Appleseeds articles from March 2008

Appleseeds archives from March 2008

AppleCorps kids.(Cartoon)
March 1, 2008... Oh, Myth! I hate to tell you, thith, but thereth an enormouth thpider on your head! [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Yeah, right! Like I don't know an April Fool's joke when I hear one! You'll have to try harder than that! [ILLUSTRATION...

Myths, legends, and folktales are timeless.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Myths, legends, and folktales are timeless. Storytellers hand them down from generation to generation--treasures of enchantment, wisdom, and hope, Like a magic bag of gold or Elijah's little pot of oil, they...

It's an old story.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Once upon a time, the gods decided..." "One day, Paul Bunyan picked up his ax..." "Have you ever heard the story about the fisherman and the three magical fish...? There are some stories that people...

Fire to the people: there are many myths around the world that describe the origin of fire. Though each is different, many share a common theme: a brave young person steals fire from the gods, gives it to the people, and is then punished for his efforts. Here, you can read fire myths from three different cultures.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NEZ PERCE (native people of the western United States) Fire was the possession of the Great Power, who kept it locked in huge black bags in the sky. The people could see fire burning above them, but they had...

Anansi, trickster spider.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "'Anansi's New Trick' is my own story. But I didn't make up Anansi. Stories about this tricky-minded spider have been told for centuries," says AppleSeeds writer Tim Myers. Read on to find out more about this tricky...

Map that myth.
March 1, 2008... Have you ever wanted to be the hero in a story,: such as Spiderman or The Little Mermaid?. If you were Peter Parker, you'd have a very different adventure than if you were Ariel, There are many stories about heroes and many ways for them to...

Harry Potter: modern epic hero.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Harry Potter's story is not a myth passed down through the generations. But Harry does share a lot with mythical heroes. Think about it. Remember, all mythical heroes have certain things in common: A hero must...

Myths of the night sky.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On a clear, moonless night, step outside and look up at the sky. People have been doing this for thousands of years. Early Greek and Roman astronomers charted the night sky. They discovered that stars follow certain...

(Not so) plain vanilla: have you ever heard vanilla called "plain"? Maybe you think vanilla is boring--some people do. Many things come in "plain vanilla" versions, such as super-simple cell phones. Long ago the Totonac Indians of Mexico thought vanilla was anything but plain. Once you read their story, you may never think of vanilla as "plain" again ...
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When Princess Morning Star was born, she was very beautiful--so beautiful, in fact, that her parents decided Morning Star's life should be spent serving an important goddess, Tonoacayohua. As Morning Star grew, she...

The stranger at the dance: this is a folktale from the Southwest. But this story, about a charming and mysterious stranger who attends a dance and turns out to be not at all what he seems, is told in many different places. As with so many folktales, this one contains a lesson. It cautions children to obey their parents and to stay away from places that might be dangerous--perhaps even their very souls.(Short story)
March 1, 2008... Cecilia was a very pretty girl. But she was thoughtless and stubborn. She did what she wanted, no matter what her parents said. One day, her mother said, "Cecilia, I must be away tonight. So you must look after your little brother, Julio."...

Urban legends--fact or fiction?
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Have you heard that the Internet is shut down every year for 24 hours to clean up inactive Web sites? Did you know there is a law against making contact with extraterrestrials? These tales are not true but have been...

How our noses got this way: a just-so story.(Short story)
March 1, 2008... Many myths tell how things became the way they are. They answer questions such as, "Why do leopards have spots?" and "Why does that big rock look like a human face?" These are called "just-so" stories. This just-so story comes from the Bilan...

Eureka! meet the muses.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] You should be thrilled to meet me. I can bring you inspiration and encourage you to new creative heights! At least, that's what the ancient Greeks and Romans believed. My name is Calliope, and I am the leader of an...

Star in your own myth! Do you feel like the star of your own life?(Your Turn)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most of us do. In fact, when we think about our lives, we see ourselves as the star--or hero--of the story. If the story of your life were a myth, readers would probably want to see you in a dramatic situation where...

When Raven soard.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "A TRICKSTER MYTH..." Long ago--when the Earth was young and unsettled--humans were not always humans, and animals were not always animals. Magic wove its way into the air. Raven soared over treeless frozen...

April fools! The origin of a silly day.
March 1, 2008... Most of us are familiar with the silly tricks people play on each other on the first day of April. But did you ever wonder what exactly is April Fools' Day? Some say it began nearly 500 years ago, in France... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Did you know?
March 1, 2008... Did you ever wonder where the name Wednesday comes from? That day is named in honor of Woden, or Odin, the father of the Norse gods. Hundreds of years ago, when the Vikings sailed their long boats toward England, they took their mythology with...

Cross-frame puzzle.
March 1, 2008... ACROSS: 1. Traditional stories told by "common folk." 2. She is the leader of the Muses. 3. -- stories tell how something became the way it is. 4. Constellations are -- of the gods and goddesses in the night sky. 5. A...

Gross facts.
March 1, 2008... One of the ugliest characters in Greek mythology is Medusa. She was so hideous that just one look at her face would turn you into stone. Medusa had the body of a woman, with claws instead of hands. And her hair was made of (well, at snakes!...