I found that writing a new myth around a natural phenomenon, such as Hello Kitty's lack of a mouth, was fun and cathartic. I was in a bad mood when I wrote it, and writing this myth made me think about how I could frame my own experiences and feelings as a life lesson that could apply to other people. I don't feel that I was doing anything profound, like the authors and storytellers who created myths about the formation of mountains or the sources of evil, but I specifically chose to write about a set of characters, Hello Kitty and friends, who are incredibly popular right now, to the point where they appear on many people's clothing or accessories as if they were talismans. Other people have a habit of projecting their thoughts and experiences onto their favorite characters, and I think the same must be true for the people who created the myths surrounding ancient gods and spirits. Creating my own myth gave me insight on what might encourage people to write myths in the first place. My own myth is a cautionary tale, and many other myths serve as cautionary tales (this is a dramatic example, but think of the creation myth in Genesis which warns people of the dangers of disobeying God). I think students could have a lot of fun creating their own myths, and the example modeled in this class would be well-suited for high school students. For my part, I don't love computers, so I think I might have students create scrolls in class detailing their myths with text and illustrations.
