NAME: DATE: Gods, Goddesses, and Nature in the Ancient World As is still the case today, people in ancient times were subject to many examples of extreme weather conditions and natural disasters. These included floods, snow storms, great lighting and thunderstorms, occasional freezing, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and many, many more. Science, as we understand it today, did not exist in the ancient world. But this doesn’t mean the people at that time didn’t have explanations for these natural phenomena. Unlike the scientific explanations we are accustomed to today, however, the people of the ancient world tended to rely on supernatural explanations. In this world view, disastrous events like floods or storms of plant-eating locusts were the products of angry gods or goddesses. Even natural, often harmless, events were explained through the world of the supernatural. For example, in Greek mythology, lightening was believed to be the god Zeus using his lightning bolt staff. His daughter, Persephone, controlled the harvest and the seasons. In Norse mythology, the god Thor, with his hammer, made the sound we recognize as thunder. In Egyptian mythology, the god Amun created the wind. People used these stories about these gods and goddesses to help explain the things they could not. These gods and goddesses also had complex myths and life stories to explain their actions. For example, the story of the Ancient Egyptian goddess Isis described how she fell in love with and married Osiris. Together they had a child. But the Egyptian god of storms and violence, Seth, decided to kill Osiris and spread his body parts around the world. Isis cried and cried for her lost husband. Eventually, however, she collects them all and brings her love back to life. This story is filled with explanations. The god Seth shows Egyptians that bad things happen. Isis’s tears were believed to be what caused the annual ©PBS LearningMedia, 2015 All rights reserved. flooding of the Nile River. And the resurrection of Osiris is a reflection of the way the Nile floods bring life to the fields each year. These stories may sound strange in the scientific world of today. But in the ancient world these types of myths were not only very common, but also quite rational. Apply and Elaborate Choose a natural phenomenon and create a myth to help explain it. Feel free to include an illustration on a separate sheet of paper to accompany your myth. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ©PBS LearningMedia, 2015 All rights reserved. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ©PBS LearningMedia, 2015 All rights reserved.
