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Folklore: Making Sense of the Skies (Stories of the Stars) Since the dawn of time… People have looked to the stars: For navigation To tell time For entertainment and religion Astrological Mythology Most every early culture had some mythology involving the sun. In the link there are all the different names of the mythological gods that some of these cultures worshiped. http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/mythology/ mythology.html&nl=11l The most popular that are studied and known today are those from the ancient Greek and Egyptian cultures. Gods of the Sky Africa: Olorun Olorun, whose name means "owner" is the skygod of the Yoruba people. He is also known as Olodumare (Almighty). According to the Yoruba people, Olorun created the world and mankind. At one time the Earth was very watery. Olorun had a snail shell, a hen, a pigeon, and some earth. Olorun threw the earth in one small point of the Earth and put on it the hen and pigeon. The two animals spread the Earth and created solid ground. Egypt: Horus Horus was a fierce and proud ancient Egyptian god. He was the son of Osiris, the god of air and the Earth, and the goddess Isis. Greek: Zeus Roman: Jupiter In Greek mythology, Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) was the king of heaven and Earth and of all the Olympian gods. He was also known as the god of justice. He was named king of the gods in the special meeting that followed his overthrow of the god Cronus and the Titans. Constellations Constellations are formed of bright stars which appear close to each other on the sky, but are really far apart in space. The shapes you see all depend on your point of view. Many societies saw patterns among the stars with gods and goddesses or stories from their culture. Constellations Continued… Many peoples noticed that the planets, the moon, and comets moved through the sky in a different way than the stars. Because of the rotation of the Earth and its orbit around the Sun, we divide the constellations into two groups. Two Groups of Constellations Some constellations never rise nor set, and they are called circumpolar. All the rest are divided into seasonal constellations. Which constellations will be circumpolar and which seasonal depends on your latitude. There are Many Constellations Ursa Major (Changing Bear Maiden) In Navajo myth, Ursa Major, the Great Bear, originated from the story of the Changing Bear Maiden. In the story, a girl accepts a bear as her husband. Her younger sister tells the father, who in turn kills the bear. The older sister changes into a bear to get revenge. The younger sister and seven brothers tried to flea their sister. The bear turns back into a girl and chases after her siblings. She eventually killed six of the brothers. The seven brothers flew up into the sky and became Ursa Major. This constellation is also known as the “Big Dipper.” Orion and Scorpio The ancient Greeks saw the figure of the Greek myth Orion in the nighttime sky. Orion was a very handsome and strong man. He was such a good hunter that he was hired by the king Oenopion to kill the ferocious beasts that were terrifying the habitants of the island Chios. Happy for his success, Orion said he would kill all the wild animals on the earth. But. the earth goddess Gaia, who was the mother of all animals, was not pleased with Orion's intention. Then, Gaia set an enormous scorpion on Orion. Orion soon realized that his strength and sword were useless against that mighty beast. He tried to escape, but the scorpion stung him to death. As a reward, Gaia placed the scorpion in the sky as a constellation which appears to be constantly chasing after Orion whose figure was also placed among the stars. Create Your Own Constellation http://www.middleschoolscience.com/personalco nstellations.pdf http://www.middleschoolscience.com/mythprojec t.pdf http://www.middleschoolscience.com/posterrubri c.pdf http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeadult/IGLA/pdf/Sci enceStars.pdf Shoe Box Planetarium http://www.middleschoolscience.com/shoe boxplanetarium.htm http://www.middleschoolscience.com/shoe boxplanetariumrubric.pdf http://www.middleschoolscience.com/plan etariumlinks.htm Identify Constellations http://www.proteacher.com/cgibin/outsidesite.cgi?id=8145&external=http: //rip.physics.unk.edu/Astronomy/Constellat ion(212).html&original=http://www.proteacher.c om/110020.shtml&title=Name%20That%2 0Constellation