Etiological Myths and the Loss of Innocence

Growing up and gaining independence is a part of life. We all begin by relying on our parents to take care of us (much as humans in early myths relied on the gods to teach them how to live in the world), but over time we learn how to do things for ourselves; we grow up to become independent from our parents, testing the waters of that independence a little more with each passing year.

Along the way, we stumble. We make mistakes and get hurt (sometimes this is due to a punishment for stepping out of line), but each of these lessons helps us to grow. Some of the lessons aren't always happy ones: we learn that playing house isn't the same as taking care of a home and paying bills; we learn that sometimes our loved ones die. Watch this video as a visual example of a moment that showcases an example of losing innocence:

Each step of the journey toward adulthood comes with some bumps and bruises, but they are necessary to understanding how to be part of the adult community. Etiological myths generally serve a dual purpose of showing various ways in which humans lose innocence, but also provide explanations about why different aspect of nature are what they are.


Additionally, they serve as reminders about the rules of the societies that told them (which behaviors are acceptable and which are not). Your task for today is to take notes from and complete all activities within this Nearpod lesson on Etiological and Loss of Innocence myths: