through old storybooks for my favorites. There are many cultures that have myths and fairytales about stars, constellations, and the sky in general, so I think it would be interesting to compare these cultures' stories and see if they are more similar or different. I'm more familiar with Egyptian mythology surrounding the sky, like Nut the sky goddess, so exploring other cultures' mythology would be new to me. According to this resource from an astronomy class, lots of cultures have mythology surrounding the constellations, such as the Greeks & Romans, Lakota Native Americans, Egyptians and the Chinese.
3. Egyptian Mythology
As mentioned in the last topic, I do have a little familiarity with Egyptian mythology, especially the gods and goddesses. For some reason it seems like this topic interests every middle schooler, and I was not an exception. I think the aspect of Egypt myths that interests me most is their mythology surrounding the underworld such as the gods Osiris and Anubis, and the scale that weighs the deceased's soul against a feather. Of course, I have to mention Ammit, the "devourer of souls" who has the head of a crocodile and eats those who are heavier than the feather. My knowledge of these myths is mostly surface level, so I'd like to explore it further and gain a better understanding through resources like this.
4. Afterlife
Finally, the last topic I'd be interested in doing my project over would be myths about the afterlife from a variety of cultures. Every culture has their own unique beliefs about what happens after you die, and examining them has always been fascinating to me, since I have rather fluid beliefs about what will happen when I die. In particular, I would love to compare the afterlife mythology of Judeo-Christians, Native Americans, Egyptians, and either an African or Japanese culture. A great resource for further exploring the concept of the afterlife in different cultures will be this website.
1. Japanese mythology
I am not very familiar with Japanese mythology, but from what I know of Japanese culture I think their mythology will be very interesting! Also, I have briefly learned about Japanese art in some of my art history classes, so learning more about the mythology behind their symbols and artwork would be fun. I read through some short descriptions of Japanese mythology here. I particularly am interested in the story about the Japanese gods that represent the sun, moon, and wind, and the sun goddess Amaterasu and how she was drawn out of the cave by a flower dance! I'm sure there are beautiful depictions of the last story in both artwork and theater. Here's one below!
Japanese artwork depicting Amaterasu emerging from the cave.
(Image source: Wikipedia)
2. Constellations/Outerspace
This was one of the topics that initially jumped out at me when I was looking through old storybooks for my favorites. There are many cultures that have myths and fairytales about stars, constellations, and the sky in general, so I think it would be interesting to compare these cultures' stories and see if they are more similar or different. I'm more familiar with Egyptian mythology surrounding the sky, like Nut the sky goddess, so exploring other cultures' mythology would be new to me. According to this resource from an astronomy class, lots of cultures have mythology surrounding the constellations, such as the Greeks & Romans, Lakota Native Americans, Egyptians and the Chinese.
It's no wonder so many cultures were fascinated with the sky with views like this!
(Image source: Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com)
3. Egyptian Mythology
As mentioned in the last topic, I do have a little familiarity with Egyptian mythology, especially the gods and goddesses. For some reason it seems like this topic interests every middle schooler, and I was not an exception. I think the aspect of Egypt myths that interests me most is their mythology surrounding the underworld such as the gods Osiris and Anubis, and the scale that weighs the deceased's soul against a feather. Of course, I have to mention Ammit, the "devourer of souls" who has the head of a crocodile and eats those who are heavier than the feather. My knowledge of these myths is mostly surface level, so I'd like to explore it further and gain a better understanding through resources like this.
The Sphinx, an example of Ancient Egypts amazing mythology.
(Image source: Pixabay on Pexels.com)
4. Afterlife
Finally, the last topic I'd be interested in doing my project over would be myths about the afterlife from a variety of cultures. Every culture has their own unique beliefs about what happens after you die, and examining them has always been fascinating to me, since I have rather fluid beliefs about what will happen when I die. In particular, I would love to compare the afterlife mythology of Judeo-Christians, Native Americans, Egyptians, and either an African or Japanese culture. A great resource for further exploring the concept of the afterlife in different cultures will be this website.
Each culture's myths explains their solution to "what happens after we die?"
(Image source: Pixabay on Pexels.com)
Hey Alyx, I think doing a constellation project would be pretty cool! That's definitely one thing most cultures have some mythology about, so you definitely wouldn't be lacking for resources. But props to you if you end up going with the portfolio; I have a short attention span and do not like revising my stories.
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