Creation MYTHS PROJECT
Myths are serious stories that reflect a society’s spiritual foundations. They
are symbols of human experience that each culture values and preserves because
they embody the world view or important beliefs of that culture. The common
focus of myths from around the world relates human beings to one another across
the globe and throughout history. The questions that myths address have produced
a body of myths from diverse cultures that closely resemble each other in
subject, although the treatment of each theme naturally varies from one society
to another.
Throughout history, the religion of each culture or social group included an
explanation of how the world was created. Because the creation myth has existed
in every culture, it is obvious that it springs from a basic human need: early
people needed something beyond themselves to explain a confusing universe and
their presence in it.
II.
Your research should include media
from various sources:
A. Print material
-
Search for books by accessing,
1.
Our own school library catalog
Some titles from the library collection:
REF 031General Encyclopedias
REF 291.13 Myths
REF 291.13 Encyclopedia of World Mythology
REF 292 New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology
REF 292 Gods and Mortals in Classical Mythology
290 Mythology
291 Ancient Myths
291 Middle Eastern Mythology
291 Mythology
291 World Religions
291.1 Myths and Legends
291.1303 A Dictionary of World Mythology
292 Mythology
2.
The
NOBLE
(North
of Boston Library Exchange) Web catalog. This catalog combines over 3
million holdings of public and academic libraries into one catalog. At NOBLE
you can search and request materials directly from home or at the library, and
can renew books via the Web.
B. Online Information
1. Encyclopedias and database
material
(including articles from newspapers,
magazines, and journals)
can best be
accessed through
NMRLS (The
Northeast Massachusetts Regional Library System site).
2.
Pay special attention
to the following Search Directories:
Bartleby.com
- Go to Religion & Mythology/ Bulfinch/ The Age of Fable/ type "creation"
in the search box
Librarians’ Internet Index
3. Web sites to explore:
Encyclopedia Mythica
Encyclopedia of Mythology
Magic Tails
Yahoo! Creation Myths
Common Elements in
Creation Myths
The Germanic Myth of Creation
Native American Creation Myths
Myths
World Civilizations
4.
The following links provide essential information and guidance for your online
research:
Evaluating
Web Sites
Citing
Sources
How
to Refine a Google Search
III.
Search Terms -
The
following keywords and subject headings can facilitate your
research.
|
Creation Myths |
Myth |
Mythology |
Mythology - Creation |
Mythology - Egyptian |
|
Biblical Imagery or Biblical Symbolism |
Mythology - Norse |
Mythology - Semitic |
Religion - History |
Religion - Historians |
|
Creation - Literary Collections |
Bible - Creation |
Religions |
Mythology - Greek |
World Religions |
IV Dewey Decimal
Numbers -
If you
want to browse the shelves in the library to locate information about a topic,
look for these numbers:
|
220.52 |
291 |
291.13 |
292 |
808.8038 |
913 |